Nothing in the world of bass fishing is more challenging than attempting to qualify for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. Whether you take on this challenge via the Bassmaster Opens and the Elite Qualifiers or B.A.S.S. Nation, you must overcome daunting odds.
Should you manage to earn an invitation to the Elite Series, you must catch bass consistently to maintain your lofty standing. Given the keen competition at this level, being an Elite Series pro is a hard job to keep.
I know this because I fell short of maintaining my Elite credentials this season. However, I still have a chance for redemption in the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops.
My dad, Steven, also qualified for the EQs. He’s a veteran professional angler who would like to return to the Elite Series, which he fished for 21 years. We’ll be traveling together to the tournaments and to pre-fish the lakes before the cutoff.
Norfork Lake
We’re pre-fishing Toledo Bend this week, which is the second of the three EQs. We’ve already been to Norfork Lake, the first event of the series. That event is slated for late September. During the tournament, the bass should be offshore in this clear, highland reservoir.
Since forward-facing sonar is not allowed at Norfork, finding productive patterns and techniques will be tricky. This EQ will be a momentum builder or a momentum destroyer. I’m thinking 15 pounds a day to win. It’s an awesome lake for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, but it’s not a big-fish lake.
Toledo Bend Reservoir
The Toledo Bend EQ takes place in late October. That isn’t the strongest time to fish this massive reservoir, but the tournament should still yield heavy limits. Many 6- to 10-pounders swim in this storied bass factory, and some of the anglers are sure to stumble across the right bites.
Forward-facing sonar may be used at Toledo Bend, and many competitors will take full advantage of this technology. Then again, some anglers will do well without it.
The patterns my dad and I find this week probably won’t play in October. It has been five years since I’ve been here, and I’m mainly familiarizing myself with the lake so I can formulate a game plan when I come back.
Lake Guntersville
The final EQ at Lake Guntersville will be unique. Since we’re not allowed to use forward-facing sonar, it won’t be a slugfest where everybody sacks 25 pounds. I figure it will take 20 pounds one day and scraping together another 18-pound bag to survive to Day 3.
All three lakes are quite different, which will keep things interesting and force me and my dad to be on our A game. The biggest thing I’m focusing on now is being on the water and staying sharp.
The only downside is that my dad and I have had to put bowhunting for whitetails on the back burner. We’re serious bowhunters and would normally be hanging stands and putting out trail cameras at this time.
We have a lease in Oklahoma that’s a mix of prairie, fields, river bottoms and some mountainous terrain. We see at least one trophy buck there every year, and somebody tags a brute every three or four years.
The dream scenario for my dad and I would be for both of us to qualify for the Elite Series and to follow that up with a pair of trophy whitetails. You never know, sometimes dreams come true.
