It could be decided on a last-second fish, one of those moments of “I knew it,” or “Never give up.” Or it could simply hinge on who best manages boat traffic.
Fans are expected to be on the water in force for the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, March 24-26. Lake Conroe, one of the smaller Classic fisheries of late at 21,000 acres, is developed with homes and docks on its lower end. It can get so rough, locals call it the Gulf of Conroe.
Greg Hackney, who was taking some batting practice with Mark Zona last week at Grosse Savanne in southern Louisiana, said he was hoping for the worst weather possible.
“The thing I think it would do is cut down on the boat traffic on the lake,” he said. “It won’t help me at all fishing-wise, but it might help me get around.”
Watching it on Bassmaster LIVE, rather than being there, is Hackney’s plea to fans, if not the desire of most all the competitors. Everyone in the industry would rather see the world’s championship decided by the anglers’ ability, not which one was unfortunate enough to have his area adversely affected by an outside influence. It’d be disgraceful if a fan fished behind a competitor and plucked off what might have been their winning fish.
“I don’t like to see anybody get bothered,” said Hackney, who in the most recent Elite event had a local angler fish alongside him in one of those “I-can-beat-the-pro” attempts. “The deal is the lake we are going to is all bulk-headed. It’s a mess when there’s a bunch of boats on it. The waves never dissipate. They just run into the bulkhead and run back out. If the (fish are) up there shallow, you don’t want that.”
The forecast for competition days is mild mornings around 60 degrees, with afternoon highs reaching around the 80s on Friday and Saturday. There is a chance of a thunderstorm or two early on Day 1, and a cold front will lower temps on Day 3 to around 65.
B.A.S.S. and the anglers are well aware it’s a public lake, but to have a fair competition, fans venturing onto the water need to be considerate. Think about if you were in that same situation – shooting for $300,000 – how you would want spectators to act?
Some pros are rather practiced at keeping a gallery under control, even directing them to help protect their spot. However, Lake Conroe is a pattern lake. Anglers more than likely will be on the move, but a spot they just fished might be returned to within minutes.
Boaters who do want to watch should be courteous and follow anglers’ instructions. It might help if there were enforcers, people who take a John Wayne “Pilgrim-you’re-not-doing-right” attitude toward anyone infringing on an angler’s efforts to win.
There’s always those who want to witness Classic history firsthand, but a better choice might be Bassmaster LIVE. It provides a view from the pros’ boats and even offers replays. LIVE airs from 7 to 10 a.m. CT each morning then 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
HOUSTON, THE EAGLES HAVE LANDED
The 52 competitors have been practicing on Lake Conroe since Friday. The initial three-day practice period leads into a day of rest Monday, then on Tuesday anglers will converge on downtown Houston for registration and the official meeting. The anglers get all kinds of goodies from sponsors, and there’s even a “gifting suite.” Dang right there’s perks to qualifying for a Classic.
B.A.S.S. holds somewhat of a dress rehearsal on Wednesday, the final day of practice. Officials are on hand at Lake Conroe Park to go through launch, check-in and the drive to Minute Maid Park. That night is also Night of Champions, when Gerald Swindle will give a much anticipated speech for winning the 2016 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.
Media Day is Thursday, where the competitors will do final interviews for around 300 or so credentialed members of the media. Day 1 of the competition gets underway Friday with launch at 7:20 a.m. CT.
For B.A.S.S. Life members and several other groups, the Bassmaster Classic Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods opens at 10:30 a.m. Friday for a preview, and the general public can enter the George R. Brown Convention Center at noon. The Expo runs 12 to 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Minute Maid Park’s doors open to Life/Nation members at 3 p.m. each day, and 3:15 to the public. Emcee Dave Mercer will begin sometime before first fish at 4:30 p.m. daily.
FIVE GUYS TO HACK OUT OF CLASSIC
Asked which five competitors he would prefer just sit the Classic out, Hackney agreed that local favorite Combs is among them, just at the bottom of his list.
“He’s definitely the guy with the most experience there, but I don’t necessarily know if it’s been this time of the year,” Hackney said.
So then, who are the five you would want to eliminate from the event?
“No. 1 would be VanDam, because he’s the winningest guy in the Classic,” he said. “Jason Christie would probably be No. 2. Edwin (Evers), Todd Faircloth and Keith Combs at fifth.
“Faircloth is overdue to win a Classic, and Evers has got one under him. You’ll see with a lot of guys, when they win the first one, it’s a lot easier to win the second one. The only reason Keith Combs makes the list for me is just because he knows so much about the lake.”
OCAMICA FINALLY GETTING CLASSIC TRIP
“You know how some things just weren’t meant to be,” Darrell Ocamica began a Facebook post, adding, “It’s crazy how things work out.”
Back in 2001, his wife, Marni, surprised him for Christmas with plans to attend the Bassmaster Classic.
“When she told me that’s what she wanted to do I told her, I would love to go but I am not going until I am there to fish it,” he wrote. “Well 16 years later, here we are … Kind of ironic how life works out. By far the biggest bass tournament I will ever fish and I am gonna make it very interesting.”
HOMETOWN PRESSURES COME TO BOIL
Chris Lane knows the added pressures of fishing a hometown Classic. He did it at Guntersville in 2014 and was none too happy with a 36th-place finish. Although the last three champs were at home, there’s been many more who flopped.
“It’s so tough to fish the Bassmaster Classic on your home,” Lane said. “For instance, this is probably going to be one of the biggest Classics. If the weather is right, there’s going to be more boats on the water than we’ve had in history at any Classic.”
Combs won’t have the luxury of fishing Day 1 without company. As winner of Toyota Texas Bass Classics there, he’ll be a target of media and fans. He’s expected to have a Bassmaster LIVE camera, at least for Friday.
“Combs, being on his home body of water, it’s going to be very hard to keep all that composure,” Lane said. “When you’re sitting in that press conference and they’re talking about you leading the Bassmaster Classic, those words right there are like a brick dropping down on you.”
Lane said he thinks someone who figures out a pattern and has something in his back pocket for weather variations might be able to beat the field, but he does think Combs’ local experience will be tremendously beneficial.
“I think Keith Combs is that guy who can keep that composure and stay focused because he knows Conroe so well,” Lane said.
HERE’S THE ABC’s OF FIELD OF 52
Following is the list of 2017 Classic qualifiers. The number in parentheses represents the number of times each angler has qualified for the Classic.
Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C. (8)
Drew Benton, Panama City, Fla. (1)
Hank Cherry, Maiden, N.C. (3)
Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla. (5)
Scott Clift, Dadeville, Missouri (1)
Keith Combs, Huntington, Texas (6)
Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La. (3)
Ott DeFoe, Knoxville, Tenn. (6)
Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala. (8)
Brent Ehrler, Newport Beach, Calif. (2)
James Elam, Tulsa, Okla. (2)
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla. (16)
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas (15)
John Garrett, Union City, Tenn. (1)
Shaw Grigsby, Gainesville, Fla. (16)
Greg Hackney, Gonzales, La. (14)
Skylar Hamilton, Dandridge, Tenn. (1)
Wil Hardy, Harlem, Ga. (1)
Charlie Hartley, Grove City, Ohio (2)
Matt Herren, Ashville, Ala. (7)
Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz. (5)
Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala. (15)
Michael Iaconelli, Pittsgrove, N.J. (18)
Alton Jones Sr., Lorena, Texas (18)
Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas (1)
Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala. (8)
Timothy Klinger, Boulder City, Nev. (1)
Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla. (10)
Ryan Lavigne, Gonzales, La. (1)
Jordan Lee, Vinemont, Ala. (3)
Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa. (2)
Jared Lintner, Arroyo Grande, Calif. (6)
Bill Lowen, Brookville, Ind. (9)
Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala. (3)
Aaron Martens, Leeds, Ala. (18)
Ish Monroe, Hughson, Calif. (10)
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C. (3)
Darrell Ocamica, Fruitland, Idaho (1)
Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas (12)
Brandon Palaniuk, Hayden, Idaho (7)
Clifford Pirch, Payson, Ariz. (4)
Jacob Powroznik, Port Haywood, Va. (3)
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif. (17)
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. (15)
Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky. (1)
Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn. (2)
Gerald Swindle, Guntersville, Ala. (16)
Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla. (4)
Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich. (26)
Jesse Wiggins, Cullman, Ala. (1)
Jason Williamson, Wagener, S.C. (2)
Chris Zaldain, San Jose, Calif. (3)