Anybody ever heard of the new “baby pattern”? Apparently it’s a thing or at one point was. If so then Seth Feider and I should be in good shape this week. We both welcomed newborns after the Classic. It sure is a great feeling.
This week is stop number two of the 2018 Elite Series, and it feels good to be back at it. The venue this week is Grand Lake. I fished my second Bassmaster Classic here in 2016, but that is the only prior experience I have here. The lake is a lot different this week than it was then, mostly because we are a little over a month later in the year. Nevertheless, even though I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped in that Classic, I still like this lake very much. As fishermen we always try to relate a lake to somewhere else we’ve been and know well, and I feel like I’m able to do that here. I fish this lake the same way I would some of my home lakes back home in Tennessee. I’m not saying that’s the way to win here this week and not saying it’s not either. In my eyes if I think I know what I’m doing, then I’m confident, and confidence is key.
Coming into this event I think everyone expected a full-blown spawn tournament. I know I did. Back home our fish have been in the spawning phase for three weeks now, but I don’t think the majority of the fish in Grand have gotten there yet. At least from what I’m seeing they haven’t. The time of year is right, and we’re coming up on the right moon phase, but the water temperature is just right on the verge of being too cold in my opinion. Undoubtedly there are a few spawning already I’m sure, but most of the keeper-size fish I’ve caught in practice are fat as can be just like they would be if you caught them at the first of March. With all that being said, the weather is supposed to be warming during the tournament and the full moon is Sunday so we could see magic happen any day now. Spawning or not spawning the fishing seems to be good, and I expect the weights to be strong this week. There are a lot of different ways to catch them, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. I believe I have a strong game plan, and hopefully I can make good decisions and have a solid finish here this week.
As I said there are many different ways to catch them this week, but two things that will definitely be on my deck on Thursday are a flipping bait and a spinnerbait. My flipping setup will be an X-Zone Lures Muscle Back Hawg Hunter with a 5/16-ounce tungsten weight and a 4/0 Mustad Grip Pin Max hook. My rod will be an MHX NEPS90HF. It’s 7-foot, 6-inch in length and has plenty of power for flipping and pitching heavy cover with big line. I use 20-pound Vicious fluorocarbon for pretty much all my flipping and pitching.
A spinnerbait should be a player here this week too. I’ll be throwing one made by Kinkee baits, a new sponsor of mine for this year. If you’ve not heard of them be sure and check them out because they have some really cool features that set them apart from any other spinnerbait on the market. Sometimes throwing baits just a little bit different can make all the difference.
And then hopefully the “baby pattern” will result in a few upgrades during the week and we’ll be good. Stay tuned and let’s see how it turns out.