There’s no more waitin’ for any of us. By the time you read this most or all of the official practice will be over. All that’ll remain is three or four days of ceremony, media interviews, photos and talking before the real deal gets underway on Friday morning.
I’m working on this before I’ve fished the lake so some of my thoughts might change a little bit, but I doubt it’ll be by much.
The lake is at normal pool. The high water is a thing of the past. If it remains stable, that’ll be good for the fishing. The weather is supposed to slowly improve, but it’ll still be on the chilly side. I don’t know what the water temperature is as of right now, but it should be decent and I don’t expect it to warm very much unless the weatherman is wrong.
As far as water color is concerned it looks OK. I’d call it stained, but not muddy or nasty looking. That’s fine for this time of the year. The only time I like real clear water is when the water is cold. Other than that I want some color to it.
My only complaint – and it’s really not a serious complaint – is that as the years go by I find myself wanting to fish tournaments when it’s about 75 degrees with some clouds in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing around. Fishing when it’s cold is not my idea of fun, although in the past it didn’t bother me at all.
Do you think that means I’m getting old or spoiled? I’ve wondered about that.
The thing about what I’ve said so far is that Grand Lake is huge. It covers 46,000 plus acres, so what you find in one area is not necessarily what you’ll find in another area. And, despite the fact that it’s considered deep, it actually fishes shallow. Most of what I’ve found on the Internet and by asking around, as well as my own experience on the lake, indicates that almost all of the tournaments are won in 10 feet or less of water.
That creates an interesting situation. This could be one of those events where several of the leaders will be able to fish to their strengths. I like to see tournaments like that. It’s what real competition is all about, and it’s most definitely what a Classic should be about.
I’ve not put anything in here about the bite or any details about what lures and techniques I think will put enough weight in the boat to win. I don’t know anything about that yet. And, I like to keep an open mind about those things. Making too many decisions before you’re actually on the water is a dangerous game to play, a game I try never to play.
Besides, you guys are smart enough to know that none of us will say anything that amounts to anything even if we do think we know something. Our competitors read these columns too, you know.
Wish me luck…