I think of baseball when considering what Elite anglers face after leaving Lake Fork for the Sabine River.
Last week, they saw all fastballs. This week, they’re going to be getting a lot of curveballs and changeups.
Lake Fork provided the Top 10 finishers with Century Club belts for catching 100 or more pounds, one of the most impressive tournaments I’ve ever been a part of.
The lake continues to pump out big fish despite being close to Dallas, getting tons of pressure and many guides working the lake 365 days a year.
Much of the credit goes to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for creating a trophy bass fishery that continues to produce year after year.
This week will be different. Instead of seeing fastballs on a lake where 5-pounders are a dime a dozen, we’re fishing a river system that is stingy with 3-pounders. Many anglers likely will struggle to catch a limit.
And that’s OK with me. We’ve seen so many big fish lakes in recent years that we’ve become numb to giant catches.
Frankly, I love the transition to normality.
The Sabine will prove you don’t need giant bass to get excited about tournament competition.
We visit a lot of great communities, but none support this tournament to the magnitude of what we see in Orange, Texas.
These folks turn out. Not only will there be tens of thousands of fans at weigh-ins, but there will be billboards and signs in businesses welcoming us, concerts every night, activities for children and lots of food trucks.
The new anglers on the Elites will be blown away by the love and support these fans will offer them, regardless of what they catch.
They’ll also have to make a big adjustment; instead of fishing for big bass, they’ll be hoping for 2-pounders. Instead of rotating two or three hotspots over the course of four days, they’ll need to make changes daily as Sabine’s “hot spots” don’t replenish overnight as they did at Fork.
But here’s something that won’t be different. These fans will cheer just as loudly for the guy who brings in 10 or 12 pounds as the Fork fans did for the guy bringing in 30-plus pounds.
My point is size doesn’t matter. The fish is our star. Second are the fans. We get caught up thinking we need big fish to excite us and the fans, but that’s not true.
The guy who wins with small limits will get the same blue trophy, same Classic points and $100,000 check. The enthusiastic fans at Sabine will add to the thrill and make up for the lack of size.
Our trips to the Sabine remind me of the 2005 Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh when Kevin VanDam won with only 12 pounds, 15 ounces, which remains the lowest winning weight in Classic history.
The support we received at that Classic was overwhelming and it remains perhaps my favorite Classic as a competing pro. Every bite was critical. In fact, I lost a 2 1/2-pounder that would have won it for me, and I bet other competitors could say the same.
As an angler, I always felt winning tough tournaments was more meaningful than a blowout tournament.
So, I hope these anglers can appreciate the Sabine event as much as they did Lake Fork. They’re gonna need a refined strategy and to embrace every bass they catch. No one will be taking a break to order a pizza, as every second counts.
There won’t be many home runs hit on fastballs. The guy who wins will go home with a blue trophy, enormous fan appreciation and the self-satisfaction he had good swings at Sabine’s changeups and curveballs.
