Boyd Duckett – 2013 Classic Day One

TULSA, Okla. – I tell you, this never gets old. I was late coming to the game at this level. I was in my mid-forties when I fished my first Classic, but now this is my sixth. It will never, ever, ever get old.

You always want to have a sold first day, and I can’t say I had that. In some ways, it kind of felt like my day sucked. But to be honest, I have to reasonably happy with 12 pounds, 11 ounces. It’s more than I thought I had.

The cold changed things. It was a really cold run this morning. A cold 30 miles.

I’ve said it time after time. In this tournament, you have to swing for the fences. You go for the win in this one, so it changes decisions you might make in a regular-season tournament.

That said, it really never felt good, though.

In the morning, I was in a place that was supposed to have some big fish. And I caught a four-pounder in a brushpile early, so I got some confidence. I found that fish in a creek I’d been working. But it took a long time before they were biting again.

I left the creek, moved around, then came back to it.

Like a bunch of other anglers today, I wish I’d had about 30 more minutes.