This Top 12 Elite Series final has a completely different feel than the one held a week ago on Grand Lake, besides the obvious – Grand finished on a Sunday.
At Grand Lake, Kevin VanDam, arguably the best closer in B.A.S.S. history, had a 3-pounds-plus lead over his closest competitor and the field was separated by almost 12 pounds.
Today, Wesley Strader has a 13-ounce lead over Skeet Reese and only 7 pounds, 2 ounces separates first from 12th. This on a lake where 7-pound bass have been brought to the scales each day.
The other factor in this one is the “swimbait sluggers.” Especially on Day 4, when the worst they can do is finish 12th, guys like Boyd Duckett and Fred Roumbanis are going to sling those high risk/high reward swimbaits all day long, hoping for a home run.
Chris Zaldain, who led on Day 1 with 24-3, is the prime example of what a swimbait can produce on Kentucky Lake. And he said he caught a 30-pound limit in practice on a swimbait, before the tournament began.
This should be fun.