LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Bassmaster.com asked the Super Six field if there was anything they picked up on yesterday that would make them change their game plan for Sunday. Most of them did, here are their responses:
Shaw Grigsby
Which hole are you starting in, and do you have an idea of where you're planning on spending happy hour? "The hole I'm starting on is hole 5 and for happy hour, I don't have a clue. The way I determine happy hour is I'm going to fish 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4. By the time I get to hole 4 I've got a feel for what's going on. I only know about 100 to 200 yards in any of these holes. So where I spend happy hour is a decision that I will make on the water today."
How many rods do you have tied up and ready to use today? "I've got 28 in there, but I'm going to pull out a couple of crankbaits, a couple of jigs, and might pull out one topwater. I will have about seven or eight rods on the deck as opposed to yesterday when I had 15."
Did you figure out or see anything on the course yesterday that has prompted you to make changes in your game plan for Sunday? "Yes. I'm focusing more today. Yesterday I did a lot of throw this, then throw that, then go back to this. Today I'm going to focus."
How much weight do you need to win? "Of course I would love to catch 20 pounds today. Realistically though, if I catch a keeper today that will put a lot of pressure on everybody else. Knowing Scott's (Rook) history on this and knowing how well he can do I feel I need to catch three keepers. One might win it, you could conceivably win it by zeroing, but I think three keepers would do the job."
Scott Rook
Which hole are you starting in, and do you have an idea of where you're planning on spending happy hour? "I'm starting in hole 1, and with happy hour I've really just got to play it by ear and see what happens today."
How many rods do you have tied up and ready to use today? "I've got about nine rods today. I started with 18 yesterday so I've narrowed it down a little bit. I didn't get bit in the first three holes so I'm going to try something a little bit different this morning."
Did you figure out or see anything on the course yesterday that has prompted you to make changes in your game plan for Sunday? "I tried to make them deep yesterday so I'm going to try and fish more shallow today. I also didn't have the freedom to run around on the river like I normally do; I'm stuck in that hole. I caught two fish and looked across the river and said, 'I can catch one there,' but my hands are tied and I can't go. I can't just run and gun like I normally do."
How much weight do you need to win? "I'm 3 ½ pounds out and that's one decent bite here. If I catch five keepers today I think that should win it."
Kevin Short
Which hole are you starting in, and do you have an idea of where you're planning on spending happy hour? "Let me look at my sheet here, I chose last again so I guess hole 6. I don't have any idea where I will spend happy hour. We'll just have to wait and see what happens today and work off of that."
How many rods do you have tied up and ready to use today? "I've got like 20 rods ready to go. I'm rigged for everything and ready for whatever."
Did you figure out or see anything on the course yesterday that has prompted you to make changes in your game plan for Sunday? "There isn't really anything hat I learned, but there are some things that I saw that I liked. I found a couple of schools of fish and if I can get there at the right time when they are active I can catch five quick ones. It's really a matter of timing. If I get there at the right time I will catch, and if I don't I won't."
How much weight do you need to win? "I'm out for five fish. With the fish I'm catching, if I get five of them I will be pretty salty. With those fish I will be looking pretty good."
Greg Hackney
Which hole are you starting in, and do you have an idea of where you're planning on spending happy hour? "I don't have a clue about happy hour, that just depends on how the rest of the day goes. I'm starting in hole 3 today."
How many rods do you have tied up and ready to use today? "I don't know, maybe 20. The last two days I've had more rods on my deck than I ever have before. Usually if I get six out I know it's junky, but this is really junky now. I do have a couple of new rods so I'm going to try some new stuff today."
Did you figure out or see anything on the course yesterday that has prompted you to make changes in your game plan for Sunday? "I think I was probably positioned wrong on a couple of little deals so I'm going to change that angle. I will probably go back and fish the same areas, but there were a couple of places where I saw some things and was maybe missing the deal a little bit there."
How much weight do you need to win? "My goal would be 15 or 16 pounds, but it really all depends on what everybody else does. I've just got no way of knowing what I need, it may take 13 pounds and it may take 22 pounds."
Gary Klein
Which hole are you starting in, and do you have an idea of where you're planning on spending happy hour? "Happy hour is going to be something that will be determined by what I experience today. I'm in the same hole rotation that I had yesterday, it just felt right. I started right here in hole 2 where I caught my first keeper about 30 minutes into the morning. It wasn't until hole 4 when I caught my second keeper and it's just right across the river here so both of my fish came in this area of the river. I'm flipping a jig and caught 60 percent of my fish yesterday doing that. I know that I've got a lot of ground to make up and in order for me to make that up I'll do a lot better flipping. I haven't caught a fish out of hole 3 so that intrigues me. Holes 3, 4, and 5 are the better holes. Hole 2 doesn't have anything really I'm looking for so I've just got to keep an open mind."
How many rods do you have tied up and ready to use today? "I had 13 laid out yesterday, that's my lucky number, but today I think I've cut it down to about three or maybe four."
Did you figure out or see anything on the course yesterday that has prompted you to make changes in your game plan for Sunday? "I really feel that the majority of the fish are suspended in open water, and with low current those are really hard to catch. I don't think I have the time in this course rotation to spend the time electronically to figure out how to catch those fish. I can do it, but just don't have the time. Probably the most important thing is that I'm going to fish shallow. The other key thing is that if you're not in position to win, there's a big difference in payout between the places. I would like to see Shaw and I finish first and second in the standings."
How much weight do you need to win? "I've really got to have a great day. A couple of 4-pounders would really make up some ground. Shaw (Grigsby) did miss one 3-pounder yesterday and that would have really clinched it for him. We're rooming together and we're fishing exactly the same way, and he got on the right stretch and hammered them. That was actually right before I rotated to that area too."
Gerald Swindle
Which hole are you starting in, and do you have an idea of where you're planning on spending happy hour? "Starting in hole 4. Yesterday I caught five during happy hour in hole 3, but no keepers. I think hole 3 is where a guy is going to catch a big one so I will probably spend my happy hour in there again. It's got the water layout, good mats, and everything there conducive to wind so I like it. It's hard to get in and out of those islands so I think a lot of guys are staying out of it because it's dangerous, but I kind of like that stuff."
How many rods do you have tied up and ready to use today? "I'm going to work about 10 or 12 rods. I tied on all new baits last night. If nothing else it's a motivation and confidence deal that I'm trying to switch it up."
Did you figure out or see anything on the course yesterday that has prompted you to make changes in your game plan for Sunday? "The biggest thing I saw yesterday is that I was flipping a tube, but they won't bite it here. Rook fished the same hole with me and he flipped a Baby Brushhog. He caught keepers so it's like they wanted smaller baits with a little bit of a moving tail. I rigged up the Speed Worm, a Brushhog, and a few faster baits that swim more."
How much weight do you need to win? "I think if I go out and catch 10 pounds I have a shot. You don't wish it upon him, but there's a good chance that Shaw could zero. If you fish a hole course with (Kevin) VanDam and he zeroes, anybody could zero."