Mike McClelland was downright diplomatic; Jeff Kriet was colorfully coarse.
With the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River presented by Econo Lodge approaching June 7-10, both spoke of potential unwanted company on the spot they discovered in previous events there. They researched, scouted, found and fished waters more than two hours away from the launch in Orange, Texas.
It panned out to varying success for both in the previous Sabine River tournaments, including three Top 12 finishes. Recently, they learned of other competitors practicing in the areas they fished.
“Can you make Houston offlimits to anybody who’s never been over there before?” McClelland half-jokingly asked when first contacted.
The Sabine is a different fishery now that dangerous floodwaters, which forced a postponement from the original April 6-9 dates, have abated. Heat, bugs and postspawn fish should try the 108 anglers.
Even before that, the productive Louisiana waters were excluded, forcing many in the field to search for fishable areas in pre-practice. That included a number of Elites scouting the aforementioned spot near Houston, which Kriet did not appreciate.
“All these other little *&%# sticks that have watched the show and didn’t find anything on their own were over there practicing,” Kriet barked. “Is that something I would do? Absolutely not. If I knew a guy ran 120 miles one way and found a spot like that, that’s his spot. I would never run over there.”
While McClelland and Kriet know no angler owns any water, they do know their small spot can’t be divided much more. If others plan to fish it, not many will make it back to Orange with a competitive bag.
“It is what it is,” McClelland said. “We fish on public waterways and nobody owns anything, by any means. I know that’s just part of fishing. Over years of fishing the same lakes, people start to get on top of each other in predominant areas where people catch them.
“There is a lot of water over there, but there’s not a lot of water where bass actually live in. Due to the time constraints, you really have to be zeroed in on what you’re going to do. The problem is if more than a half a dozen boats end up in the back of one or two of those key backwaters.”
Kriet and McClelland first teamed in 2013 to search the area and make practice runs checking on the feasibility of fishing there in competition. It worked nicely that first time as Kriet finished seventh and McClelland was 11th behind winner Todd Faircloth.
When Chris Lane won in 2015, McClelland was runner-up just 4 pounds back. Kriet finished 48th with a Day 3 zero due to a mechanical issue that prevented him from making it back to check-in, but he believed he had the fish to make the Top 12.
“There are so many variables that can truly get in your way – it is a huge risk for the reward,” McClelland said. “I will say I’ve been very blessed. I’ve literally made the run and been successful eight days.”
McClelland believes he has a bit of an upper hand because he’s experienced enough to shake most variables and be ready to fish after running a long time. It’s 120 miles one way, which with a gas stop, idle zones and potential rough water in Galveston Bay, could make it close to three hours before a first cast.
“It’s one thing to load your boat on the trailer and drive somewhere, fish and get a fair number of bites, but when you absolutely have to make that run, you’ve got to have the right mental attitude about it,” he said. “You’ve got just a small window to catch them in. You’ve got to be focused when you get there. I think there’s a lot of guys who can spin out when they actually have to make the run.”
Kriet added that there are no guarantees once an angler does get there. The Sabine events have been stingy, and he knows two bags of 8 pounds should get an angler paid. That target weight might even shrink with the exclusion of Louisiana waters, where he estimated 60 percent of the field fished.
All those factors contribute to the Sabine being the scariest event of the 2018 season.
“There isn’t anybody who’s not immune to a zero,” Kriet said. “I’m going over there (to Houston) wanting to win. It’s not like the fishing is great, but you can fill a limit. The only real benefit is you didn’t have a bunch of people over there.”
McClelland said there was one Elite who practiced there then watched the show again and discovered he was in their spot. He called to vow he would not fish there in the tournament, which the two thought was a stand-up gesture.
Yet McClelland and Kriet said they might not fish it either. Each said he hopes to find fish closer to the launch, but they will check on it.
“I will go over there if I feel the need to go over there, but honestly, I hope to be able to find another area to fish,” McClelland said. “It’s not a guarantee in my book right now that I will go.”
Kriet said he might stay close in one of the known community holes and get a good seven hours of fishing. That might be easier to swallow because legal bass will be easier since the length has been dropped from 14 inches to 12. He said he still might not decide until he’s running and sees how many actually head toward Houston.
“If you get eight or 10 boats running over there, you can’t go,” Kriet said. “The most you’re going to have to fish is 2 1/2 hours. If you can’t get on something yourself, it’s not worth going. And I could have that all to myself and run over there and still zero.
“They’ll be sorely disappointed if all these guys think they’re going to run over there and whack them. I know there’s going to be a bunch heading over there. It’s just the way it is. Some got no shame. In the olden days, you just wouldn’t do that.”