MANY, La. — Don’t expect Kevin VanDam to catch 96 pounds, 2 ounces over four days like he did in winning the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament last May at Toledo Bend Reservoir. And don’t expect Chris Lane to catch 88-7 like he did here a year ago in finishing second.
When the four-day Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend presented by Econo Lodge begins here Thursday, the 110 anglers will be facing a completely different playing field.
“I do not have a (Strike King) 10XD tied on,” said VanDam, referring to the deep-running crankbait that was his primary lure last year. “It’s a whole different deal for me.”
Lane offered much the same, saying, “It’s not like you can go down the bank and catch 88 pounds on a (River2Sea) Whopper Plopper. I will probably have more rods rigged for this event than I’ve ever had before.”
There’s just a lot going on in Toledo Bend’s 185,000 acres right now, and it’s changing every day with the variable weather conditions. Last weekend it rained heavily and dirtied much of the lake. Wednesday’s final practice day featured high wind and white caps. Plus the wind direction has changed almost daily during practice.
“It’s like one of those glass snow globes,” said Fred Roumbanis, who finished 13th last year. “It shakes up the lake and repositions everything – the bass and the baitfish. You can’t rely on anything you found in practice. You’ve got to be able to adjust.
“I think it’s going to be a junk-fishing deal. It’s hard for me to rely on just one technique on this lake.”
A week ago, the lake was setting up to be a sight-fishing tournament for spawning bass. There are still plenty of bass on spawning beds. But the dingy water has obscured many of those beds, and anglers aren’t enamored with what they’ve found on the beds they can see.
“I think it would have been a full-blown sight-fishing deal if (the water) was right,” said Keith Combs, who finished fourth here last year. “I think it will still be a big player. I don’t know if it will be the winning pattern. I think somebody is going to have to run at least two patterns to really be successful here.”
Nobody confessed to having a good idea of what those primary patterns would be.
“You can fish any way you want to fish,” said Ish Monroe, who was third a year ago. “You can catch them deep, shallow, on beds, on topwater, winding and flipping. But consistency is going to be the key.”
This marks the fifth time in the last seven years that the Elite Series has been to Toledo Bend. The dates, winners and their weights for the previous four events were as follows:
5/12-15/2016 Kevin VanDam 96-2
5/1-4/2014 Jacob Powroznik 79-12
6/7-10/2012 Brent Chapman 83-9
4/14-17/2011 Dean Rojas 70-15
A half-dozen pros were quizzed on what this year’s winning weight would be. Five of the six guessed it would be nearer Rojas’ winning weight of 70 pounds in 2011. The sixth guessed 80 pounds.
“If you were to give me 16 pounds a day right now, I’d never leave my room,” said Jacob Powroznik. “And I think 70 pounds would scare the snot out of the rest of the field.”
But, remember, we’re talking about estimates based on practice. VanDam was one of those who guessed 70 pounds for a winning weight. But he offered this qualifier, saying, “What I’ve learned at everyone of these (pre-tournament) meetings is these dudes are always whining, ‘Oh, it’s tough. We’re not going to catch ‘em.’
“And they blast them every single time. I don’t see how this is much different. It’s the best lake in the country. So I’m pretty sure they’re going to blast ‘em.”