Changed Weigh-In Dynamic

Tournament weigh-ins have changed dramatically in character over the past several years. Between fans and media Tweeting and posting on-water observations on social media, on-water tracking of estimated weights and now even live cameras on some anglers during the day, much of the story gets told before the weigh-in begins.

If you chose to pay attention and are watching the Day 2 weigh-in at the Bassmaster Classic, which is going on as I write this, you probably kind of know who caught them, and you may even know specific stories about big fish caught and big ones that go away.

The BASStrakk weights are estimates, so some anglers always have more or less than everyone expects, and many stories from the day don't get told till the anglers are onstage. I've also yet to see the winner known for sure going into the weigh-in of a Classic or a Forrest Wood Cup. Still total surprises are largely gone. That's not necessarily bad. The live element is fun to track. I could save the surprise, but I never do. I just find it kind of interesting how things continue to change.

Three Days, Three Leaders at West Point

Tommy Biffle led at West Point after the Day 3 weigh-in. Day 4 competition is going on now. B.A.S.S. photo by James Overstreet.

Only the Top 12 anglers remain in the hunt for title at West Point Lake, where the B.A.S.S. Elite Series has been competing this weekend. Each of the first three days has ended with a different angler atop the leaderboard, and based on BASSTrakk, which keeps a live tally of estimated weights, none of those three is in the lead early this morning (although one is in second place).

All three anglers who have led -- Greg Vinson, Aaron Martens and Tommy Biffle -- made the Top 12, so one of those three certainly could emerge as the West Point Champion. More so than is the case in many tournaments, all the anglers who are fishing today are in legitimate contention. Only four pounds and one ounce separate first and twelfth place, and while West Point has been extremely stingy this week, it has some very large bass in it that could be real game changers.

The top of the leaderboard isn't all that has changed during this tournament, though. The weather has been sporadic, and the pros don't seem to locked onto patterns or fish. Most have been searching anew each day, and the same thing is likely to be going on today, as yesterday's all-day rain almost certainly poured a bunch of new mud into the lake and changed things even more. They have found a few. BASSTrakk shows half the remaining field with at least one fish caught as of 8:05 eastern.

The pros will weigh in this afternoon at 3:15 eastern, and you can watch the weigh-in live on Bassmaster.com

Classic Stories: From Local Favorite to Maine First-Grade Teacher

Local favorite Jason Christie is in 6th place after Day 1 BASS photo by Gary Tramantina.

"I got goose bumps right there just talking about it," Jason Christie said after attempting to put into words what it would be like to win the Bassmaster Classic at home. The Oklahoma pro has been asked the same questions a million times, but he still doesn't know how to answer them becasue there's no way he can imagine how it would feel -- if it were to happen. In truth, it's probably hard for him to wrap his mind around his current emotions as he competes for his sport's biggest title on waters he is so familiar with and where he has had so much success.

After Day 1, Christie was in 6th place and in a solid position, but other names around him are some of the biggest in the sport: names like Kevin VanDam and Mike Iaconelli.

And then there are names like Jonathan Carter of Maine, who virtually no one knew anything about going into the tournament and who found himself in 7th place at the end of the first day. A BASS Nation representative who has never fished a pro level tournament with BASS, Carter is also a first grade teacher in his home state who had to use every ounce of grace he could get from school administrators to fish the necessary qualifying tournaments and the Classic itself and who almost missed a connecting flight on the way down that would have cost him a day of practice.

Mark Pierce, another Bass Nation qualifier, caught the biggest bass of yesterday. Pierce only weighed on fish, but that one fish weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Just being in the Classic was extra satisfying for Peirce as he had missed making the field as a BASS Nation represented by a single place a year earlier.

"Persevere," he told the Classic crowd. "I kept trying and here I made it to the biggest stage in bass fishing."

When all the fish have been weighed tomorrow afternoon, the biggest stories will be about who caught the heaviest three-day sack and has been crowned Classic Champ, just how big the winning weight was, and the lures and patterns that produced the winning fish. But to me the most interesting stories right now are the personal stories about the 53 competitors, how they got there, their perspectives going into the event and some of the little things that happen each day.

Yesterday the severe cold was also a major story at the weigh-in, although different anglers' takes on how it felt and how it affected the fish varied immensely. Florida anglers said they'd never fished a colder day, while northern anglers boasted that it wasn't really even that cold. Some said it really slowed the fish. Others suggested that it triggered a better bite.

I look forward to seeing how the stories continue to develop today. They actually are developing already as the pros have been on the water for two hours. I think I'll head on over to BASSTrakk before I steer toward the Classic Expo.

Vicarious Classic Day

Keith Poche leads after one day of fishing at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. Seigo Saito photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

I won't bother spitting back the Day 1 Bassmaster Classic results. Plenty of fishing media sources are already doing a good job of that, and most are on-site and can be timely with the stories. That said, the Classic turned out to be a fairly big part of my day yesterday.

Because I've fished with many of the competitors and work with many other industry folks who are part of the event, it holds a lot of interest to me. I logged on to the Classic Live Blog early the day, and watched it on and off throughout the day. The Live Blog is an ongoing report from numerous writers who are out on the water, watching the competitors fish, and it paints a great picture of the river conditions, the bite, the crowding, the anglers' attitudes and much more. I also kept an eye on BassTrakk, which is a running "scorecard" based on observers' estimates and enjoyed watching the live weigh-in yesterday evening.

It was fun to see the humility of the Day 1 leader, Keith Poche, and his genuine thrill about simply getting to compete in his first Bassmaster Classic and getting to do so an hour or so from where he grew up.

I'll be busy in the yard and doing stuff around the house today, but I'll definitely have the same windows open on my computer and will be peeking at them through the day.

Bassmaster Classic Blog

Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

Having been unable to attend the Bassmaster Classic this year, I've enjoyed the exceptional event coverage on bassmaster.com. The live cameras put you on the docks during fog delays, allowing you to see just how soupy it has been, and watch the anglers pacing in their boats or on the docks -- all eager to get out and fish. There are also live cameras at the expo, at the weigh-in and even on some anglers' boats.

BASSTrack, which provides a live estimated leaderboard based on reports from in-boat observers, is really cool to watch. It's far from exact and spotty cell service within the huge Delta keeps some anglers off the screen for a while or even hidden until the fish are weighed. Still, it give you an idea about how things are unfolding.

Best of all, though, is the live blog, which includes the voices of several excellent reporters who are scattered all over the event, on shore and on the water, making continual updates about what they are seeing. Blogs range from nuts-and-bolts catch reports to great stories about fan interaction, competitors' perspectives, observations about conditions. You really couldn't get much closer to being there - without being there. Yesterday I was away from home most of the day, and I was able to follow the blog even with my only-semi-smart phone. I commend and thank the bloggers, the technical folks and the decision makers who have made such a thing possible.