Elite

Practice pics from Oahe

Posted on
Our anglers are very active on social media, so we decided to compile a gallery to showcase how their practices have been going as they prepare for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Lake Oahe. But first, let’s see what the guys and their families got into on the way to and through South Dakota.
The previously photographed Jake Whitaker and Bryan New (seen here), tagged along with Austin Felix for a little pre-practice smallmouth smash fest on one of Felix’s stomping grounds. Anglers will often spend time on fisheries similar to where they’re headed for the next event to get into a good rhythm before official practice begins.
Like most of the anglers competing on Oahe this week, Derek Hudnall had quite the journey ahead of him when he rolled out of Louisiana.
Along the way, anglers traversed some major highways that were not paved, but instead gravel roads as seen here from Jason Christie’s truck.
Though it got a little dusty at times, the views were spectacular.
And though it was a sight to behold for man and his best friend alike …
… eventually both were a little tired of riding and just ready to get there.
Still, there were certainly some sights to see along the way.
Clifford Pirch shows us a few.
…
…
And here are a few more from other anglers
…
The Kennedys made the most of the trip, and were living their best lives on the road this week.
…
Naturally, they found some water …
… and tricked a few fish into biting.
…
Back to the sights for the Kennedys.
This family is not unfamiliar with camping.
Traveling together for years now, they’ve seen some awesome sights …
… and made many a fond memory.
The Iaconellis made a few of their own memories as well this week.
And the Gleasons enjoyed a round of golf at Sutton Bay.
Back to the road, as Scott Martin and his crew always bring the goods when it comes to content.
Another gem taken at Mount Rushmore.
But now it’s time to get settled in and down to business at Oahe.
The Gleasons set up camp.
As do the Jocumsens.
River enjoys a little time with dad Carl and mom Kayla …
… while their first child and forever fury friend Roo enjoys the cooler weather.
Time to head out to the water.
Lake Oahe is massive, some 200 miles of river run open to the competitors this week.
John Crews spotted a mayfly, which likely stirred a little excitement in him as a hatch of these can make for some phenomenal fishing when there’s a bug buffet happening.
Another shot from Crews of beautiful Oahe.
The land is so flat here that the views go on forever.
Luke Palmer is pretty excited about lows in the 60s in mid August.
And he’s feeling good as he sets out to start practice.
Caleb Sumrall is feeling pretty good with the jacket on as well.
Though the landscape can look a little barren at times, there’s a lot to see here.
Lee Livesay spots a bison and takes a selfie. I mean, how often are you going to get the chance to do that?
Another shot of Livesay’s new found friend.
Mark Menendez also bumped into a bison.
Kennedy spotted one as well.
But the bison aren’t the only animals roaming around these parts. Crews spotted a few cows.
Derek Hudnall heard a moo too, but the cow he spotted wasn’t fairing as well. Stuck in the mud, Hudnall wanted to help.
So he took a picture of the coordinates, and then Hudnall’s wife Annie began calling around. Eventually South Dakota Game and Fish was able to track down the ranch owner and a rescue plan was put into place.
A bald eagle was even spotted by Jake Whitaker.
And a couple of turkeys were seen in the campgrounds.
Back out on the water, there have been some awesome sunrises and sunsets this week.
The land is so flat here, that daylight goes on for a very long time.
The sun breaks the horizon here at 6:46 a.m.
And it doesn’t set until 9:44 p.m.
But the sky is bright even beyond those times.
And the colors are unlike anywhere else in the country here.
Some of the prettiest scenes you’ll ever see, like this patch of sunflowers brought to us by David Mullins.
More beauty to admire.
…
…
One of the less glamorous parts of bass fishing, Jacob Powroznik points out how the casual bass fishing fan likely doesn’t grasp the amount of time these anglers spend simply graphing during practice in search of productive water.
Kenta Kimura shows us another painful part of professional bass fishing, the pain at the pump. With 200 miles of water to fish and the bass being few and far between, a lot of gas is being burnt this week.
There is fishing happening on Oahe as well though, as David Williams shows us here. But bass aren’t all that’s biting.
Another stray from Hank Cherry.
Bryan New doesn’t look happy about this bite.
And even the size is headed in the wrong direction for New now.
Pirch with a fishy feline. Not what he’s looking for either.
Now this is more like it. Livesay shows us what Oahe has to offer.
Another nice one from Matt Robertson. Checkout his full update on how practice is going on bassmaster.com.
Ed Loughran has caught a good one as well.
And we leave you with Carl Jocumsen and his handful of Oahe gold. The Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Lake Oahe promises to be a very different and exciting event this week. Checkout all the action on bassmaster.com starting Thursday morning at 7 central.

Related