With all the talk about Bassmaster Classic anticipations, likely winning patterns, tough water conditions, what kind of fish it may take to win and a plethora of other statistical information being discussed, I thought something somewhat out of the ordinary was in order. This topic took an interesting turn making it pertinent to the 2016 Bassmaster Classic.
During Media Day at the Expo Pavilion located at the Oklahoma State Fair grounds, I was able to ask the bulk of the field about a single “trainwreck” tournament that stands out in their mind. The response was pretty positive, most laughing and knowing exactly when their personal trainwreck occurred. But, what’s interesting, there was quite a few anglers who considered their 2013 Classic appearance on Grand Lake to be the tournament they’d like another shot at.
Bobby Lane: “When the Classic was at Lake Hartwell in 2008, it turned out to be an interesting tournament for me. I was on good fish, and it looked like I had a real shot at a Top 5 finish, if not a win. I was in 12th place on the final day, and I caught a small 12 1/4-inch that just didn’t seem healthy. My first thought was to throw it back and keep plugging away, but it’s the Classic and a risk like that could catch up with you. I ended up bumping into a bunch of nice fish that nicely filled out my limit. That first fish ended up dying for some reason and had I listened to my gut and released him right after I caught it, I could have culled up enough to at least finish in second place. I ended up fourth, and I believe that fish cost me $25,000.”
Greg Vinson: “I’m kind of proud that I don’t have anything too dramatic to add to this, however I’d like to have back Day 3 of Bull Shoals in 2013. It was the first tournament I was leading, and I was on some really good fish. I went out on the final day and caught five tiny bass because I was totally confident that the spot I had been fishing would hold out for the entire tournament. I set an unfortunate record that day; I dropped the most places in one day in B.A.S.S. history. I was too stubborn to listen to my gut and it cost me big time.”
Brandon Palaniuk: “Ha! Tournament blunder? You mean my biggest screw up? Ya, I got one… And, it’s probably no surprise. In 2013 after leading for two days on the Mississippi River out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, I accidently culled a fish over the Minnesota state line, where culling was illegal. I just misjudged the boundary and it cost me big time. I think I could have won that event, and I’d sure like to have another shot at it.”
Chad Pipkens: “I still think about this one every day. It was the fifth tournament of my first Elite season in 2013, and we were on the Alabama River. I had yet to cash a check and the pressure was starting to build—I needed to produce some results. After Day 1, I was in 50th place and I felt like I was on the right fish to turn my season around—that’s when the wheels fell off the bus. I had a small limit of fish put together, but I knew that I needed a 3-pounder to make the cut and a guaranteed check. I hooked into a giant and I knew that the fish that could turn my season around was on the end of my line. As I was trying to land the fish, I couldn’t get it to open its mouth, so I tried to cradle it and scoop it into the boat. I had the bass in the palm of my hand and was raising it up when the line broke and she slipped out. I fell off the boat trying to keep that fish in my hand, and lost my sunglasses as a result. What a mess.”
Brandon Lester: “I’ll chalk this one up to experience. I was fishing St. Johns in 2014 and I found out that the big, bedded bass like to hide in the eel grass next to the beds. I was driving my boat up too close to each bed and blowing the fish out of there before I ever laid eyes on them. I just couldn’t figure out how most of the guys were catching all these giant bedded fish. Finally, I saw a fish bolt out of the grass as I was approaching, and I kept that in mind for the next few beds where I started catching them. I may have done better in that tournament if I learned that lesson during practice instead of during competition.”
Russ Lane: “The biggest trainwreck of my career was the last time we visited Tulsa and Grand Lake in 2013. I had pneumonia and ended up having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics the doc gave me. I remember a little bit of practice that week, but the rest of the tournament is a big black spot in my memory. I’m healthy this time around, and I think I’ll remember Tulsa 2016!”
Chris Lane: “My biggest trainwreck ever was here on Grand Lake in 2013. I zeroed on Day 1…. Man…. ”
Mike Iaconelli: “Boy, there’s been so many it’s hard to pick the best one. The last time we came to Tulsa in 2013, I had to battle through several different levels of adversity. We rely so heavily on our gear that if something breaks it can really hurt you. But, that’s life in tournament fishing, and we all know that. Because I’m so intense, it’s hard for me to work through emergency situations—and I know that about myself—but once the wheels start coming off the bus, I don’t recover very well. In Tulsa that year, and besides barking dogs, I had two trolling motors go out on me. It took some time to get back to the fishing, but that certainly impacted my finish. So, for a single day and a good example of a Mike Iaconelli trainwreck, that was it.”
Matt Herren: “The biggest trainwreck of my career happened at Grand Lake in 2013. It was cold, super cold! As I was putting the boat in all my storage compartment lids were frozen shut and I couldn’t get them open to save my life! I was wrenching on them crowbars, we poured hot water along the joints—we did everything we could, which resulted in bent lids and a headache. I’m glad it’s not that cold this time around!”
Randy Howell: “I’ve had quite a few dramatic moments over the years; it’s hard to pick just one. I may have been on the right fish to win Hartwell in 2015, but I chose to make a run and I think it cost me. Also, during 2010 or 2011 while fishing a Northern Open on Lake Erie, I had a bolt shear off of my motor, I mean, it was scary to look back on a big lake like that and see your motor hanging on by only one bolt! Last year on St. Clair, I chose to run all the way to Lake Erie, and I ended up missing the cut when the winning fish were in St. Clair—and I knew it. Man, thinking about those situations makes me realize how important making the right decisions is. But, that’s part of the fun!”
James Elam: “In 2014 I fished Table Rock, Toledo Bend and Dardanelle, and at each of those events I missed a fish that would have put me inside the Top 50 cut. Each of those three fish came at the end of the second day, which means I was down to the wire. One lost fish at the end of each tournament cost me a check.”
Todd Faircloth: “My biggest trainwreck was probably the Lay Lake Classic in 2010 where I managed a third place finish behind KVD. We were fishing the same creek, and I decided to go out on the main lake to put together a decent limit before I went back in there to cull up. I wasted the whole part of that first day trying to find fish that would measure, but at the Bassmaster Classic you’ve got to fish where you know there are big fish. I knew where they were and I didn’t start out there. A third-place finish is nothing to sniff at, but had I started where my gut told me to, who knows, I may have won.”
Josh Bertrand: “I’ve got a good one. In May of 2014, we were fishing Toledo Bend and I knew I was on some good fish. I started the second day on a great spot and I caught a 6-pounder in the first five minutes. Almost right away, I hooked into another 6-pounder, fought it all the way to the boat and it came unpinned. Next cast a 4-pounder eats and I fight it all the way back to the boat, and she throws the hooks right in front of me. I’m starting to get frustrated at this point, but the fish were biting so I thought I could recover. I made another cast and big fish eats, probably in the 8-pound range. I fought that one all the way back knowing that it’ll easily make up for the last two I just lost. Right as I was opening her mouth for a lip grip, she came off. I lost my mind…”
John Crews: “In 2010 on Lake Pickwick, I was on the right fish and made a lot of bad decisions that cost me dearly. I guess it’s like buck fever in the hunting world. I hooked into several big fish and tried to force them into the boat too quickly, which seldom works out in your favor. I pride myself at staying calm, being patient and remaining in control, but not on Pickwick… I lost a 6-pounder that I tried to force through a brush pile, and I did the same thing again on a 4-pounder later the same day. The next day after realizing my mistakes, I decided to slow down and get back to being meticulous. I still managed to lose several good fish, including one that would have nicely filled out my limit. As I tried to hoist it in the boat it came unbuttoned and bounced off the gunnel and back into the lake. I ended up with a limit, but I would have done much better at that tournament if I would have slowed down.”
Keith Combs: “My trainwreck happened last year, 2015, on Lake Havasu. I was catching lots of big smallmouths during practice, and I really thought I was on the right kind of fish to win. The key to my pattern was wind, or so I thought, but for some reason my pattern fell apart. I didn’t have a single keeper until 1 p.m. on the first day, and I panicked. I made the cardinal mistake in tournament bass fishing by having no backup plan. I ended up with a limit, but it wasn’t enough. I finished in 101st place and didn’t even get a single point.”
Bernie Schultz: “In 1991, the Classic that the late Ken Cook won on the Chesapeake Bay is one that I’d love to do over. I was on the winning fish and didn’t realize it. I left them to fish the grass, and I fished way too conservatively. I came back to the fish I had originally found, and I couldn’t catch them all, there were so many! Most were weighing 3 pounds, which on the Chesapeake is a big fish. I literally had no idea what I was sitting on, and had I stayed there I bet I would have won. It was one of my early Classics and I learned a hard lesson at that event: Never leave biting fish.”
Kevin VanDam: “It was 1996 on Lay Lake. The only spot where I found a school of suspended bass was over a small hump on the south end of the lake, and it was the only good spot I managed to find during practice. After Day 1, I was leading and I knew I had a really good shot at pulling it off. After a long run down the lake to get to that spot, I arrived to find 40 spectator boats sitting directly over that hump. They didn’t know exactly where I was fishing, and it wasn’t anybody’s fault, but all those boats sitting on top of that spot killed the bite. I wish I had a backup plan, but I learned a hard lesson about dealing with variables you don’t often think about, such as spectators. George Cochran went on to win that Classic, and I think about that one often.”
Justin Lucas: “The 2015 St. Lawrence River tournament didn’t go very well. I had gone 14 months without missing a check, and only having four fish on the first day really cost me. I practiced inefficiently and I made a bunch of poor decisions during each day of competition, and it cost me a check that time around. Maybe I thought the fish I was catching would end up being good enough, or having never been there before and not fully understanding the river system kept me from finding the right spots, I don’t know. But, I can’t wait to go back after what I learned up there—next time will be different.”