Skeet’s Beat: Classic Week

What more can I say, it’s Classic week and I’m fired up. As far as bass fishing goes Classic Week is our Mardi Gras time. The one thing I’ll say about this Classic is it’s going to be different than just about anyone we’ve ever had.

The person who wins this classic is going to have had everything go right. There are tons of variables that could decide the outcome of this tournament even if the guy is on the right fish. Most of those factors have nothing to do with the actual fishing. This tournament is going to be a test of our bodies, our stamina, our minds, and our equipment.

The first order of business is just getting there and back; wherever we go. Most of the field will be making runs of an hour or longer and a lot can happen in that amount of time. Hopefully I’ll be able to get there, put together a good stringer and get back.

I’m glad that I’ve done this many times; especially for this tournament, because as players we need to be able to focus on the game and not the distractions.

Despite the cold conditions that we’ve come out of the fishing should still be pretty good. I know it’s going to be a different Classic than the previous three we’ve had here. As to who is going to win it’s going to be a pure guessing game right now. The person who wins it will have found the right canal and have it all to himself in order to win.

I’m going everything I can to maximize efficiency. I’m stripping the boat down to the bare necessities. I’ll probably carry five Wright & McGill Co. Tessera Rods and Victory Reels in the boat and that’s it as far as setups go. I’ll probably have two lures and only a couple of each, a couple bags of my new plastics, a box of TroKar hooks, and Eagle Claw tungsten weights. I’ll try to keep the boat as light as possible to avoid distraction and to maximize fuel economy.

One thing I did was add radar to my Lowrance HDS, that way I can navigate through the fog should we run into it which is a high possibility. I’m still processing my practice. I have some decisions to make and I’m just ready to get started.

I’m excited about the show. Kim and the girls and our friends will do a great job there. We have a bunch of new stuff for everybody. That’s another great part of the Classic; seeing all the people get excited about going fishing again while they are at the show.

It’s classic week and I’m ready to go; don’t take this personally but I only hope to see everybody from the stage; I want to win another one.