Fantasy Fishing: The key is three big bites a day

Written by

Coy Greathouse

There is nothing more exciting than when the Bassmaster Classic decides to come to your home town! Back in 2021, Bassmaster made their first trip ever to the infamous Lake Ray Roberts, just a short jog north of the Dallas metroplex and my goodness, what a show it was! Even though it was not in the normal March-window due to COVID, it still showed out.

Ray Roberts has never been known for numbers of bites, although occasionally a guy can stumble across an area that is absolutely loaded. But, what it lacks in numbers, it makes up in size. It is not uncommon to see a local 150-plus tournament this time of year won with 30 pounds or more. There have been plenty of one-day events won without even having a limit, but that bag could still weigh 24 to 26 pounds.

The condition of the lake is something to consider. Last year, the hydrilla had finally started to make a significant comeback. You could find it up in a few feet of water all the way out to fifteen feet and when you did, you could find some great bites. We had a significant flood in 2024 that unfortunately all but wiped it out. So we will be back to the basics this time around for the Classic. There may be some flooded bank grass still and that certainly could hold some bites.

Ray Roberts is loaded with timber. There are massive fields of hardwood trees along ridges and humps, in flats and out in the middle of the lake. The giant cedar bushes always tend to play a role this time of year too. What I will be curious to find out is how many bass are caught using forward-facing out around the deep trees or just out in the middle of the lake.

The typical techniques to catch a great bag this time of year are flipping a big jig or Texas rig around trees, cranking rock or throwing big swimbaits. The X-factor will be how many fish are up and ready to spawn. Ray Roberts tends to be the last lake in the metroplex to go into full-blown spawn mode. There will absolutely be some fish up on beds, but it will not likely be a winning pattern. It will be more of a “if you see it, catch it” technique, but targeting five big bass on beds per day will probably get your heart broken.

Let’s get into it.

BUCKET A: LIVESAY

No one wants this victory more than Lee Livesay. Disaster struck during his 2020 season and he had to sit it out. He was more prepared to win that tournament than anyone else. He has a ton of local tournament history out there. It fishes very similar to Lake Fork in a lot of ways, so expect him to come out swinging.

Don’t Sleep On: Chris Zaldain

This lake is notorious for being a great swimbait lake and few guys commit harder to that than Chris Zaldain. He could very well be a guy who ends up with four fish on one day, but two of them could be absolute mega-giants and could even have him near or in the lead.

BUCKET B: COOK

Drew Cook loves to flip, which is why he is on my short list. He is overlooked at just 5% player percentage at the moment, but given my history on this body of water, it will take a thousand flips a day to get five bites and he has the patience to make that happen.

Don’t Sleep On: Matt Arey

Anytime it is prespawn, Matt Arey should be on the list. He is one of the best sight fisherman on tour and understands how those bass set up before they move in to spawn. He had a fantastic event here in 2021, finishing runner-up to Hank Cherry.

BUCKET C: WILLIAMS

Thinking back on the 2024 event on Lake Fork, Tyler Williams did the exact thing to finish 4th that I firmly believe will be a key here. He flipped big cedar bushes along creek channels as the fish were moving in and out to spawn. Last year a local one-day tournament was won with over 30-pounds and they caught most of their bag, including multiple 9-pound giants out of one cedar that kept loading throughout the morning. If he can stumble on one of those magic spots, it may be hard to chase him down.

Don’t Sleep On: Kyoya Fujita

If Kyoya Fujita can manage to be one of only a handful of guys to pick apart the timber and offshore bite with his electronics, he could be a great pick in Bucket C. He will certainly have a big part of his plan finding big females floating around using FFS, which could be a deadly one-two punch.

BUCKET D: ATKINS

Justin Atkins is the second highest selected angler in Bucket D. That is primarily because of his versatility. His time on the Elites has been lack-luster, but his career overall has some serious highlights. As a rookie, he won the FLW Forrest Wood Cup back in 2017. The pressure of that event was fairly similar to the Classic, so for a rookie to take the main stage and bring home the trophy says something about his gumption. He has been an Elite since 2021, but this will be his first Classic appearance. He could be a wildcard who takes the whole thing down.

Don’t Sleep On: Jacob Powroznik

If the bass decide to push shallow over the next week and a half, don’t look past Jacob Powroznik. Flipping and sight-fishing are two of his primary weapons. If somehow a frog ends up playing, he could find himself in contention.

BUCKET E: CAPPS

Oklahoman Blake Capps has the kind of name country songs are written about, so one can only assume that he has the grit to grind it out in this field of hammers. Those B.A.S.S. Nation guys somehow manage to do well under the lights and pressure of the Bassmaster Classic. This event will have some serious similarities to Grand Lake. The water will be off colored, it will be cold and it will likely take a few giant bass per day to make it happen. He won the 2024 Nation Championship on Grand last year.

Don’t Sleep On: Bobby Bakewell

As I’m rifling through the general “unknowns” in Bucket E, Florida-boy Bobby Bakewell grabbed my attention. As a low-lander, he clearly has the shallow water skills to pay the bills. His tournament finishes in his home state are impressive. But what was most impressive to me was the variety of places where he did well. He has great finishes up north, out east, down south and smack in the middle. That diversity will be required to dial it in and have a good showing at his first Classic.