I have to admit – next year’s Bassmaster Elite Series schedule is the best I’ve ever seen.
Based on what I know about these fisheries and the time of year we’ll be there, I will be able to power fish the way I prefer.
That’s not a knock on finesse fishing. Those tactics should work as well. The technique was ingrained in anglers long before forward-facing sonar came around and remains a mainstay in our tactics.
You can catch bass on finesse regardless of whether you’re fishing the Louisiana Delta or Table Rock Lake. It dominates now because it’s easier to get a bite on a wacky worm than a 3/4-ounce Hack Attack Jig.
But you know what? At the end of the day the results are the same. It boils down to a matter of how you like to fish, and next year’s schedule should enable us to do a variety of things.
And if you know me, you know I like big poles, big line and big hook sets. The schedule should allow me to do that all year long.
So, yeah, I’m excited about next year.
Another reason that the schedule is better is we’re going to new places, and when we visit old places, we’re going there at different times of the year.
Also, the time of year we are hitting these lakes should allow me to lock that big rod in my hands. Our first six events will be held when the bass are most active and in the “rut,” similar to when deer are in the rut and active.
We’re starting in Florida, a place where I began my career. So I’m comfortable going there early in the season.
Then we head to Lake Ray Roberts for the Bassmaster Classic, a special place with a lot of giants.
After that we hit the Pasquotank River in North Carolina, a place we’ve never been, but it’s rumored to be a trophy fishery. We will be hitting it around the prespawn/spawn period.
I expect our first postspawn tourney to be at Lake Fork, and that’s a time when the big ones bunch up and start eating.
We leave there for the Sabine River — not exactly a trophy fishery but a place I enjoy fishing and have done well in previous tourneys.
In June we head to Lake Tenkiller, a tourney we jokingly refer to as the Jason Christie Benefit because he lives on the lake. Jason says it’s a great lake with lots of fish, but he says it isn’t the best time to be there. I guess we’ll find out. The fact that we haven’t been there makes it intriguing.
After that we’re off to the Disneyland of smallmouth bass — Lake St. Clair. We finish off on the Mississippi River at LaCrosse, Wisc., which sets up similarly to my local waters in Louisiana.
I’m sure forward-facing sonar will be used by some people in all of these events and should dominate at St. Clair, but a guy has a better chance of winning without it this year than in recent seasons.
More diverse tactics means viewers of Bassmaster LIVE will get more variety instead of everyone staring at their graph screens.
So, it’s a fan friendly schedule too, and that is very good and important. Regardless of what happens with technology, this sport can’t exist without the fans, and in my mind, we couldn’t do this without their interest.
