Now that I have the first two Elite tournaments of 2024 behind me, I’m completely focused on the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors. That might seem like a big shift, but it really isn’t.
Obviously, the Classic is the most important event of the season, but starting the year with a couple of Elite events really gives us a head start.
Before the start of a new season, you’re in preparation mode — getting everything ready. Do I have this? Do I have that? Making sure I’m as ready as I can possibly be to start traveling.
After the first couple of weeks, all your gear is set up, your boat’s set up and you’re really dialed in. You get to the Classic, the whole realm of how you fish is ready to go.
As far as the momentum of the first two events of 2024, I had a good start with a sixth-place finish at Toledo Bend Reservoir, but I struggled at Lake Fork and finished 69th. You have to stay mentally strong in fishing, but for me, it’s all about perspective.
Once my day is over with, once a tournament is over with, I move on. I don’t think about it.
When I played basketball for Coalgate High School, I was a shooter. You could miss seven shots in a row, but if you made the eighth one, that’s what mattered. If you think about that seventh or fifth shot, it can mess with your mind, so I don’t do that.
For me, that means directing all of my attention to the Bassmaster Classic.
I spent a few days pre-practicing, and even though it was really cold, the fishing was really good. I spent a lot of my time just looking, and I found several things that might help me in the Classic.
Obviously, a lot will change between my pre-practice time and the Classic week, but I learned a lot about how fish set up on certain things. I spent my time in areas I felt had the fish to do really well, and I found fish sitting on a few things I didn’t realize they would sit on.
I’m anticipating a mostly prespawn tournament, and the weather picture is shaping up nicely. The water temperature is a little warmer than it normally is, and with the weather continuing to warm up, I think the shallow bite could be a major player.
The water’s already 50 degrees, and when it gets up over 53 or 54 degrees in Oklahoma, those fish get up on the bank — they get shallow. I think this is going to make it interesting. I think we could see a major push toward the bank.
There will still be some fish that stay out deeper for a while, so the guys that like to fish with forward-facing sonar will be able to that. But I think the top 10 will be a mix of guys fishing offshore and guys that get on a stretch of bank where they can throw a spinnerbait or flip.
I’m expecting a lot of people on the water, because people in Oklahoma don’t want to sit and watch it at home. Crowd control will be important, but you just have keep your head down and do what you know how to do.
You only have to get five bites to do well on Grand Lake. I always try to get six because I know I’m gonna lose one, but if I get five in the boat, I’ll have a good shot at it.
