1,276 miles. That’s the distance that Mitch Kistner and Patrick Spencer will need to drive before they even put their boats in the water.
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The route is simple, stay on I-10 East for 1,244 miles.
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Simple as relative, as bumps in the road are part of the journey. Such as Mitch’s trailer lights going out…
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…or realizing that you left the boat keys on the deck of the boat for the past 200 miles.
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Nonetheless, it’s time to strap in and make the long haul to Orange, Texas for the second stop of the Bassmaster Central Opens.
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Rotating driving duties throughout the night, the caravan arrives in Orange 20 hours later.
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Bassmaster Elite Series Pro, Josh Bertrand , left his boat in Little Rock, AR after the last Elite Series event. After a flight from Phoenix, AZ to Little Rock, AR and a drive from Little Rock to Orange, it was time to begin prefishing.
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The endless canals and sloughs make it tough to find those better than average fish.
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With a large population of 12in fish the Sabine River, finding 14-15 inch fish was key.
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The more fish caught, gave Josh more and more clues to where the fish were positioning…
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…and what they wanted to eat.
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The search continues…
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…as Josh explores some more backwaters around Orange, TX.
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After a few successful days of prefishing…
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….it was time to get organized for the next couple days.
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Mitch Kistner & Robert Nakatomi take in a beautiful sunrise as they idle into a backwater during prefishing.
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No bass here, only some strong fighting Mud Fish.
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The Sabine River is full of Cypress Tree filled sloughs, making navigating them difficult at times.
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You forget about a 30 minute idle after catching one like this!
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A fish like this would go a long way on tournament day.
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Time to head out and find more healthy river bass.
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From Cypress Trees to Lilly Pads, there’s plenty to explore in and around Orange, TX.
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Not to mention lots of wildlife, including Alligators.
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A quick update between boats…
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…and it’s time to start fishing again.
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Robert catches a good one on a frog as he begins to put together a strategy for Day 1….
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…while Mitch continues searching with a sqaurebill crankbait.
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After an 11 hour day of prefishing, it’s time to tie up for tomorrow.
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The west coast anglers stand at the dock at Nibletts Bluff Park where they’re camping to discuss their first couple days of prefishing.
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When they arrive back at camp, they come across a group of young anglers who are ecstatic that the Bassmaster Opens are in town.
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Day 3 of Prefishing begins for Patrick Spencer…
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…as he feels right at him with a flippin stick in his hand.
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Although, they’re going to need to get bigger than this little guy!
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After a few hours of fishing, Mitch and Patrick compare notes to help speed up the process.
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Meet California resident, Gary Spencer, Patrick’s Dad. Gary headed out on the road with his son and entered himself in his first Bassmaster Central Open as a Co-Angler.
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Getting to spend the week with one another fishing, will be a trip they won’t forget.
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Even if it’s memories filled with small bass!
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None the less, the search continues.
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After a long day of fishing, it’s time for some dinner and much needed rest.
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Day 1 of the Bassmaster Central Open on the Sabine River is about to kick off as a young fan holds the American flag for the playing of the National Anthem.
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A floatilla of 185 boats await their number to be called.
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Patrick hears his name, and heads through the check out point where navigation lights, live wells, and weigh in times are all accounted for.
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Not long there after, Josh heads out….
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…hoping to make back to back Top 12 finishes.
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Boats must check in at the conclusion of each day before their fish are weighed and released back into the river.
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Patrick Bags his fish…
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…and shows off his best fish from Day 2.
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He awaits his turn to step up on stage…
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…and he’s all smiles after seeing the overwhelming support the City of Orange has brought to the weigh in.
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Gary Spencer get’s amped up for his first trip across a Bassmaster Opens stage.
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Weighing fish on both days of competition, Gary was happy with his first BASS tournament.
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Josh Bertrand finished the first Central Open on Table Rock Lake, MO in 2nd place.
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He hopes to follow that finish up with a win.
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Josh get’s on the bigger fish…
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…and manages to capture back to back Top 12 finishes, ending up in 6th place on the Sabine River.
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After a long week in 90 degree weather with high humidity, Mitch is ready to weigh in his fish.
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He shows off his best fish here, with the help of his Day 2 Co-Angler Phillipe Leitner.
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The 2 make the walk to the weigh in line…
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…and chat with Tournament Director Chris Bowes about how their days went.
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After a week full of fishing and high humidity, it was time to hit the road back to Arizona.
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But not before stopping at Buc-Eee’s for some souvenirs and BBQ sandwiches.
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The caravan will regroup this October for the 3rd and final stop of the Bassmaster Central Opens on Grand Lake, Oklahoma.
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