BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — None of the hundreds of casts made by the 50 contenders in the 37th annual Bassmaster Classic on Wednesday counted for anything official. But they were still important because the collective wisdom gained during this lone day of practice provided them with a good idea of what to expect when competition begins on Friday. And what they found has most of the field predicting great fishing action during the world-championship event Friday through Sunday.
After taking Thursday off for various activities that include Media Day duties, the pros will be launched into the pressure cooker known as the Classic Friday morning with three days to find the 15 largest bass possible in Lay Lake. And after spending eight hours on the 12,000-acre central Alabama lake, they have a better sense of what awaits them in the battle for bass fishing's most prestigious title and a payday of $500,000.
The Classic contenders were encouraged and enthused about a developing warming trend that has increased the lake’s water temperature as much as 10 degrees since last week’s three-day scouting session. The major increase in temperature is expected to bring more fish shallow and make them more active. The temperature rise could bring largemouth bass into play in the pros’ strategies despite the fact that Lay Lake has a large population of spotted bass.
Wednesday’s weather was dominated by rain and overcast conditions.
Here’s a sampling of what the Classic pros learned and accomplished during Wednesday’s practice round:
Boyd Duckett, Dempolis, Ala., Classic rookie and one of the pre-Classic favorites: “The water is warming up nice. I found some 54-, 55-degree water, but there’s no fish in it yet. I have to assume that we will see a pretty good migration between now and Friday or during the tournament. So that should make largemouth more of a factor instead of this being more of a spot tournament.
“I got enough flipping bites that I could have caught a limit of largemouth today. I was fully planning to fish for largemouth and now with the water warming up I’m absolutely going to fish for largemouth.”
Mike McClelland, Bella Vista, Ark., fishing his fourth Classic: “It was pretty much what I was expecting and hoping. I went a little bit shallower today than where I had been catching them, but I can’t say I found anything that really turned me on. I did catch a couple of largemouth a little shallower than I caught them last week.
“There are going to be some fish move shallow this week, but I don‘t know if it will be much of a factor. I really didn’t check my best places. I fished a pattern around the kind of stuff I’d been fishing, but I didn’t get any bites.”
Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala., three-time Classic runner-up fishing his eighth Classic: “I eliminated a lot of water today. I was kind of checking stuff that I didn’t check last week. I went to a few areas and got bit pretty quick, but I mainly just checked a few areas that I was wondering about.
“It was a productive day. I learned what I’m not going to do in the tournament. I think with the warming water the catch is about to be about 50-50 (largemouth and spots). When the water warms up they both bite better.”
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu, Ariz., fishing his sixth Classic: “I had a fair practice day. I was looking to fish the baits and the areas I had fished in practice to solidify what I am going to do in the tournament. That worked out well and I look forward to the tournament.
“I think it’s going to be a combination of both (largemouth and spots). I had both of them bite today so right now I’ll take whatever will bite. The fishing will be good. I think everybody should come in with a limit.”
Kelly Jordon, Mineola, Texas, fishing his fifth Classic: “It was pretty good. I tried my best pattern from last week and tried to expand it a little bit. I did everything I set out to do.
“They’re biting better than they did last week. There’s going to be tons of fish caught this week. I think you can probably catch them all over the lake. I’m going to catch both (largemouth and spots). It would be nice to have 12 pounds of spots in the first hour and then go head-hunting for largemouth. I’m definitely going to spend a lot of time after largemouth.”
Mike Wurm, Hot Springs, Ark., fishing his fourth Classic: “It went about like I expected. Maybe the fish were a little smaller than I expected — the ones I did catch. However, I got quite a few bites and I feel pretty comfortable I can catch a limit on Friday. I’m just not sure about the size.
“I did not check my three best spots. Today, the goal was to look at a few places that I did not get to look at last week. So I tried a few things in those areas to see what was up and then I found some more fish in another area, which I feel good about.”
The casts start counting for real at 7 a.m. Friday when the Classic boats are launched at Lay Lake’s Paradise Point Marina. Daily weigh-ins will be at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry’s widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
Day 1 of the Inaugural Championship Event Starts Thursday
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Bass fishing enters a new era on Thursday when 24 women will cast their lines on Day 1 of the inaugural Women’s Bassmaster Tour Championship, Feb. 22-24 on Lake Mitchell out of Gadsden, Ala. Contenders, who advanced via their top-12 status in the Toyota Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year standings (pro and co-angler), wrapped up their final practice day on Lake Mitchell on Wednesday.
The top WBT pro will take home a first-place prize of a 2007 fully rigged Triton boat valued at $50,000 as well as $10,000 cash. The total prize purse is $225,750, and the winning co-angler will receive a Triton/Mercury package valued at $24,000, plus $1,000 cash.
Here’s a sampling of the WBT’s final practice results and a sneak preview of what’s to come during the competition:
• Women’s Bassmaster Tour Pro Angler Lucy Mize, from Ben Lomond, Ark.: “I figured out a lot today about my fishing. I tried a variety of different things and hope that it will get better each day. I think that change in warm weather will help everybody and with the sun shining it should help the fishing.
“I think it will take about 40 pounds to win the tournament. You’ll see some big sacks caught, but whether the girls can catch them three days in a row – that will be the trick.”
• Women’s Bassmaster Tour Pro Angler Emily Shaffer, from Mount Juliet, Tenn.: “Today I went out to see what I could find versus the pre-fish period. The water was more muddy and stained, but I used my depth finder to run over my spots and I feel good about it.
“They’re (the bass) not as active as I would like them to be, but I’m hoping that the sunshine tomorrow will put them on some structure. I’m fishing a variety of lures, looking for a quick bite in the morning so I can slow down and go after the bigger fish.”
• Women’s Bassmaster Tour Pro Angler Cindy Hill, from Smyrna, Tenn.: “I looked at new areas today and the water is a lot higher than 30 days ago. It’s stained with not much current which makes a difference.
“I think it will take 15-18 pounds a day to win the tournament, but it doesn’t matter if I catch I fish, I already feel like a winner.”
• 2006 Women’s Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year Dianna Clark, from Bumpus Mills, Tenn.: “The water temperature dropped quite a few degrees and so some things did change. It can be a completely different tournament by tomorrow, but I feel confident that I’ll catch fish.
“This tournament won’t be a Guntersville or a Lake Amistad, but instead I think it will be neck and neck. It could turn around for anyone competing.”
On the final day of competition, the top-six WBT pros will weigh-in on the Bassmaster Classic stage at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center. The 12 co-anglers will compete in a two-day tournament finishing on Friday.
Sponsors of the Women's Bassmaster Tour include Mercury Marine, Triton Boats, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Advance Auto Parts and Plano.