NEW ORLEANS, La. - Local favorite Roger Boler of Slidell, La., is sharing a room with his Tour traveling partner, Chad Morgenthaler of Carbondale, Ill. ... as well as some pertinent fishing information and research. The pair have worked together all season, a system that seems to work, as evidenced by the fact that they both made it to the Bassmaster Classic.
"We're fishing this tournament the way we have the first 10," Morgenthaler said. "Two heads are better than one. I checked certain areas and he checked certain areas."
Boler, however, was not thrilled by the bite in the areas he checked during Wednesday's practice session.
"We're going to have to talk about it," said Boler, who expects to make a 240-mile round-trip run each day. "I'm trying to make a decision."
Whatever they each decide, Boler and Morgenthaler have their own ideas about who will carry the world championship.
"Everyone's on a level playing field," said Morgenthaler. "It's a matter of who gets big bites."
"I've got a good feeling about Roland (Martin)," Boler said. "This is his 24th or 25th Classic. He's due; he's definitely due."
Other Classic qualifier quotes from Wednesday's practice session, taken at Bayou Segnette State Park:
Clewiston, Fla., angler Roland Martin, who is making his 25th appearance in the Classic, had an enjoyable day of fishing. But getting the bass to bite was a different story.
"The fishing was great. But the catching was really bad," Martin said. "I had five or six bites. The best was probably about 3 pounds. It was just awful."
As he busied himself tying on baits for Friday morning's opening round, Homer Humphries Jr. of Minden, La., was upbeat about his practice day.
"I'm real satisfied with how I did today. I had a pretty good day."
But a high tide during the fishing hours made it difficult to catch bass in some of the areas Humphries had planned to fish.
"You've got to catch the tide moving out in some areas. There's no two ways about it," said Humphries, who is competing in his second Classic. "But it was coming in instead of going out today, and today is supposed to be the best day for tides all week."
But instead of whining about the tides not cooperating, Humphries plans to fish in areas that are influenced little by tidal action.
"I've got some areas in 10 to 12 feet of water that are not dependent on tides to make the fish bite that I am going to check out on Friday. Maybe they will come through for me," Humphries said.
Greg Hackney of Oak Ridge, La., also was pleased with his practice round.
"I don't feel bad. I liked what I saw today," Hackney said as he sorted through a box of hooks. "But I do plan to make some changes the rest of the week. One place where I was fishing, the river is down 6 feet. But because of the tide, the water was up 2 feet from what it was when I pre-fished. So I am going to look for some different areas on Friday. I have a pretty good idea where those fish have moved because of the high water."
Louisiana angler Cole Garrett, who traveled from Calvin for the event, said the heat and the stubborn Delta tides take some getting used to, even for the home-state contingent.
"It was hot," he said. "And it was miserable."
While most pros reported no problems with their equipment, California pro Ishama Monroe returned to Bayou Segnette State Park minus one key piece of equipment.
"I need a new light," Monroe said, flashing his trademark smile. "It was injured in the wars."
Randall Romig of Barto, Pa., has a no-nonsense strategy for the 33rd Classic:
"I'm going to go where the fish are," he said.
Romig executed his strategy well enough during the regular Tour season to qualify for his 11th trip to the Classic.
"They're not quite as nerve-racking anymore," he said. "But no Classic is easy."
Florida's Peter Thliveros has a few things going for him at his ninth Classic, including his boat number.
"I've got that going for me," he said. "Lucky No. 7."
After a grueling practice day, Thliveros was philosophical about his odds of winning the $200,000 top prize.
"You're either on them well enough to catch 'em and do good, or you're not. If you're not, you get to work for your sponsors (after the second-day cut) and get in front of the crowds, which is where you really want to be."
Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., made a long run only to find the bass were not biting well where he planned to fish.
"The tide was running in as strong as I have ever seen where I am fishing. All I could catch was a small limit that would have weighed about 6 pounds and that just ain't going to get it in this tournament. I am going to have to make some changes Friday."
The 2001 Classic champion, Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., found few bass at the places where he had caught them the last time the Classic was held in Louisiana.
"Those spots have really changed. They've had a lot of pressure since the last time we were here."
But VanDam, who is fishing his 13th world championship, is optimistic he can find where the fish are biting.
"I've got a pretty good idea of where I want to go," he said. "I think I am real close to being where I need to be."
Jay Yelas, the reigning champion of the Classic and the 2003 Busch Angler of the Year, was only able to catch three bass Wednesday. He said fishing at high tide made it difficult to catch bass in his top spots.
"It was the worst possible time to be fishing where I was. I'm going to change my spots on Friday and see if they bite better."
California angler Skeet Reese made a two-hour run hoping to find plenty of big bass. But he found only a few small ones.
"I went to a lot of areas where I thought the fish would be, but they were not there. I've got to figure out how to catch those fish when the tide is not going out."