Will it be a ‘spawn fest’? What lures will play a major factor?
Bassmaster Elite Series pros Hank Cherry, Kevin VanDam and hometown favorite Terry “Big Show” Scroggins answer those questions and tell us what’s cookin’ on the eve of 2016’s first regular season Bassmaster Elite Series event near Palatka, Fla., on the St. Johns River.
What percentage of the bass weighed-in do you think will be ‘spawners’?
Scroggins: 80 percent
VanDam: 80 percent
Cherry: 75 percent
The St. Johns River is a healthy ecosystem rich with big largemouth. What’s the single biggest bass you’ve ever caught here?
Scroggins: 13 pounds 6 ounces, not in a tournament, about seven or eight years ago.
VanDam: 10 pounds in a B.A.S.S. tournament here a few years ago.
Cherry: 8 pounds.
This is Terry “Big Show” Scroggins’ backyard, and he loves to cook for fellow anglers, media, B.A.S.S. staff, and service crew mechanics when the Elite Series visits Palatka. What dish will be the biggest hit this week in Scroggins’ kitchen?
Scroggins: Ribeye, but I’m so busy fishing, my buddy Bill Counts will have to serve as primary chef on that one.
VanDam: Could be Boston butt, shrimp, chicken — but I’ll choose ribeye as the favorite.
Cherry: I’ll say a 1 1/2-inch thick ribeye steak.
Three lures that will get the most use this week?
Scroggins: YUM Dinger, YUM Dinger, YUM Dinger
VanDam: Strike King Ocho, Texas-rigged creature bait, swimbaits
Cherry: Senko style baits, swimbaits, and a Devil’s Horse topwater
Your prediction for the daily average weight it will take to win?
Scroggins: 25 pounds a day
VanDam: 18 pounds a day
Cherry: 22 pounds a day