After days of unseasonably warm weather, Friday dawned at the Red River South Marina with air temperatures of about 50 degrees. The wind made the air feel colder. The predicted lows of 36 by Friday night weren’t hard to imagine.
Already dressed to handle the weather, Classic competitors were not much bothered by the wind or cold as they staged alongside the marina’s docks for the start of the Classic’s first day. Like most of the qualifiers, Shaw Grigsby was wrapped head to toe and well-versed about the weather conditions.
“When we were practicing on Wednesday, it looked like the long-term forecast was for a cold front with the winds coming around from the north, so I expected this,” he said.
“It will change the bite a little bit — I’m sure they’ll be a little lethargic in the morning, but I think it will get better and better as the day goes on. It should be a good day,” said Grigsby, who landed the first Classic berth awarded to a Bassmaster Elite Series event winner when he triumphed last March on the Harris Chain of Lakes in his native Florida.
The north wind could affect anyone fishing the Red’s southern side, Grigsby noted. Ott DeFoe pointed out that the backwaters are already so muddy, more wind isn’t going to make much difference. He’s more concerned with having to expend precious time and energy in boat positioning.
“Wind makes boat control hard anyplace. On this river, it’s worse, it makes you struggle all day,” he said. “They’re aren’t going to be many places where it’s protected.”
DeFoe, an Elite Series pro from Tennessee who is in his first Classic, estimated that the wind was up to about 15 mph at the protected launch site.
He was looking forward to a decent bite Friday.
“Tomorrow will be a different story,” he said. “The only bite that will happen tomorrow will be late in the day, in my opinion.”
Casey Ashley, Elite Series pro from Donalds, S.C., sees the wind as an “aggravating” factor, but was hoping his pockets are protected enough.
“The wind will muddy the banks, so we will have to adjust accordingly,” he said. “The front is coming. Fish should bite better today.”
Morning launch conditions did not include fog. A fog delay could have pinched plans for locking down into other Red River pools, thus congregating more anglers in Pool 5 where anglers launched.
The 49 anglers were sent off in style. The Barksdale Air Force Base Color Guard of five presented the colors, Senior Airman Megan Lewis performed the national anthem, and a flyover of a massive B-52 from Barksdale awed the crowd of an estimated 1,000 fans.
And so it began for the 42nd time in history, the chase for the coveted Bassmaster Classic crown and the $500,000 prize that goes with it.
Lane and Chapman ride early 2012 successes into the Classic: You need money to make money. Or so the saying goes. Does the same apply to success? Bassmaster Classic competitors Chris Lane and Brent Chapman believe so.
Lane won the first Bassmaster Open event of 2012, and Chapman the second. Both are hoping those wins help them on the Red River. Chapman said he has experienced how the confidence that comes with a win can carry into the next tournament.
“The last time I had a big Bassmaster win was in 2005,” Chapman related. “I had won the Top Gun Championship in August, and three weeks later I went to the [Bassmaster] Shootout and won.
“I’d really like to see my win at Lake Lewisville catapult me right into winning the Bassmaster Classic. I don’t want to be too optimistic, but I’m excited about this, for sure,” he said.
A win not only gives an angler confidence, the winnings decrease an angler’s stress over the financial side of his career, Chapman said. Also helping him mentally at the Classic is knowing he has already sewn up a 2013 Classic berth, part of his Open prize.
“That’s huge,” he said.
Lane completed the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series season ranked 12th in points, no small victory. He followed that by winning the first Open of the 2012 season, which was on the Harris Chain in late January. The successes came after about two years of struggling against a slump.
People often ask how he pulled out of it and what’s changed in his life, he said. “Much,” is his short answer. It boils down to learning how to trust his skills and instincts.
“And to not always be ‘fishing scared’ whether that’s financially or against your competition,” he said. “And not listening to anyone else. It’s like a clock that starts to tick. I seem to be at a place now where my clock is working.”
Seeking perfect alignment: Speaking of Brent Chapman, he’s been exercising in a special way for the past six months.
“It takes a measly 10 to 15 minutes, but it’s a good warm-up and stretch. I know that if I do it morning and evening, I’m still going to be going at 110 percent all season,” he said.
Chapman has been working with Travis Perret, who describes himself on his website as an “exercise psychologist.” He offers a regimen of body alignment exercises designed to eliminate or prevent debilitating pain. Chapman decided to give it a try as a substitute for a costly personal trainer.
“Toward the end of last season, I was hurting some. I realized I needed to do something so I don’t have an elbow or back injury or something else,” Chapman said.
Classic attendee focuses on helping kids: At the Bassmaster Classic, fishing might be all about competition, but to Malik Wilder fishing means one thing: Finding Inspiration, Sharing Hope.
Wilder came to the Bassmaster Classic on behalf of FISH Inc., a nonprofit organization that focuses on teaching underprivileged youth fishing and life lessons, to catch up with the pros and connect with those involved in the fishing industry. “I’m just so happy to be here,” Wilder said.
His organization was started about six years ago in New Jersey, where he learned to fish as a kid on the Rahway River, Milton Lake and other local waters. “I was inspired by my dad when I was younger, who introduced me to fishing,” Wilder said.
Now he’s brought his program to the Atlanta metro area. He’s teamed up this year with Male Creed, a youth mentoring program, and will teach about 30 children from Meadowcreek Elementary School in Norcross, Ga., how to fish. Over seven Saturdays, Wilder will teach fundamental lessons of fishing and life: patience, preparation, respect, teamwork, focus, opportunity, success and safety. The first lesson will include going to Bass Pro Shops to learn the economics of fishing and the different baits, rods, reels and other equipment.
“I want the kids to feel they can earn a living fishing, and there’s more to the sport than casting a lure into water,” Wilder said. “You can learn to navigate through life.”