After his first day of practice on his first trip to Lake Logan Martin, Shane Lineberger of Lincolnton, N. C., was not only baffled by the bass in the Alabama lake, he was barely cautiously optimistic of his chances to stay in the hunt for a chance to move up from the Bassmaster Southern Opens to the Elite Series.

But, after several days on the water, Lineberger felt much better about his chances.

After practice on Monday Lineberger admitted he had found fishing “tough.” Not that he was not catching fish, just that he was not catching any quality fish – and the only thing he was catching was on a Shakey Head, a technique he is not particularly fond of.

“My first full day on the lake I caught 12 to 15 keepers, but had only 10 to 12 pounds,” he said.

But, he added, he hoped the fishing would get better as the weather warmed up.

By Wednesday, he was in much better spirits.

“I think I have figured out what I need to do to catch a limit anyway,” he said with a laugh. “It’s still kind of tough for me, but it’s definitely better and I have found some fishing a little more my style”

That style, he added, is throwing a spinnerbait and a jig.

“I caught some on a spinnerbait today and it’s supposed to be cloudy tomorrow,” he said. “They are also going to be pulling water tomorrow morning so I am a little more excited than I was the other day.”

The problem he had for the first day or two with the Logan Martin bass, Lineberger said, was figuring out the spotted bass in the lake.

“It took me longer than normal to figure out the deal with these spotted bass. These spots here don’t act like the largemouths. They don’t want anything to do with docks or the bank, not like the spots back home on Lake Norman.”

In his third year on the Southern Open trail, Lineberger has his sights set on moving up to the Bassmaster Elite Series, hopefully sooner than later.

“I did okay the last couple of years. I finished 22^nd in the points my first year and 11^th last year. I need to move up one more spot at least,” said Lineberger who currently is ranked 6^th in the standings after finishing 30^th in the first Open in late January-early February on Lake Tohopekaliga and 17^th in the second Open on Douglas Lake in April.

“I’ve had some excitement and some disappointment this year. I led the first day at Douglas and then bombed the second day,” he said. “I think I need to have a top 20 here to make the Elites, so we will see how it goes.”

Bassmaster Southern Open

May 16-18, 2013

Logan Martin Lake

www.bassmaster.com