Chris Zaldain didn’t want to reveal much about his method in catching the Day 1 big bag of 24 pounds, 3 ounces. But he did make it clear that he’s targeting big bass exclusively. It doesn’t appear to be a numbers game for anyone here this week, whether they want it to be or not, but Zaldain is strictly trophy hunting. A practice day keyed him in, when he caught an estimated 30-pound bag.
“I practiced to win this tournament,” Zaldain said. “It’s typical pre-spawn type fishing. I’m just looking for a few bites. That’s all I’m doing.”
Because he, like everyone else, is concerned about consistency, Zaldain didn’t worry about saving anything in his primary spot yesterday.
“I wanted to bank as much weight as possible,” he said. “I decided I’d better burn that spot to the ground.”
Zaldain has more spots that have the distinct combination of depth, etc., that are his key to success.
“I’ve got waypoints up and down this lake that I didn’t even touch (Friday),” he said. “Of about a dozen areas, I only touched three of them.”