These Elite anglers have all sorts of intangibles to deal with during a normal day on in competition. Things like mechanical issues added with the general craziness of fish making just the right wiggle to jump off a hook are just part of the game regardless of where you are fishing.
The St. Lawrence River, however, adds another one that has taken a couple of anglers by surprise.
The photos with this blog were taken from Mark Davis' cell. Notice the teeth marks all over the sides of this 4- to 5-pound smallmouth.
Davis caught this fish in practice. It put up a pretty good fight, as all smallmouth that size are known for. But it got even more brutal when a Muskie attacked the smallmouth. Davis finally wrestled the smallmouth away from the toothy critter, got it in the boat and released it.
While he was telling that story waiting to launch this morning, Cliff Pace walked up and added his own version. He too had hooked a smallmouth and had a huge Muskie chomp down on his fish from head to tail.
Saltwater anglers have seen that type stuff for years with sharks taking their catch. But with a $100,000 and Bassmaster Classic berths on the line and in the case of some an AOY title in the mix, those are the type things that could create a ton of drama.
It will be interesting to hear how many, if any, heart breaks are created today by the toothy critters of the north.