Dodging fog at Wednesday’s practice, anglers clarify plans for Friday’s start of Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans
Category: article
Feb 16th, 2011 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Feb 16th, 2011 at 12:00 AM
NEW ORLEANS – Spring may be in the air, but that air could create the one thing now most dreaded by the 50-angler field in the Feb. 18-20 world championship of bass fishing: fog.
Without a full day to fish the Louisiana Delta, some of the anglers in the 41st Bassmaster Classic would have to ditch plans for long, fast runs to far-flung spots. They’d have to settle for backup spots which may or may not hold enough bass to make a run at a win for the $500,000 crown.
A fog advisory was in effect Wednesday morning, the final official practice day, but didn’t materialize for Skeet Reese.
“We avoided fog at least one day,” said Reese, the Auburn, Calif., pro who won the Classic in Louisiana in 2009, but in the northern part of the state on the Red River. “I didn’t see any fog anywhere.”
What he did see was enough for an optimistic prediction.
“The fishing is going to be as good as it possibly can be here. We’re getting the best possible conditions,” Reese said. “The rising water temperature is by far the biggest thing. The fish will be more aggressive. The only thing that will affect the weights will be a fog delay.”
Reese said he will need “a solid 18 pounds a day to have a shot at it.”
Matt Herren, Classic qualifier from Trussville, Ala., said he encountered cloudy skies and a light breeze.
“I really thought we’d get fog this morning, but we didn’t,” he said. “Not anywhere I was, anyway.”
He said the water level was rising.
“The tide’s coming back, the south wind’s really helping, and the surface temps have climbed from about 45 to 47 in practice (last weekend). The warmest I saw today was 59 – like a heat wave compared to before. It’s great, the fish were definitely responding, trying to pull up,” Herren said.
“There’s going to be a lot of fish caught,” he said.
Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., also avoided any fog. He was glad to see rising water temperatures.
“I’m working through a few things,” he said. “The water came up 4 or 5 degrees in the area I’m fishing, so that was encouraging.”
“Today was uneventful,” Rojas said. “I’m happy to wait for ‘eventful’ on Friday.”
The full field of 50 anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CST Friday through Sunday from Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego, La. They’ll bring their catches into the New Orleans Arena, where doors will open at 3 p.m. CST. The concurrent Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods will be at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
All events are free and open to the public. Hours and other details are available at www.Bassmaster.com.
2011 Bassmaster Classic local hosts: Louisiana Office of Tourism and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation
2011 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Bass Pro Shops, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter, Triton, Yamaha
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Bass Pro Shops, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Skeeter, Triton, Yamaha
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Lowrance, Nitro Boats, Power Pole, Ramada
2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, Skeeter, Triton, Yamaha
2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Supporting Sponsors: Humminbird, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats
2011 Bassmaster Federation Championship and Federation Divisional Championships presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats Presenting Sponsors: Yamaha, Skeeter Boats
2011 Bassmaster Federation Championship and Federation Divisional Championships presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, Skeeter, Triton, Yamaha
2011 Bassmaster Federation Championship and Federation Divisional Championships presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats Supporting Sponsors: Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications – Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times – comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.