Well, I had my usual Florida performance at the 2021 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River. I finished 79th. The thing about me and Florida ia we just don’t get along. I suck in Florida … bad suck. I like to fish fast with a lot of action. Florida bass like it slow and easy. Despite that, however, I have to say that I’m glad I missed the cut.
That sounds crazy, I know. But the thing is it put me on the road to Fort Worth a day or two early. If I’d made the cut, I probably would have stayed down there and wouldn’t have been home to help Trait and the dogs just before the horrible weather hit Texas. Believe me when I tell you it was, and is, horrible.
It’s colder here than anyone can remember. Some said it’s been over 30 years since anything even close to this has hit the area. Others are saying it’s been 100 years. I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I need to know is that it’s miserable cold.
We lost power one night but were able to keep warm with a fire. As of right now (Wednesday) we have power and an internet connection so we’re in good shape, especially compared to our neighbors. Some of them are really up against it.
Most of the construction in my area has the water lines running in the attics. Because there’s so much lack of experience with weather like this most of our neighbors didn’t let their faucets drip or run slightly when the power went out. I don’t have to tell you that now that their lines are frozen solid.
That is bad. They don’t have water. Worse, though, is what’s going to happen when the lines thaw. They’ll break and the water will likely soak into their ceilings causing serious damage. We let ours run so we won’t have those problems. We’ll get through this, and I won’t have any trouble fishing the 2021 Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee River. Heck, it might even feel warm when we get there. You know, nice weather considering what we’re in right now.
Another thing I want to mention — something that has nothing to do with my sorry Florida performance — is B.A.S.S. rescheduling the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk into June turned out to be a blessing.
At the time several people thought that the move would lower the overall weights. They were disappointed. Under normal conditions they would have been correct. But conditions aren’t normal.
I drove over to Ray Roberts a day ago just to look around. The creeks are totally frozen over. The water in the lake is colder than it’s ever been. The best way I know to describe the lake’s overall condition is horrible. I guarantee you that the fish are totally shocked. They’ve never been through anything like this, and they aren’t likely to recover in a couple of weeks. If the Classic hadn’t been rescheduled, we’d have seen some really tough fishing.
The bottom line is that moving the Classic into June didn’t hurt the weights. It helped them.
It’s a funny thing, you know. Sometimes out of what we think is a negative comes a positive. That’s what happened when I didn’t make the cut in Florida. I was able to be home and help Trait. And, it’s what happened when B.A.S.S. was forced to reschedule our Classic because of COVID. We’ll end up with better fishing.
Sometimes the glass is half full, even if we don’t know it at the time.