TULSA, Okla. — This marks the fifth year in a row that Stetson Blaylock has qualified for the Bassmaster Classic. There’s been an up-and-down pattern in the four previous: 3rd at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville in 2020, 48th at Texas’ Lake Ray Roberts in 2021, 3rd at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell in 2022 and 30th at the Tennessee River in Knoxville in 2023
If the pattern holds, the 36-year-old Benton, Ark., pro should be a contender when the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors begins Friday on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake. (Blaylock finished only 11 ounces behind winner Jason Christie at Hartwell in 2022.)
However, the three-day pre-practice period that began last Friday hasn’t left Blaylock feeling confident. And in those previous third-place finishes he was feeling confident after pre-practice.
“I haven’t figured it out,” he said Tuesday at Classic registration. “It’s a good thing we’ve got one more day of official practice. For me, it’s going to be getting outside of what I thought would happen, and go back a few weeks and fish like it was more winterish. It’s kind of got me puzzled to have such a struggle to get bites this week.”
The brief alternating weather patterns over the last month – warm spring-like days, followed by cold winterish days and repeat – may be the culprit. Blaylock predicted a winning weight of 61 ½ pounds.
“I don’t think you’re going to see a bunch of 17- to 18-pound bags,” he said. “I think you’re going to see a lot of 12- to 14-pound bags. And the guys that can get two big bites, meaning over 4 ½-pounders, will be right up there at the top.”
If Blaylock does get a few clues during the official practice day Wednesday, he’d feel a lot more confident in continuing these alternate year success stories at the Classic.
“(Wednesday) will tell a lot,” he said. “If I have another off day and don’t feel like I’m getting anything dialed in, I’m going to be nervous. But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re rolling towards April, my favorite month of the year. I’ve had very good tournaments in March on these types of fisheries that have no grass, just rocks and docks.
“I’m confident on these types of fisheries. But confidence can get you only so far if you don’t dial-in how to win.”
The weather forecast is for a high of 78 degrees Wednesday, which would follow a similar high temperature Tuesday. Highs are predicted to be in the upper 60s through the weekend.
“These fish should be moving up, getting ready to do their springtime ritual,” Blaylock said. “I don’t think you’ll see a bunch of spawning fish. They’re not there yet.”
The three days of Blaylock’s bleak pre-practice over the weekend could then make anything found by other anglers all for naught. And that would suit Blaylock just fine.
“It’s such a big week, it’s such a busy week, it’s such a long week,” he said. “And you get these broken up practice days. It can kind of throw you for a loop. If you get too dialed-in when you get here on Friday, you’re talking about a full seven days before the tournament starts. This time of year, a lot changes in a week.”
Blaylock is counting on that.
