"Take some light line and work little centipede worms around the ends of docks and work a jig along the rocky bluffs," advised Guthrie, a sales rep for Tri-County Marine and a pro staff angler for Stratos and Yamaha.

"The fish have moved out on the ledges and on long points with drop-offs. Most of the fish are out there and they will stay on the drop-offs. As the sun gets hotter they are going to move deeper."

Guthrie said a lot of anglers have been pre-fishing the tournament and they have been finding success on Carolina rigs and fishing soft plastics.

"I've also heard of a few guys catching some fish on crankbaits and some on jigs up the river," he said.

Guthrie said the water is still pretty cool up the river and the water level is up.

"Some guys will catch fish up the river on spinnerbaits on laydowns and also on the jig. There will be a lot of guys swimming a jig. The locals here like to swim a jig and it is a good bait to use in the river," he said.

"There is a good chance of somebody doing really good early in the morning on topwater. Right now a Pop-R, Zara Spook and a buzzbait would be good choices."

Although the weather has been hot, Guthrie said an expected cooling trend should not have any effect on the fish.

"I'll say it will take 16 to 17 pounds with a five-fish limit to win the tournament," he said. Tournament rules require all fish weighed in to be at least 14 inches long, he noted.

Last year the tournament drew 92 boats and Guthrie expects another high turnout, especially with the prize money and Stratos incentives offered.

First prize is $2,000 guaranteed, with that doubled to $4,000 if the winner is fishing in a 2007 or newer model Stators boat. Second place pays $1,000, and prize money is guaranteed through 15^th place. There is also guaranteed prize money for the top Stratos or Javelin teams.

Prize money for the top adult-child team is $300; top man-wife team, $250; and top senior team (one member over 60 years old), $200.

Entry fee is $90 per team, with a $10 optional big fish entry.

The 10^th Annual Tri-County Marine Fishing Tournament will be held from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday out of the Whittenburg Landing on Lake Hickory. For information and an application, call Tri-County Marine at (828) 728-4845 or visit www.tricountyboats.com.