GREENVILLE, S.C. — It could be both the least participated and most anticipated official practice day in Bassmaster Classic history Wednesday, when the 56 qualifiers go back to Lake Hartwell for the final time before competition officially begins.
The 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro starts Friday. Wednesday is the final practice day. These guys are usually confident in their equipment, but the cold front blasting through this area has created plenty of questions among a normally self-assured bunch of bass fishermen.
"There's not a handful of guys that have spent any time at all fishing in single-digit weather," said Chad Morgenthaler during angler registration Tuesday. "This is a new game for most of these guys."
The weather has essentially made Classic rookies of the entire field. The high is predicted to be 40 degrees Wednesday, with a low of 10 degrees, plus 20- to 30-mile-per-hour winds and possible snow flurries.
That forecast had several anglers questioning what they could learn that they didn't already know about catching bass Wednesday on Lake Hartwell. Participation isn't required. It will be easy to choose staying in a hotel room and working on tackle rather than freezing and getting frustrated on the lake.
But another group of anglers wants to find out: a) if they'll be able to stay warm in such weather, and b) whether their equipment will continue to function.
"Does anyone know a few secrets the rest of us don't know?" Morgenthaler wondered. "That's what this tournament may come down to."
For instance, does anyone have a secret for keeping rod guides from becoming ice-choked? These guys aren't certain whether the small micro guides or the old-style large-to-small guides progression is better.
"I switched my rods to the old-style guides, like we used back in the '90s," said Brandon Gray.
John Crews has gone the opposite way.
"I've thought about it quite a bit," Crews said. "Micro guides make you clean your guides (of ice) sooner. Regular guides get more ice in them before they close up, and that thicker ice is harder to break loose. I don't think that's a good thing."
The ice factor had Morgenthaler's brain churning.
"I've thought about Pam cooking spray," he said. "I've thought about waxing my guides with car wax, anything to shed the water from them before it freezes."
Then there's the question of how best to keep a reel working in such cold weather. The main problem is keeping ice out of the tiny level-wind, or worm, guide that rotates back and forth distributing line evenly on the reel. Unlike rod guides, which can be dipped in the lake to loosen the ice, water in the reel will cause it to freeze for the remainder of the day.
"You can probably get three to five casts with one (rod-and-reel) setup before it's not working anymore," Crews said. "The worm gear will freeze up. I keep a toothpick handy and try to keep poking the ice out of the worm gear. That helps, but it's cumbersome and time-consuming."
Eventually it will be best to just switch rod-and-reel combos. There may be more fully-packed rod boxes in these boats than at any other Classic.
"I've probably got 50 rods," Morgenthaler said. "Not all of them have reels on them."
Crews has 6 to 8 similar rod-and-reel combos for each type of lure he plans to use.
"When one completely quits working, you just rotate them," Crews said.
Said Gray, "On Sunday, everything I had was frozen up about lunchtime."
Brandon Palaniuk has a simple solution to the baitcaster problem.
"You've just got to blow out the ice between casts," he said. "I'll stick my mouth down there (on the reel) and just blow it out. It's a pain, but you've just got to deal with it."
That's the best overall tactic, according to Palaniuk, just learn to deal with it. Don't get frustrated and lose your mental edge
"I've grown up my entire life fishing conditions just like this — freezing cold, rain, snow," said the Idaho resident. "There aren't any secrets. You just learn to deal with it. Rod guides are going to freeze. Reels are going to freeze. You have to manage it, but you can't prevent it."
That's what Wednesday may well be, for those who choose to participate: Practice in learning to deal with the weather conditions, rather than a day devoted to finding fish.
Practice in applying your latest purchases in hopes of keeping your body warm might be helpful too.
"I worked a promotion at Cabela's (Monday night)," said Mike McClelland. "They had those Mr. Buddy propane heaters for sale, and I picked one up. I've never carried a heater in my boat. But I feel like with the weather conditions we're looking at, it's a good idea."
Short of building a wood fire on his boat deck, Crews is planning to carry anything and everything that could possibly keep him warm.
"Any device known to man that will generate heat and not catch my boat on fire is in my boat," Crews said. "I've got hand-warmers, electric gloves, a heated vest. That Stormr Stryker suit is the real deal. I've been thoroughly impressed with how warm it keeps you."
The weather forecast for the tournament days provides one more reason not to practice Wednesday, if anyone needs that. After a high of 26 degrees and a low of 8 on Thursday, it's supposed to gradually warm during the three-day event that begins Friday, when the extremes are predicted to be "only" 33 and 23 degrees. The forecast calls for a high of 43 and a low of 37 Saturday, then 56 and 35 on Sunday.
That's still not exactly balmy weather for a bunch of bass anglers that are more accustomed to dealing with the heat rather than the cold.
"We've fished some miserable conditions before," said McClelland. "But I don't know that we've ever been faced with a forecast that looks like this."