LA CROSSE, Wis. — Never have ounces carried so much weight on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Ounces were big the last two times the Elite Series came here to the Mississippi River in 2012 and 2012, but those tournaments were in late June – the midpoint of the season.
This week’s Plano Bassmaster Elite presented by Favorite Fishing is the last 2016 regular season full-field event. In addition to the $100,000 first-place prize, there are all sorts of variables in play for GEICO Bassmaster Classic berths and the Toyota Angler of the Year title.
“It’s a game of ounces here,” said Todd Faircloth, who won at La Crosse in 2012 and finished sixth in 2013. “Twelve pounds a day here might or might not make the (two-day, top 50) cut. Then you might have a guy catch 13 pounds a day and he’s in the top 20.”
Faircloth isn’t exaggerating. In 2013, there were 11 anglers with a two-day total between 23 pounds, 15 ounces and 23-1. The top 50 cut mark was 23-5. In 2012, there were 14 anglers with a two-day total between 25-13 and 25-1. The top 50 cut mark was 25-8, and three anglers had exactly that.
“If you can figure out something to boost your quality just a little bit, that’s always the key here,” said Faircloth. “There will be a lot of real tight weights. You catch a 3- or 4-pounder and you’re way ahead of the game.”
Faircloth’s winning weight in 2012 was 62-4. Tommy Biffle won it in 2013 with 64-2. That’s basically 15 ½ and 16 pounds a day for a winning weight.
“Nobody is going to catch 20 pounds (one day),” said Hank Cherry. “I think 11 ¾-pounds a day will make the 50 cut and 14 ½ to 15 ½ pounds a day will win it.”
Those relatively low daily bags don’t indicate a scarcity of fish. Bass – both largemouth and smallmouth – are plentiful. But it takes a lot of culling to get up to those necessary totals when, as Faircloth noted, a 3- or 4-pounder puts you way ahead of the game.
There are two more factors that make this event different than the last two Elite Series tournaments here. First, there’s a lot more aquatic vegetation in the river in September than there was in June for the previous events.
“A lot of places are choked out,” said Bill Lowen, who finished seventh here in 2012. “Everywhere I typically fish here is choked out. You can’t even get to it.”
Secondly, a storm dropped several inches of rain over the area Tuesday night, and the river is on the rise. Lowen guessed it came up six inches during the half-day of practice Wednesday, and the Mississippi River is forecast to rise another 18 inches. That’s just fine with Gerald Swindle, the AOY leader by 37 points over second-place Keith Combs entering this event.
“Now we’re all scrambling,” Swindle said. “I like that.”
Swindle didn’t finish in the money in the previous events at La Crosse. He was just out – by, of course, one ounce – in 2013, placing 51st with 25-7. Swindle finished 63rd in 2012.
“I fished this place really stupid both times,” Swindle said. “That’s the thing I said to myself: This river fishes too good for you to fish that damn dumb.”
Dumb, as defined by Swindle, was locking through to another pool on the river, then getting in a hurry with topwater baits. So he’s going to stay in the La Crosse pool and take his time, mostly with a flipping stick in his hands.
“I’m not going to shipwreck,” Swindle said. “I’m not going to catch 50. I’m going to try to catch big fish and go that way. The second time I was here I caught a lot of fish, but I was fishing smaller baits and catching too many little fish.
“You need to spend all nine hours with the chance you can catch a big fish. A 4 ½- to 5-pounder here is gold. I’m going to throw a little bit of topwater, but basically I’m going to flip.”
Swindle is in one-day-at-a-time mode, in spite of getting asked over and over and over about leading the AOY race as it nears the end.
“I just don’t think about it,” Swindle said. “You come here with your priority being catching fish on the Mississippi River. You don’t let your mind go anywhere but there. To get to step 10, you’ve got to do one through nine.”
As for all the talk about AOY, Swindle claims he has taken a positive approach on that, too.
“It makes you appreciate the sport, and what goes with it. A lot of people want to ask questions about it. But those are their thoughts, not mine. Staying focused on the event is key.”
And in this event, the focus will be on ounces, not pounds.