ELITE SERIES – PRIDE OF GEORGIA PRO

Crews in 27th place on the first day at Pride of Georgia

“There’s a few patterns to be had, but the winning pattern will definitely focus around those herring. The thing is it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack looking for that bite right now. I can catch an easy limit, but catching a few better fish is going to be the key. If you can get a couple 4 or 5 pound bites a day that’s all it’ll take.”

But Thursday’s opener of the Pride of Georgia tournament presented by Evan Williams Bourbon was a good day for old men on Clarks Hill Lake. Denny Brauer, 59, took the lead with a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, and 62-year-old Dave Smith took Purolator Big Bass honors with a 7-1. He is fourth overall with 17-4.

And while he’s only 42 years old, Davy Hite is considered one of the veterans of the Elite Series tour. The South Carolina native is in second place with 18-15.

However, none of the three sounded confident about repeating his performance as the tournament moves into its second day, after which the 108-angler field will be cut to the top 50 Friday.