Normally, the final practice day of bass fishing’s world championship is spent fine-tuning patterns, running new water, and more or less double-checking already confirmed game plans.
Not here, and not this week, at the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
“Today is more important than any we’ve spent fishing on Lake Conroe.”
That summarizes thoughts of Michael Iaconelli, who spent days scouting this lake, one end to the other, from December until Sunday, the last day of practice until today.
Iaconelli is not alone. The reasons why revolve around rollercoaster weather conditions. The weather was unseasonably mild for the past month until last week, when a cold snap dropped temperatures to seasonal lows.
The bass went from pre-spawn to slow down mode. Now, the weather is on the rebound with consecutive days of high temperatures in the 80s. The trend is forecast to continue through the tournament.
The wrench in plans happens Friday. That’s when a frontal passage will shut down a key pre-spawn tactic. Winds are forecast to gust up to 20 mph.
“That will be the biggest factor going into Friday,” said Justin Lucas. “You’re not going to be able to sight fish.”
That’s Texas bass fishing in March. Iaconelli’s next comment sums up how that evolves in early spring.
“The bass are all over the place, moving back and forth every day. The fish are in and out of all phases of the spawn.”
Iaconelli, from New Jersey, has a strong track record on Conroe. He earned three Top 10 finishes here in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic.
“It has completely leveled the playing field,” added Kevin VanDam. “Normally, in a deal like this they will be moving progressively shallow, not back deep.”
The inconsistency has some pros perplexed on what to do next.
“I can’t win based on what I have found,” added Keith Combs, a pre-tournament, hands-down favorite to perform well based on his strong resume at Conroe.
Combs should have fewest complaints of the 52 contenders. He won two Toyota Texas Bass Classic events here. He knows Conroe inside and out, probably better than anyone fishing this week. The native east Texan from nearby Lufkin has a wealth of knowledge on how to catch bass in these conditions.
This is the Classic, though, and the anglers had plenty of opportunities during the long pre-fishing period to dial into the most ideal migration paths. Those same routes will be used, coming or going, regardless of the weather.
“Conroe is definitely more a pattern lake than a place where you can rely on specific areas or spots,” reasoned Chris Zaldain. “Practice for me has been all about picking up as many clues as possible to make adjustments as needed.”
That is a wise move, indeed. Challengers for the world championship will have forward-thinking ideas of where to intercept the bass, regardless of weather.
Thrown into the mix is the shad spawn, which could add another favorable dynamic to the choices available to the anglers.
“There are a lot of post-spawn fish but they haven’t come out into deeper water,” said 2015 Classic champion Casey Ashley. “When they do all it could take is pulling up on a certain stretch of seawall and break 25 or 30 pounds.”
“This was the day to refine, figure out movements and make adjustments,” said Iaconelli. “What it’ll come down to is a guy who develops the most dependable strategy for finding these bass on the move.”
Everyone is working toward that same goal. What else they are seeking is a trend to develop that brings harmony to a pattern.
Don’t expect the weather to cooperate. By Sunday, or sooner, someone will have it all dialed in. That’s what the Classic is all about.