CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – Chad Morgenthaler almost didn’t make it out on the water for Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite at the Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge. The very thing that makes him a frequent threat on tour – his love of flipping grass – was almost his downfall. After three long days of practice, he was dehydrated, and woke up with a brutal migraine.
“It was literally coming out both ends,” he said. “I’m not going to blame my performance on that, but let’s just say I fished real slow and was careful with my hooksets.”
The result was a two-fish catch that weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces, leaving him mired in 78th place
For an angler who headed into this event on the wrong side of 50th in the standings, and therefore outside the Classic and the Angler of the Year Championship, it was an inauspicious start.
Luke Clausen’s tournament started much better, with a 17-09 catch that placed him in 3rd. For the veteran star, one of the few men to win both the Bassmaster Classic and the Forrest Wood Cup, it was a much-needed boost of confidence in a year that seems most un-Clausen like, with only two checks in seven Elite Series tournaments and four finishes of 80th or worse.
Despite the dissimilar starts, each of the anglers had to reach into his own personal reserve of experience today in order to avert further disappointment. Morgenthaler caught 15-01 today and vaulted 39 spots, keeping his post-season hopes alive. Clausen had only two little squeakers at 1 o’clock, but finished out his limit in the afternoon to maintain his top ten position in 8th. At one point, each of them flirted with missing the 50 cut, and now both of them will be fishing on Saturday. That may not seem like a big deal when the headlines are featuring 20 pound bags, but at this point in the season, every angler has something to shoot for, whether it’s the Classic, the AOY Championship, requalifying for the Elite Series, or just a check to afford gas money to get home.
“If you’re going to suck, you want to suck less,” said Clausen, who said that the $10,000 check provides a mental boost as much as a financial one. “I’ve had a tough season. It helps my confidence. I ask myself how I am doing this bad and it seems that the harder I try, the worse I do.
Tomorrow he’ll go out and look for limit-fillers and only once he has five will he gamble on a big bite. He plans to visit places where he’s done well here before, including “stuff I haven’t fished yet. I’m concerned about having enough gas tomorrow, because this is a place where it’s easy to bounce around.”
Like Clausen, Morgenthaler has a wealth of tournament experience on the Potomac, and overlooked the disappointment of the slow periods in order to bounce back.
“Today I capitalized on a few stretches that I found yesterday,” he said. “I had four bites yesterday in two key areas. Today I caught eight fish in one of those areas and my big one in the other one.” Tomorrow he’ll bear down further, fishing all day with two rods on the deck – each with the same bait, one with a one ounce weight, the other with an ounce and a half.
“When you don’t have anything to lean on, it makes sense to lean on your strengths,” he said. “I’m happiest when all I have are those two rods on the deck.” After averting disaster on Day One and Day Two, respectively, Morgenthaler and Clausen both exited today’s weigh in with a smile.