As we come to the end of another year, everybody’s going to be talking about New Year’s resolutions. I’ve done some of that, but this year, I’m particularly focused on what I’m calling “Resolutions for Classic Readiness.”
Every Bassmaster Classic is special, but with this one being in my home state, I have Grand Lake on my mind. Most people know that my first Classic appearance was 2013 – the last time the event was held on Grand.
I finished seventh, so you can bet I’ve resolved to push even harder this time around.
As far as preparation on the water, I usually don’t go to a tournament lake weeks before the event. I’m the kind of guy who likes to just show up and fish the current conditions.
But with the Classic’s close to where I live, I felt like I owed it to myself to spend as much time up there as I could just looking around.
The last time the Classic was here, I spent three weeks up there, but I fished those three weeks. This time, I haven’t fished at all.
I’ve spent four days on Grand Lake. It’s not as much time, but it’s more compact. I spent all that time just looking around, idling and graphing.
I’m trying to prepare for every scenario possible —low water, high water; warm weather, cold weather. Weather will be one of the biggest variables. We can guess, but none of us know what the conditions are going to be.
The one thing I can guarantee is that March in Oklahoma will not give you a solid week of stable weather. We could have sunny conditions in the 70s, or it could be in the teens like it was in 2013. You could add rain to those low temperatures and make it worse.
Now, it’s not impossible for us to have three days of stable weather during the Classic fishing days, but that time of year, we will have both extremes during that week. We could get lucky for the actual competition, but with practice and media day, we’ll be there for a week. That means we’ll have bad weather at some point in the week, there’s no getting around that.
That’s why I haven’t fished that much. I’ve tried to prep for all conditions. When I was out there driving around, I’d look at a spot and try to think about how it might produce in all types of conditions.
The good thing about Grand Lake is that it’s a pattern lake. A lot of the lake looks the same and it fishes the same, so you can get on a good pattern and run it.
If we get some nice weather, we might catch them by doing something shallow, and if it’s nasty, we might catch them by doing the same old things we always do that time of year.
The key point in my mind is this: What happens between now and the Classic weather-wise is more important than what happens during the Classic.
We’re all eager to see what kind of weather we’ll be fishing in, but part of my resolution is to stay on top of how the next couple of months unfold and how the weather patterns affect Grand Lake.
If we have a brutal winter, four or five warm days during the Classic won’t affect it at all. This is a deep lake and it takes a long time for the water temperature to rise.
On the other hand, if it’s a mild winter, a couple of cold days during the Classic won’t have much impact.
Overall, I think one of my biggest resolution points involves keeping an open mind. It’s nice to know the lake, but it doesn't make a difference if you can’t establish a solid pattern.
I want to act like I’ve never been on the lake. It’s tough when you have to drive by places where you’ve caught fish, but that’s a necessary part of my readiness.
I want to establish the best pattern in the Classic. Once you do that, then you take advantage of the local knowledge. You can’t do it the other way around. You have to start with a pattern.
Now, as far as my personal expectations, I do not mind saying that I’m looking for a little revenge on Grand Lake. But, you look at another 50-plus guys who all want the same thing and that really brings it back into focus for me.
I know how good Grand Lake can be, but I also know that what makes it good can really hurt the local guys because a tournament can be won anywhere on the lake.
You might be on the right pattern, but another guy might be on a little bigger fish.
You can prepare and prepare and get on a good pattern and somebody can still beat you just off one little area. I’ve seen it happen too many times on Grand Lake.
All I can do is prep my best; all I can do is fish my best and if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, we try to qualify for the next Classic and try again.