Greenville, SC — One of the most oft-used clichés among bass anglers is that it’s imperative to “control the variables you can control.” The 54 competitors at this week’s Geico Bassmaster Classic may not be able to foresee the weather, nor can they force Lake Hartwell’s bass to bite, but they can control their understanding of the rules and laws applying to this tournament, as well as the processes necessary to
ensure a smooth operation. Whether it’s their first Classic or they’ve fished a dozen of them, each angler is one cog in the system. Registration day, which took place on Tuesday at the Hyatt in downtown Greenville, ensures that each cog knows his appropriate role and is in the right places at the right times.
By Sunday evening, there should be only one winner, but as of today each of the 54 competitors is tied for the lead, and the rules apply equally to all of them. Tournament Director Trip Weldon held a meeting this afternoon to ensure that everyone was on the same page. He normally only wears one hat on tournament day, but today he served as a boating instructor, a weather man, a media advisor and a traffic cop.
Before meeting with Weldon, the anglers were briefed on the television production process and received their Classic swag, but it was the rules – and the weather – that concerned most of them.
“The forecast is looking rough,” the tournament director said of tomorrow’s final practice day. “However, we plan on going.” The take-off is scheduled for 7am, but Weldon said that the times may be altered if inclement weather necessitates a change. He’s been in close contact with a variety of emergency service resources since Sunday, and said he is prepared for any or all possibilities. Since the Classic moved to February in 2006, weights have typically been exceptional, but the price to pay for those big pre-spawn fish has been unpredictable weather. There has been rain, fog and ice, along with blistering cold.
The 2013 Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake set a Classic record for cold temperatures with a Day One morning low of 19 degrees. Appropriate services, including sand on the ramp, made it a great tournament with no injuries or other problems. Weldon said he will build upon that success this week. “We have a great emergency management team,” he said. “We’ve been in constant contact with the highway patrol. We’ll be thorough, we’ll be deliberate, we’ll be safe. These anglers are used to fishing in cold weather.” The coldest tournament in B.A.S.S. history took place at Grand Lake in 1991. It was 9 degrees at take-off. When Weldon asked if any of this week’s competitors had fished that event, only Paul Elias raised his hand.
Chris Lane asked whether it was required that anglers go out on the water at all tomorrow.
“It’s never mandatory to go,” Weldon said. “It’s not mandatory to go on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, either.”
While no qualifier will take Weldon up on the offer to sit out the weekend, Lane said that he will likely fish less than a full day tomorrow, if he goes out at all. “The biggest thing is to make sure all of your equipment works,” the 2012 champion said.
One event that is not optional is Thursday’s media day gathering. Over 200 members of print, broadcast and internet media outlets have been credentialed for this year’s tournament. Furthermore, B.A.S.S. has upped the ante on its in-house coverage. Building upon the GoPro footage and on-the-water blogging instituted in the past several years, this year the production will move one step closer to truly being live.
“We’ve made upgrades to our coverage,” said Jim Sexton, Director of Digital Content. “We’re now able to stream directly to the web, which puts us closer to on-demand live coverage.”
All of these improvements don’t change the fact that the competitors will still duke it out on the water for the title. Elite Series pro Casey Ashley seems to be a prohibitive favorite among the fans and the pundits, owing to the fact that he’s local and has won a six-figure purse on Hartwell before. The last time a Classic featured such a local thoroughbred was 2013 at Grand, when Jason Christie was the widespread favorite to claim the title. Cliff Pace won the tournament and Christie ultimately finished 7th.
“The difference between Casey and I is that this is his sixth Classic and that was my first, in addition to being on my home water,” Christie said. “There may be lots of pressure on him, but he knows how to deal with it.” As he went through the line for the gear giveaway, Ashley seemed relaxed and claimed not to be thinking about what yesterday’s harsh weather did to the fish he found over the weekend. “There’s no point in confusing yourself,” he said. “I’ll go out tomorrow and look at some stuff I haven’t had a chance to check. Once I get out on the water, all I’ll think about is fishing.”
Bill Lowen, another pick amongst many fans for his first Classic win, seemed disappointed by the repeating bands of inclement weather hitting the Greenville area. Of course, he chose a song from “Frozen” for his entry music. “OK, I’ll take the blame,” he shrugged.
One angler who seemed completely unaffected by the cold snap was Aaron Martens, who went through the line chatting with everybody as normal. When asked what registration day means to him after 15 Classics, he responded with two words: “Sweaty armpits.” Asked to elaborate, he said it’s not so much a matter of nerves as it is of getting out of the elements. “There was an ice storm yesterday,” he explained. “We had no power and I spent 12 hours out in the garage working on tackle. It’s warm here in the Hyatt. I just drank coffee for the first time in a couple of days. I have the right gear, including wool-lined boots. Even though I’m skinny, I have an advantage when it comes to preparing for this kind of weather.”
Indeed, the tournament may play right into his hands, but as of now things are changing by the hour, and while the rules and regulations are a controllable variable, everything else is up in the air.
“I wanted it to be cold,” Ashley said. “But I didn’t want it to come all at once.”