BASS Insider asked several top competitors what they expected to accomplish on Wednesday, February 20, the last chance to practice before the 2008 Bassmaster Classic. Here's what they had to say:
Boyd Duckett
"I think I've got enough deep fish but I need a couple of additional shallow places. I have one that should be productive but I need to check it out after the rain this week. I want to make sure the water didn't muddy up too much. After that I'll run around and look for shallow water bites."
Greg Hackney
"I'll go to an area that I rode around in last week but didn't have a chance to fish. I'll see if there are bass there and if I can get them to bite. If so, I'll include it in my Classic water. If not, I'll forget about it and go with what I've got."
Mike Iaconelli
"I won't return to any of the spots I caught fish on last week. I'll try to update my general lake information and knowledge based on what I already know. I'll also look around for new spots. You don't want to rely on just one or two places in a Classic."
Ish Monroe
"I'll go back and fish the areas surrounding the spots I got bites at last week. I'd like to find more active bites and more spots to fish in the same general area. I'll also be looking for big bass spots, the kind that produce winning bags. I'm a straightforward guy. I want to find fish that are biting."
Peter T
"I'm lost in translation to tell the truth. I only found one spot in practice with fish and I'm not very confident about it. I'm going to spend Wednesday looking for bass and figuring out ways to catch them. I'm struggling right now and I need to find bass."
Kevin VanDam
"This is a big lake. I hadn't even seen it before the first day of last week's practice. There are still several areas I haven't seen. I want to run around and look at those places and maybe do some fishing in them. I've got a spot or two but I'd like more. This is the Classic."
Kevin Wirth
"I've got a couple of things that are working for me but I've also got three or four things that are questionable — water and techniques. I'm going to spend Wednesday eliminating the things from my lineup that don't work. That way I'll have a clear mind come Friday and be confident with what I'm doing."
Mike Wurm
"I've got two or three places I want to check real quick to make sure my primary pattern is still working. And, while I'm there, I might try a couple of secondary patterns to see if I can get a few bites on them. The last day isn't the time to run around looking for something new. It's the time to expand on what I've already got going."