Elam riding wave of momentum

James Elam hopes the momentum from his win on Fort Gibson Lake will carry him through AOY despite his abbreviated practice time on Sturgeon Bay.

STURGEON BAY, Wis. — After a tremendous finish at the Plano Bassmaster Elite at St. Clair event, James Elam made a substantial jump in the points coming into the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship.

He left Detroit holding down the 29th spot in AOY points, which is not close enough to comfort.

Only the top 40 anglers will be earning a 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic berth out of this event, and Elam knew he’d have to finish strong in Sturgeon Bay.

His mindset changed when he won the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open presented by Allstate on his home waters of Fort Gibson Lake last week.

Once he finishes the final Bassmaster Central Open on Table Rock Lake next month, he’ll have officially qualified for the Classic.

“I actually lost most of a day of practice for the AOY Championship,” Elam said. “And, I’ve been battling extremely tough conditions in and around Sturgeon Bay, but I know big fish are here.

“But, it’s been a grind and I guess I’ll be ‘practicing’ during Day 1 of the tournament.”

While he isn’t confident in a pattern on Sturgeon Bay, the young angler knows that momentum is on his side coming off the win in Oklahoma. He also knows that fishing without bias can, and often does, produce big results.

“I’m in a comfortable position, and that reduced stress will help me focus during this tournament,” he said. “I’m here to do the best that I possibly can, but knowing I’ve accomplished one of my season’s biggest goals is a huge deal for me. I’m just going fishing tomorrow. We’ll see how it turns out.”

Local stick and renowned area guide Jeff Weatherwax of Tite Line Fishing Charters knows the big fish will be found, but not without a little luck.

“There’s always the fishing-pressure factor in this part of the country,” Weatherwax said. “There is only a short five- to six-month season here, so lots of angling fanatics make sure to calendar a trip when the fishing is good. I expect the tough conditions to be partially related to a full summer of smallmouth bass fishing.”

He also talked about a massive cold front that came through in early September that seems to be having lingering affects on the fishery.

“The water temperature literally dropped 20 degrees after that front moved through,” he continued. “It really shut things down for a while.

“The good news is someone will find a good school of fish and I bet an average of 22-plus-pounds will be the winning average.”

 

Jeff Weatherwax of Tite Line Fishing Charters contributed to this article.