I’ll tell you, these big breaks are terrible for the mental game. We’ve had over a month off since the last Elite event on Cayuga Lake, and it’s been hard being away from the competition.
I would rather fish back-to-back-to-back than have breaks between events because the more you fish, the more you get into a rhythm. I know it’s probably not realistic to do it that way, but I just like to keep the fishing momentum going — even when I’ve had a bad event.
For example, I had a poor finish at the Cayuga tournament and you might think that putting some space between that event and the next one might ease the sting a little. But for a competitor, it just makes you hungry going into the next event, so I’m happy I’ll finally have the chance to get things going back in the right direction.
This season has been up and down, to say the least. I’ve had a couple really good finishes, and a couple of really bad finishes. We’re coming down to the wire, and we have two more regular season events to go. I need to have a couple of solid events, or one really good one.
I’m 44th in the points right now, so I’m right there within striking distance. It’s not like I’m out of it, by any means, nor do I feel like I have to win to make the 2017 Classic.
If I can finish in the top 20s or top 30s at the Potomac and the following event on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis., I think I would be in pretty good shape.
The only thing is that, after the final two regular season events, we have the AOY Championship on Mille Lacs. If you’re in the Top 50 in the points, even if you’re in the Classic, you’ll go to this event and points still count there. So, it’s really like you have three tournaments left.
I know I can’t relax at all, but it really does feel great to finally get back to Elite Series competition.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m expecting an easy time on the Potomac. Actually, it’s just the opposite. This week is going to present a significant challenge. Even if I were having a good season, going into a tidal event is not my strong suit.
I’ll have to work extra hard just to survive and the thing is, there’s just not much use in trying to prepare in advance for a tidal fishery like the Potomac. It’s so dynamic that map study and Google Earth study will only show you the general layout. You have to be there to get the real picture of what’s going on.
Grass is the main thing, but that changes and you have to find where the good grass beds are located. Water clarity is the other big consideration, but this also varies with tides and wind.
So much goes into a tidal event and there’s nothing remotely similar to this kind of fishery in western South Carolina. On one hand, that can make it a tough one to come back to after a long break; but on the other hand, I think all of the Potomac’s variables could actually even the field.
I’m sure the guys who live close by will have some advantage because they probably know those little hole-in-the-wall places that are good on certain tides. But for the rest of the field, it evens it out pretty good.
I will say that the Potomac River is going to give me plenty of opportunity to fish my strength. I love to fish shallow, visible cover, but the difference here is that this is a really flat fishery with mostly grass.
A lot of times, when you fish a grass lake, they get out off the edge where the grass gets scattered in 3-4 feet, so then it becomes like an offshore type deal. I think fishing a swim jig, flipping, pitching, mat fishing and just covering water will be a good plan.
I’d expect that the isolated grass clumps will be an important part of all this. I wouldn’t even think about fishing this way without my Costa polarized sunglasses, because that one little clump of grass you miss in the glare could be the one that holds the kicker you need for a competitive sack.
I’m confident that I can catch fish on the Potomac, but I’ll admit I’m a little anxious about the tidal considerations. I’m also anxious about the points standings because another poor finish could take me out of the Classic.
There’s a lot riding on this event so it’s time to get back to work.