FORT WORTH, Texas — Both Chris Zaldain and Carl Jocumsen thrive when they can find largemouth bass in the mood to eat big baits. Zaldain favors a big swim bait; Jocumsen prefers a big glide bait. Both lures are most effective when the water temperature hovers in a similar tight range.
The water temps in Lake Ray Roberts were just below that magic window on the first day of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. That left Zaldain and Jocumsen both disappointed and encouraged when they finished in 13th and 12th place, respectively, Friday. They know the big baits bite could happen Saturday.
“We’re looking for a very tight window, a very tight pre-spawn window,” said Zaldain, who lives in Fort Worth and has probably spent more time on Lake Ray Roberts than any other angler in this field. “Fish are moving from the main lake to these mid-depth, hard-bottom areas before they go to the bank.”
Interestingly, Zaldain, who weighed 18-11 on Day 1, favors 55- to 57-degree water. Jocumsen, who had 18-14, prefers 58- to 60-degree water. Too cold and the bass won’t bite a big lure. Too warm and spawning mode takes over.
“I want to get those that are just coming off the main lake – the biggest, fattest fish in Ray Roberts, those 8- to 10-pounders,” Zaldain said. “I saw them (Friday). I saw them following my swimbait. But 51, 52, 53 (degrees) is still just a little bit cold. That 55 to 57 is money.”
Jocumsen hooked one of those bass near the end of the day but it came unhooked.
“They just don’t bite when it gets under 58,” he said. “It’s crazy. It’s just like night and day. I had that one spot where it got to 59 at the end of the day, and I missed it. It was a monster, and it just came off. I almost had a big bag.
“If it goes too far past (58 degrees) it gets bad. That’s when they start spawning. I want it right in that gap when they get there and before they start spawning. When they get there, they get real aggressive.”
Zaldain and Jocumsen were discouraged at the start of the day when they found water temperatures that were cooler than what they’d seen during the last day of practice on Wednesday. Zaldain could get only followers with the swimbait and caught most of his weight on a jig Friday. However, a warm night Friday and a warmer day Saturday should get the water temperatures into the magic window for both anglers.
“I caught a 7-pounder in practice, and I caught a 6,” said Zaldain, who is using a Bass Mafia 7-inch bone-colored prototype swimbait that features a deep body. It’s a gizzard shad imitation. “The thing about throwing a gizzard shad profile bait, you’re not looking for 3s, 4s and 5s. We’re talking 7s, 8s and 10-pounders. That’s what bites it here.
“I’ve been saying this since the day this tournament was announced. I said the winner is going to have 30 (pounds one day), 16 to 20, then a 24-pound day. That’s just the way this place is, it’s flip-floppy. You’re going to have a bad day. I burned my bad day on the first day. I need 30, then 24 or 25 to win this thing.”
Those daily totals would put Zaldain in the 72-pounds range for the tournament. When polled on Tuesday’s registration day, the 56 anglers in this field most commonly guessed a winning weight in the 70s.
If the big bait bite turns on Saturday, Jocumsen and Zaldain could add some flip to what each considered a flop on Friday.
