When Keith Combs came off the weigh-in stage yesterday, he didn’t want to talk about bass fishing, although he’d bagged 9-15 limit, which put him in 21st place.
“Let’s talk mudfish,” Combs said. “I do know a thing or two about mudfish. It’s a little tough to catch a decent bass out there right now, but I’ve caught several Boone & Crockett mudfish – absolute hammers. I’ve patterned ’em, actually. They’re on cypress trees on points. Flip a little Strike King Game Hawg in there. If this was a mudfish tournament, I’d be a contender.”
Combs’ sarcasm was directed at the living fossil of a fish also known as a bowfin, a grinnel or, if you’re in Louisiana, a choupique.
“My biggest (Thursday) was about 11 pounds, but I caught bigger ones in practice, probably about 14 or 15 pounds,” he said.
As for bass, Combs finished sixth in 2016 by staying up in the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers and steadily weighing limits between 10-5 and 13-13 each day. He’s finding a bit more company on that pattern this year.
“I’m trying to do the same thing, but I guess a lot of guys watched the video from the last time we were here,” he said. “It’s crowded where I’m at. The tournament’s being led from where I’m at,” added Combs, referring to Day 1 leader Jason Williamson. “I’ll just keep grinding and see what happens.”