I know it’s still technically summer but around the Lane house it’s starting to feel like fall. As I put this column together, I’m getting the kids ready for football practice and cheerleading practice.
Cal’s looking to try out for quarterback this year. He’d like to lead the Guntersville Wildcats to a glorious season. And the girls are practicing for cheerleading so they can root the team on when that’s necessary. We’re hopeful about the quarterback position. Cal has some experience at tight end and at inside linebacker. That should help.
All this running back and forth is no easy matter. It’s a labor of love, but it’s still labor. I’ll be fishing the last two season Elite Series events in a couple of weeks so it’ll all be on Holly. I’ll tell you what, she’ll have her hands full.
We both have a good time doing it, though, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Your kids are only going to grow up for a short period of time. It’s really important not to miss anything if you can help it.
As I think about those last two events, I get more and more excited. It’s do or die for me right now as far as the Classic is concerned. As of today I’m sitting in slot number 40. That’s not quite there but it’s well within striking distance so long as I don’t bomb on the St. Lawrence River or on Lake St. Clair. I don’t really think that’ll happen but there’s a reason they call it fishing, and not catching.
I love the smallmouth angle on things. It makes the tournaments fair for everyone and it gives our bronzeback specialists something to search for, look at and cheer about. At the same time, though, I have to say that I have a lot more experience with largemouth. I feel a whole lot more comfortable chasing them in thick, sloppy grass.
One of the things I’ve noticed about smallmouth is that they seem to move around a lot. It’s like they’ll be in one place one day, or one hour, and then they’ll move for no apparent reason. When I say move, I don’t mean a few feet. They really move to somewhere else.
Largemouth don’t do that so much, or at least I don’t think they do. If conditions change they might go a few feet away, or maybe even a little farther than that, but it’s not like they move to the next town. That’s a difference that takes a while to figure out.
Next time we’ll talk a little about some of my other observations on smallies. I don’t claim to have years and years of experience with them so some of you guys might disagree with what I say. On the other hand, fresh eyes sometimes see things that other, more familiar eyes don’t.
While we’re doing that I promise to disclose a trick or two that’s helped me put my share of them in the boat.
Chris Lane’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on www.twitter.com/ChrisLaneFish and www.facebook.com/chrislanefishing or visit his website, www.chrislanefishing.com.