HOUSTON, Texas — It’s possible that a 3-pounder won’t be a legal bass during this week’s GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Seriously, a 3-pounder might not be a keeper this week. Not all 3-pounders, just some short, fat ones. There’s a 16-inch minimum length limit at Lake Conroe.
“I’ve never fished a tournament in my life where there was a 16-inch minimum length limit. A few 15s, but 16 – never,” said Dave Lefebre, who wasn’t complaining, just stating a fact. “That’s unique. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve never had that experience.”
“Some of these fish are so fat, there might be a 3-pounder that won’t measure 16 inches. I caught a legitimate 5-pounder that was only 18 ½ inches. That’s a fat bass.”
For the most part, that 16-inch minimum won’t come into play during this tournament, where everyone expects to see some 25- to 30-pound five-bass limits weighed-in. But it might be a factor for a guy that weighs a big sack one day and struggles the next. Everyone expects that to happen – inconsistency.
“If you catch five that measure 16 inches or more, you’ve probably got at least 14 or 15 pounds,” said Bill Lowen. “I could see a guy having 28 or 25 pounds one day and having one or two fish the second day. It’s not that easy to get a 16-inch bite. I’ll bet you see some guys every day that don’t catch limits.”
Those 15 ¾-inch bass, which ordinarily would have been keepers and kept you in the game, are going to sting if you’re short of a limit one day. Several anglers predicted a big flip-flop in the standings each day.
“I think it’s going to be an up-and-down deal,” said Jacob Powroznik. “Somebody is going to catch a 27- to 30-pound bag one day, then 16 or 17. Then they’re going to go out and catch 21 or 22 to win the Classic. It’s probably going to take about 66 pounds to win.
“Twenty-one something a day is going to be close. If they’d give me that right now, I’d never leave the hotel room. That might not win, but it would scare some people.”