The Bassmaster Elite Series returned to South Dakota, after four years away, and once again we’re being treated to buffalo, prairie dogs, big smallmouth and bigger waves. Most importantly, we learned about the magical Kenora Dinner Jacket, garb best worn with shorts and no shoes.
After a practice that produced only lukewarm social media postings (yes, sandbagging travels even to infrequent tournament venues), Oahe showed out today. There were four bags heavier than the 19-07 David Fritts weighed in on Day 1 last time around, led by Brandon Card’s 21-10, and the cut weight sits almost 2 pounds higher.
With three, or possibly two, days left to compete, there’s lots of room for change. After all, the other thing we were repeatedly reminded of today is how much these fish move. They’re not the regular migratory smallmouth – they’re the cousins of those fish amped up on caffeine. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Beyond that, here’s what I think I saw and heard today over the hard-whistling prairie winds:
Avoiding the Day 2 Blues – Card had a good Day 1 here in 2018, with 16-04 that had him in 12th place overall. Unfortunately, he just barely managed to beat that weight over the next two days combined, which resulted in a good-but-not-great 32nd-place finish. He was particularly undone by a Day 2 catch of three bass for 3-06. Avoiding that same plummet is critical for several reasons: First, he entered the tournament in 51st place in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings and is now within reach of the Classic; second, he’s been on the Elite roster since 2012 and has yet to notch a win. His best finish came at BASSFest on Lake Texoma in 2016, when he finished second.
A Better Day 1 – Cliff Pirch’s Day 1 weight of 12-08 has him in a semi-unremarkable 45th place. It has to be something of a relief, though, since last time around he notched a mere 7-10 on the first day of competition. His weights went up every day after that, from 18-04 to 19-09 to 20-11. He ended up third overall, missing the win by 3-07. If he’d had today’s weight on Day 1 back then, and everything else had gone the same, he’d have a blue trophy to go with his three U.S. Open titles.
Cut Weight – Using the old (2X+1) formula, today’s 12-02 cut weight translates to 25-04 tomorrow (assuming that there is a tomorrow). In 2018, 47th place after Day 1 was 10-10, which would translate to 22-04, but the number actually underperformed that expectation. Forty-seventh was 18-09 after two days.
The Best Policy – There’s honest, there’s brutally honest, and then there’s Seth-Feider-on-Camera honest.
An Open Door – Brandon Palaniuk wrote in his Bassmaster column this week that he wanted to avoid a finish worse than 26th, his lowest of the season to date. For that to happen, he’ll have to make up some ground, as he had four bass for 11-15 today and is the first man outside the cut in 48th. That’s only a little over 3 pounds out of 26th, so that fifth fish likely would’ve made a huge difference. David Mullins, John Cox and Brandon Lester, his closest followers in the AOY race, sit in 63rd , 70th and 61st, so despite his personal difficulties he actually helped himself in the AOY race.
Back in the Badlands – After taking part of the season off due to a medical hardship, Texan Brad Whatley came back for the last two events. To be honest, it didn’t make sense to me, considering that he’s out of the Classic running and a drive to South Dakota isn’t exactly inexpensive. Maybe he’ll silence doubters like me, though – his 16-03 has him in 18th place. If he can put his foot on the gas a little bit harder, he might be on the way to his third Elite Series Top 10, and his second in smallmouth country (he was ninth at the St. Lawrence River in 2020).
The Okeechobee of the West – For a massive lake, Oahe fishes remarkably small.
Boat as Structure – Today on Live, Davy Hite noted that because Oahe is relatively featureless, the bait balls will often gravitate to just about anything that creates some sort of apparent protection. “The shade that your boat provides is sometimes the best cover,” he said. It’s something I’ve seen fishing for tuna in Central America, where the commercial boats drag 40 foot trees to keep the baitfish underneath and the tuna lined up. Besides the lake’s topography, the other reason this probably works at Oahe is because the fishery gets so little pressure. The bait, and the bass, may be mobile, but they’re not educated.
The Year’s Biggest Mystery – We’ve seen some anglers exceed their typical results and others have “off years” in 2022, but no pro’s (assumedly temporary) fall has been greater or more constant that Mike Iaconelli’s. He sits in 85th place with five bass that weighed 5-15. He was 29th at Oahe in 2018 but hasn’t logged an Elite Series finish that strong yet in 2022.
The Five Stages of Grief – After losing an offshore smallmouth on a drop-shot rig, a bass that seemingly just came unbuttoned after an extended fight, John Cox verbally cycled through the full range of emotions – from anger to surprise to sadness and beyond – to ultimately taking away a positive from the experience. “At least I feel a little bit better about the area,” he said. That fish, which at first he thought was a carp and which he estimated at 5 pounds, likely would’ve bumped him up from 70th into the cut.
Say What? – “This place is like driving around riding a three-legged camel.” Wes Logan on the water conditions.
Fun to Say – “Smeltinator”
Fashionistas – “You may be the nicest individual on Earth.” Dave Mercer to Jeff Gustafson. Apparently the emcee really wants that jacket.
