It’s late November, and I’m home in northern Texas. We’re finally getting cooler weather and dropping water temperatures on our reservoirs. These changes have me intensely focused on Lake Ray Roberts, my home lake, and the site of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
The weather now is almost identical to what it typically is in mid-March when the Classic will take place. I’m talking lows in the 40s and 50s and daytime highs in the low 70s.
I’ve been mulling over ways to win the Classic, as it will be the biggest tournament of my career. I’ve been on Ray Roberts frequently, and I plan to launch my boat there regularly until it goes off limits at the end of December.
Although I’ve been on Ray Roberts hundreds of times, I still haven’t fished the entire lake. My goal is to uncover areas I haven’t seen before. That’s why it’s very important for me to spend as much time as possible there.
Although Ray Roberts is a relatively small lake compared to Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn reservoirs, it has an abundance of bass-holding areas. I’ll be checking out standing timber, isolated rockpiles, ledges, dropoffs and main lake points.
Because Ray Roberts is my home body of water, a lot of my Elite competitors have called me to let me know they’ll be pre-fishing the lake for the Classic. That puts me in an odd predicament.
I truly want my Elite friends to do well in the tournament. But to be honest, I don’t want to give them detailed information that could help them beat me. I have no choice but to keep productive places I’ve discovered over the past 10 years to myself.
I will be happy to let my peers know which bait colors I like, which swimbaits I prefer to throw and how to efficiently navigate the lake. However, I won’t mention specific fishing areas. If they find them on their own, more power to them.
The 2025 Classic will be a prespawn event, so the bass will be heavier than at any other time of year. Ray Roberts is known for producing 30-pound limits in March and April.
I’m predicting multiple 30-pound bags and 8- to 10-pound bass throughout the competition. I expect several Classic records to be broken this time around.
Over the next month or so, I’ll be looking for groups of better-than-average fish. I’ve also seen bass group up at this time of year at Lake Fork, Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn. I’ll take note of what the bass are relating to, such as standing timber. They may simply suspend in a given area.
They’ll relate to that cover or that area throughout the winter and into the spring. When I come back for the Classic after the three-month off-limits period, the bass won’t be far from those places.
To relocate those groups of heavy bass, I’ll need to take note of the water temperature, the weather patterns leading up to the Classic and other factors that could influence where the bass might have moved to.
If I can piece together that puzzle, I have a good shot at hoisting the Classic trophy over my head and basking in a shower of confetti.
