Last Practice Day

Anyone who pays much attention to professional bass fishing knows that Aaron Martens will be someone to watch this weekend. B.A.S.S. Photo.

Well, they're out there right now -- 49 of the nation's top B.A.S.S. pros, all vying for the title of "2012 Bassmaster Classic Champion." The competition itself does not begin until Friday, but today is the final practice day, and what the pros learn today will be critical for devising strategies. They also practiced three days over the weekend, but the Red River is a highly dynamic system and water conditions have changed even since then. It's a large system but is expected to "fish small" because much of the river is essentially unfishable due to current and water color

The local forecast calls for highs in the low 60s and lows in averaging around 40 for the three competition days. Friday's forecast high is 20 degrees lower than tomorrow's so it would appear that a cold front will usher in the actual competition.