More Questions Than Answers?

Eleven-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Timmy Horton of Muscle Shoals, Alabama reported that the Red River fish are healthy but that bites are hard to come by. For live updates throughout the Classic, follow him on Twitter, @TimmyHortonBass

With the first three days of Classic practice in the books, the general word coming from competitors is that a lot of questions remained unanswered. Cold, muddy water made bites somewhat scarce over the weekend, and when the fish are tight lipped it's tough to learn exactly where they are concentrated.

Of course the fishermen themselves are understandably tight lipped when they are fishing for half a million dollars and the title of Bassmaster Classic champion, so some probably learned a little bit more than they want to talk about with too many people.

That said, the Red River reportedly looks very different than it did the last time most pros fished it, and conditions are changing quickly. Most comments I've seen on facebook and twitter and the Bassmaster Classic Live Blog suggest that pros expect the river to "fish small," meaning that the limited amount of legitimately fishable areas will force a lot of anglers to fish close to one another. That means that finding the right lure and presentation and executing well might be the key to this Classic, more so than finding that magical "spot."

The 49 Classic qualifiers got three days of practice over the weekend and will be off the water for the next two days. The final practice day is Wednesday, two days before the competition begins.