Day 1 disappointment

Day 1 of the Classic is over, and I've got to tell you, I'm disappointed. Honestly, 6-12 is not what I was on in practice.

Day 1 of the Classic is over, and I've got to tell you, I'm disappointed. Honestly, 6-12 is not what I was on in practice. After my practice, I really felt like I was on something good. I really thought the warm weather was going to help the area I was fishing, but the area I fished stayed cold. I was way up the river where the current was moving. That area was fishable, and you could get some good bites but today all I got was some little bites. I think I'm going to use tomorrow as a practice day, but you know you take the bad with the good in this sport; you can't catch 'em every single day.

It is a three-day tournament for half the field, so my goal at this point is to make the cut. Strategy wise, there's no sense going back to where I caught a small limit of keepers today. I might as well go practice to find something really good. That's what I'm going to do for the rest of the tournament and see if I can stumble on to something worth catching. I'm down but not out. Check back tomorrow!

Until weigh-in…

I can't believe it's finally here. The Bassmaster Classic. I've waited all year for this. Everything leads to the Classic, it's what you try to get to each year. My preparation is done, my hooks are sharp, my reels are re-spooled, and I've got what I think are the right baits in the right colors tied on. I don't care how many Classics you fished — this will be my 13th — you still get butterflies.

 There are so many things running through your head, you need to try and put that aside and focus on fishing. A cool thing happened last night. My parents are in town this week, and we went out and took in the town. We rode the trolley and had an enjoyable evening together.

While on the trolley, there was a young man and his dad, who had on fishing hats. We began to speak and I found that they were in town from Cincinnati just for the Classic. It was a father and son outing. That's so great to see, and they were great people to visit with. I sure hope this is a memorable event for them. I had a good practice but that doesn't always translate into a good catch on the water.

Ultimately this event is in God's hands. I pray he'll give me fish, and I don't mind asking for them. To paraphrase a part of the Book of James, you have not because you ask not. This is why I never hesitate to ask Him for fish. His ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are higher than mine. Wherever I finish it will be for His glory. What I really want is His will for my life. Wherever I finish — first or last — it will be for His glory.

I'm really looking forward to being out there. I'm going to fish as hard as I can and see how far it goes. Today is show and tell. All the sandbagging and speculation will be put to rest and the scales will do the talking. For half of the field, their dream of winning the Classic will die today. You can't win it on the first day, but you sure can lose it. It's a great honor and privilege to be a part of this great event. Take care, and stay posted. I'll be back with more after weigh-in.