Fish aren’t the only thing that transition. We human anglers do it, too. The Mississippi River event coming up is a good example of what I’m talking about.
Becky and I spent about a week coming up here. We didn’t need that long just to travel, but I needed that long for a transition. It was really pretty cool. It gave me some time to relax, think a few things through, spend time with Becky and play with Vegas. It was good all the way around.
It’s funny, you know, we all have lots of birthdays and most of us have lots of Father’s Day experiences. But that doesn’t seem to matter. Each one is special in its own way. I can remember all of them — where I was, what I was doing, who was there, a lot of what was said, and most of the other details that I forgot long ago about my ordinary days.
I also invested a lot of time working on my tackle and visiting with the folks at Rapala during the trip. I can’t say that time was as much fun as the time I spent with my family, but it was fun, nonetheless. This Mississippi River thing is going to be interesting. I needed to get my tackle in order. And, of course, I always have ideas for new lures and stuff, so the time with Rapala was good for both of us.
I say interesting because the Mississippi is well-known, but it still presents a challenge to every angler who fishes her. Water levels and current are the things that make all the difference here. We all have a preference for what we’d like to see. Some guys want the water high and running hard. That’s classic river fishing. Other guys want it low and steady. That’s more like lake fishing. (Some of the oxbows are almost as big as lakes.)
As for me, I just want something I can fish. It’s no secret that I’d rather fish with my back to the shore. That’s what we’ve been doing for the past three tournaments. That probably won’t happen this week, but hey, I’m a professional bass angler fishing at the highest level. It’s my job to catch them. Excuses don’t get it at the Elite level.
I’m not afraid of rivers, and I’m not afraid of big oxbows. It’s a matter of putting something together that’ll hold up over four days of heavy tournament bass fishing. I say something, but what I really mean is some things.
I’ve said more than once that you need two or three good patterns to win an Elite Series event. That’s never been truer than when you’re on the Mississippi River. One day she might be low and calm. The next day she might be rising with a strong current. You have to be ready for anything in this neighborhood.
That’s enough for now. I hope everyone had a nice Father’s Day and maybe had a chance to go fishing. If not, fix that this week!
