SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, La. - Low water levels again challenged the 51 Bassmaster Classic competitors Wednesday as the full field participated in one day of official practice for the big event, set for Feb. 20-22 on the Red River.
Friday will be the first day of competition for the 51-angler field and BASS will kick off the fishing season when BASS founder Ray Scott will ceremoniously throw out the first cast from reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam's boat kicking off the fishing season and the Classic.
"Definitely the warmest day we've had, even with the wind," said Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., who finished third in the 2008 Classic on South Carolina's Lake Hartwell. And with a wry smile he added, "It's a tournament coming, though, so naturally a cold front is coming through."
Saturday's forecast includes dropping temperatures expected to hover in the 50s during competition, which likely will mix things up and slow things down on the water for Day Two.
The field, which includes Kim Bain-Moore, the 2008 Women's Tour Angler of the Year and the first woman in history to compete in the Classic, also had three days of pre-practice this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At that point, several anglers were surprised by what the river had to offer.
"It wasn't at all what I expected," said Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., a two-time Classic winner and the 2008 Angler of the Year. "It seemed to be fishing real small."
It is possible that the river fished small throughout the pre-practice because it was the first time all 51 qualifiers were on the Red River at the same time. Being the experts they are, the anglers quickly zeroed in on the richest spots.
"There's fish to be caught, and plenty of areas to fish," said Lane. "It's just the trying to get into them. It takes so long to get in there, because you have to idle. That's the mind game."
Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., a Classic competitor and a fellow Elite Series pro, said he figures that the 2009 Classic competition will be played out in five or six areas.
"Everybody's finding the same fish - I expected that," Martens said.
Lane agreed: "The winner won't be by himself every day, he's going to have company.
"So you just hope that you have the bigger bites, and try not to get in each other's way. You know you're bumping around these stumps and then the fish don't bite."
According to Elite Series pro Mark Burgess of Norton, Mass., the low water levels have prompted a few Classic contenders - not including Lane - to park their fiberglass rigs for the Classic in favor of aluminum boats. While they're slower, the aluminum boats with jet engines are more easily maneuvered into the shallows of the Red River.
"They're a lot lighter and it allows them to just slide into places where a fiberglass boat wouldn't," said Burgess, who is attending the Classic but not competing. "They're going a lot of places where they're running over a lot of wood. They can push those boats up over it, where you wouldn't be able to do that with a fiberglass boat."
Burgess added that the anglers with aluminum boats likely will stay in Pool 5 because of the lack of speed. "They can't make a monster run, and they don't have the fuel capacity," he said. "But with that boat, they could have areas to themselves."
Lane said an overall winning weight of 50 to 60 pounds isn't out of the question for the Classic.
"The average fish right now is about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds," he said. "I'd say 13 to 15 a day, definitely, just to make the top 25. If you catch five, I think they're going to weigh at least 12 to 14 pounds."
Will there be a lot of flipping, as is expected at this time of year on the Red?
"Absolutely,"Lane said. "And I love it. I'm going to be about 85 percent flipping and the rest, probably spinnerbait. I've had bites every day, some real nice, quality fish in the 4- to 5-pound range. But how many other people have found those same groups of fish is what we're going to have to find out Friday."
The public is invited and encouraged to come to Shreveport-Bossier City to witness the crowning of the 2009 Classic champion, who'll claim a first-place prize of $500,000 on Sunday. The total Classic payout is $1.2 million.
Launches are set for 7:15 a.m. CT, Feb. 20-22, at the Red River South Marina, Highway 71 South in Bossier City. The daily weigh-ins will be at the CenturyTel Center, 2000 CenturyTel Center Drive, Bossier City. CenturyTel's doors will open at 3:30 p.m. CT, except on Saturday, Feb. 21, when a free concert by Zac Brown Band will begin at 3 p.m. CT.
The 2009 Classic Outdoors Expo will be at the Shreveport Convention Center, 400 Caddo St. Hours will be Friday, noon-9 p.m. CT; Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. CT; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. CT.
All events are free and open to the public.