KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Jan. 25, 2005) - The Bassmaster Tour opens its 2005 season on the fertile waters of Florida's Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho) this week. Which means Pro Staff members Gerald Swindle, Marty Stone, Shaw Grigsby and Tim Carroll will be searching for a good start to the 2005 Bassmaster Angler of the Year chase as well.
Swindle wrapped up his first Bassmaster AOY title in dramatic fashion last season, eking out a three-point victory over Greg Hackney on the next to final day of Tour competition. However, this is a new season and a new set of challenges awaiting this Alabama resident. Will there be any changes in 2005?
"I don't know if I'll alter my approach a whole lot," said Swindle, who hopes to notch a first Tour tournament victory this season. "I may be a little more risky and take a few more chances with the Classic being made, but I'll still fish my same style - by the seat of my pants."
Swindle is well aware Lake Toho can be unpredictable, "It's hard to say what will happen during the week. We have had some warm weather at the early part of this month and some of the fish might have moved up a little (preparing to spawn). But we've also seen it cool off a little recently. I'm not going to be hardheaded and look for just one pattern, but I think we could see a couple of really big stringers."
Speaking of big stringers, Marty Stone pulled off one of the biggest catches of his career by winning the season-opening Tour event on Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes last year - site of next weekend's tournament. Despite his success, Stone feels he has a lot to accomplish in 2005.
"I am ready to get back," Stone said. "I felt like I left some unfinished business on the water last season. I want to improve upon that. I had a good run last year, winning a tournament and making the Classic, but I wasn't really satisfied with where I ended up in the Angler of the Year (14th) chase. At least, I want to repeat what I did last year and hopefully improve on my AOY performance."
For Stone, Lake Toho has been a tough puzzle to solve.
"I've always struggled on Lake Toho," Stone continued. "But I think I have gained some knowledge that has helped me over the last couple of years. Toho is a good lake. Last year, prior to our tournament on the Harris Chain of Lakes, a couple of us went over to Toho to see how we could fish. I learned a lot during that time and I'm not scared of that (Toho) lake anymore.
"It has a lot of fish in it, but it's very weather-oriented," Stone continued. "We've had some major fronts roll through there and I'm sure it's going to affect it. I now realize if you're not getting bit, it's not because there aren't any fish in there, it's because you're using the wrong approach for the conditions. If the weather is nice and mild, the weights are going to be pretty heavy. If the weather is fickle, the weights could vary or be off a bunch. The 'X' factor is they just scraped Toho last year and removed a lot of bottom sediment and vegetation, so I don't know how that lake is going to lie. When they do something like that, the fishing opens up."
As for Shaw Grigsby, he's just happy to be back. The Gainesville, Fla., resident is returning to competition after last season's heart by-pass and gall bladder surgery, which sidelined him at the midway point of BASS's inaugural Elite 50 Series season.
"This one is definitely special after all of my issues," said Grigsby, who finished sixth in the AOY race on the 2003 Bassmaster Tour. "I'm definitely excited about getting back into competition.
"I really need some good finishes to start out," Grigsby continued. "These are 'home' waters for me (Lake Toho & Harris Chain) because they are in Florida. I have traditionally performed well on those waters and I think I can put together two, really strong efforts. I don't want to struggle to get back on track throughout the rest of the season. I feel real confident because we have some very good lakes on this year's schedule. There's only one lake (J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir in Georgia) that I'm not really familiar with."
Grigsby talked about the challenges of Lake Toho.
"Toho is full of pure Florida-strain largemouth bass," Grigsby said. "Those largemouth are the toughest in the country to catch unless you have stable weather conditions. We had wonderful, super warm weather between Christmas and January 15th and I'm sure some of the fish started bedding. Since that time however, it's gotten real cold and nasty and the fish have become real skittish.
"Practice will be cold, but it should warm up for the tournament," Grigsby added. "That's going to be good and the fishing ought to be a little bit better. I don't think it will be like the record-breaking year Dean Rojas had (in 2001), but it should be a solid Florida tournament. You will have some nice strings caught, but a lot of guys will struggle as well."