Gerald Swindle begins his day of practice on the Alabama River by throwing a crankbait in the main channel.
Swindle and the rest of the top eight get two days of practice, then an off-day before competition begins Friday.
Swindle finished the Ramada All-Star Semi-Final in fifth place.
He meets road roommate Terry Scroggins in Fridayâs first-round matchup.
On stage at Sundayâs weigh-in, Swindle offered $1,000 to any other angler so he woundnât have to face his good friend.
Being from Alabama might give Swindle a slight advantage but he and Scroggins have shared information all season.
This weekâs head-to-head battle might change that dynamic, but the two meet up on the river.
Swindle goes his own way to work on a sand bar.
These trusted bait lie at the ready.
Swindle tries his luck on a river ledge…
With overcast skies, the river appears calm.
G-Man was the first qualifier to the 2012 Bassmaster Classic after winning an Open, his first B.A.S.S. victory.
Keeping hydrated with the right fluids could make Swindle a monster this week.
He changes the mode of his graph to gather more information.
And heâs back at it.
The Alabama River can be a difficult fishery.
Swindle checks out the shoreline grass, his first shot at shallow water.
And heâs off moving to his next hopeful spot protected by a G-Man logo windshield.
It produces quickly a small keeper on a deep crankbait.
He continues to look for deep water fish.
Yes…believe.
The G-Man with his signature color.
Swindle fishes off a main river point.
Heâs searching for the bite that will take him to the finals.
Sometimes you just have to look around…
Now hereâs a fat one.
On Lake Jordan, he said fish wanted it sloooow, and heâs trying to determine how and what the river bass will eat.
The lineup on his deck was varies for the search.
This light tackle required a feathery touch.
He continued through the day looking for deep water fish.