Being an elite series angler is no easy task. One week they may be fishing a tidal river system in South Carolina only to be fishing in the rolling hills of the Ozarks the next. To make matters more difficult, every once in a while B.A.S.S. throws a curveball at the guys. I can hear the masterminds at work now: “Let’s make them fish two lakes instead of one. That should make it tough.” Elite series anglers are masters of the road, of the water and of versatility. You have to be all three if you want to succeed at this level of competition. The Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork split this week will not only test the anglers’ versatility but also their endurance.
Brent Chapman, the current Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year leader, seems to be as poised as ever. “Fishing the Elite Series, we have to be comfortable fishing anywhere and everywhere. I have to say though, being from the Midwest, I’m extremely excited to get back to some water that I’m familiar with. I’ve spent a lot of time fishing in the Ozarks and I have a lot of confidence on the lakes around here.”
There is some good news for the anglers this week. Both Norfork and Bull Shoals fish very similar to one another and Chapman believes patterns should be transferable from one body of water to the next. “I honestly believe that the guy who’s going to win this thing will be doing the same thing on both lakes. In fact, both bodies of water are so similar on how they look and feel, it’d be easy to get confused as to which is which” said Chapman.
There should be plenty of ways to catch them this week, and the warming trend in the Midwest may send the first big wave of fish onto beds. Pre-spawn and spawning fish should be available to anglers, giving them more viable techniques to choose from that’ll work on these lakes this time of year. “Bull Shoals and Norfork both really cater to the way I love to fish. I think jerkbaits, topwaters, and mid range to deep diving crankbaits will all be factors this week. I’ve been working closely with Livingston to fine tune some new presentations and I’m excited to be throwing all of them this week. It should be a really fun tournament, and guys are going to be catching them on a little bit everything.”
Transferring what they find from one body of water to the next will prove difficult for the anglers. Perhaps what will be most difficult is the testing of their bodies and endurance. Chapman explains “Being an Elite Series angler isn’t a sprint as much as it as marathon. You have to be able to drive all over the United States, practice long hours, fish well in the tournament and do it all over again next week. Driving from Bull Shoals, then to Norfork is going to test us. It’ll be a test of endurance and determination. Right after this event, we’ve got another one to head to. I’m not worried about fishing Bull Shoals one day and Nofork the next as much as I’m worried about the stamina all of this is going to take. It’s going to be a challenge, and it’s a challenge I’m ready for.”
Chapman thinks it’s going to take about 15 pounds a day to win this event. However, if the warm weather pushes a big wave of fish onto beds, it may even take more. Whatever happens, this should be an exciting event you shouldn’t miss.