I conceived Bassmaster's "Day on the Lake" back in 1997 not as a series, but as a one-time article. My premise was simple: I wondered how a top BASS pro would fare on a small lake he'd never seen before— where he'd fish; what he'd look at in the way of structure and cover; what lures and presentations he'd use; how he'd put together a viable pattern given no prior knowledge of the lake, with no map and no practice time. My hunch was that readers would pick up useful tips on how to fish their home lakes by gaining inside access to a pro's decision-making process on a strange body of water.
The first "Day on the Lake" article, featuring Texas pro Jay Yelas, appeared in the February 1999 Bassmaster. Readers ate it up and demanded more. To date, I've written 50 installments in what has become the most popular reality series in bass fishing. To mark the occasion, I've compiled some facts and figures that followers of this series should find interesting. My thanks to all the BASS pros I've worked with, Bassmaster editors James Hall and Dave Precht, and especially to you readers, for making "Day on the Lake" a success. Hopefully the seasonal fishing tips you've learned from the pros will make all your days on the lake more rewarding and enjoyable. —Don Wirth
Note: Since my outings with pros take place 12 months in advance of the article's publication, this is the first time some of the information that follows has appeared in print. Be sure to watch future issues of Bassmaster for "Day on the Lake" articles referenced below that have not yet been published
Heaviest Five-Bass Limit
1. Greg Hackney, 28 pounds, 5 ounces; May 25, 2006
2. Gary Klein, 27 pounds, 1 ounce; May 8, 2003
3. Kelly Jordon, 25 pounds, 8 ounces; August 11, 2003
4. Larry Nixon, 24 pounds, 8 ounces; April 23, 1998
Lightest Five-Bass Limit
1. Basil Bacon, 4 pounds, 2 ounces; October 18, 1999
2. Dave Wolak, 6 pounds, 5 ounces; September 8, 2006
3. Aaron Martens, 7 pounds, 15 ounces; November 16, 2005
4. Guy Eaker, Sr., 9 pounds, 6 ounces; October 18, 2002
5. Dean Rojas, 9 pounds, 14 ounces; December 5, 2006
Most Memorable Moments
1. January 31, 2007, 9:35 a.m. In spite of air temperature in the teens, iced-up rod guides and 39-degree water, Russ Lane catches a monster 11-pound, 14-ounce largemouth on a crankbait. It was the biggest bass the pro had ever caught, and the biggest so far in this series. Lane's second(and only other) keeper that day weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces; he said it "looked like a minnow" by comparison.
2. May 25, 2006, 7:50 a.m. Greg Hackney hangs his crankbait in a submerged tree. Rather than disturb the spot by retrieving the lure, he breaks it off, picks up a rod rigged with a jig and catches an 8-pound, 15-ounce largemouth from the tree on his next cast.
3. May 8, 2003, 9:11 a.m. A 6-pound, 8-ounce largemouth inhales Gary Klein's buzzbait. When he swings the bass aboard, his rod snaps in two.
4. May 8, 2003, 10:42 a.m. Klein retrieves his buzzbait past a submerged brushpile and a 7-13 largemouth boils all over it. He wisely opts to lip-land this lunker.
5. April 20, 2004, 11:05 a.m. Joe Thomas hangs an enormous fish on a crankbait. After a five-minute battle, it rises to the surface and reveals itself to be a 50-pound catfish.
Best Lures by Month
January: Deep diving crankbait
February: Jig, spinnerbait
March: Suspending jerkbait, lipless crankbait
April: Tube bait, lizard, jig, spinnerbait, suspending jerkbait
May: Buzzbait, jig, deep diving crankbait
June: Deep diving crankbait, big plastic worm
July: Deep diving crankbait, big plastic worm, tube bait
August: Creature bait, deep diving crankbait
September: Square-bill crankbait
October: Square-bill crankbait
November: Jig, spinnerbait, square-bait crankbait, suspending jerkbait
December: Small diving crankbait
Coldest Day on the Lake
Date: January 31, 2007
Low: 10 degrees
High: 28 degrees
Water temperature:39 degrees
Pro: Russ Lane
(In spite of frigid air and water temperatures, Lane caught the biggest bass yet recorded in this series: 11 pounds, 14 ounces.)
Hottest Day on the Lake
Date: July 22, 1999
High: 101 degrees
Low: 83 degrees
Water temperature: 94 degrees
Pro: Denny Brauer
(Brauer failed to catch a keeper bass that day. His only bite netted him an 11-inch largemouth.)
Worst Day on the Lake
1. Denny Brauer: 0 keepers; 0 pounds, 0 ounces, July 22, 1999
2. Roland Martin: 1 keeper; 1 pound, 0 ounces, August 14, 2001
3. Rick Morris: 1 keeper; 1 pound, 8 ounces, September 18, 2003
3. Zell Rowland: 1 keeper, 1 pound, 8 ounces, September 21, 2004
4. Mike Iaconelli: 2 keepers, 4 pounds, 0 ounces, February 17, 2005
5. Skeet Reese: 3 keepers, 4 pounds, 6 ounces, June 7, 2004
Heaviest Catch — Fewer Than Five Bass
1. Alton Jones: 4 keepers; 19 pounds, 4 ounces
2. Russ Lane: 2 keepers; 18 pounds, 6 ounces
3. Stacy King: 4 keepers;17 pounds, 2 ounces
4. Kevin Wirth: 3 keepers; 13 pounds, 5 ounces
5. Art Ferguson: 4 keepers; 12 pounds, 3 ounces
Biggest Lunkers
January: Russ Lane 11 pounds, 14 ounces Bomber Fat Free Shad Crankbait January 31, 2007
May: Greg Hackney 8 pounds, 15 ounces Strike King jig May 25, 2006
Paul Elias 8 pounds, 1 ounce Mann's 20+ Crankbait May 29, 2002
Gary Klein 7 pounds 13 ounces Lunker Lure buzzbait May 8, 2003
June: Tim Horton 9 pounds, 2 ounces Bomber Fat Free Shad Crankbait June 15, 2002