2008 Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones, who earned entry into this year's Classic by winning the Elite Series opener on the St. Johns River, expects some big bags at Grand Lake no matter what the weather brings. B.A.S.S. photo.
In one sense, a month can't pass quickly enough for the 53 angler who will compete in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. In another, every moment between now and the event -- or at least between now and when various competitors begin leaving home -- must seem precious. The Classic is an all-or-nothing championship event, and it calls for careful planning and serious preparation of tackle.
Day 1 of this year's Classic, which will be held on Oklahoma's Grand Lake of the Cherokees and run out of Tulsa, is one month from today, so competitors and fans alike have officially entered final month countdown mode. The event is close enough that weather patterns could impact what happens during the competition, so several competitors no doubt have a local forecast bookmarked and are tracking temps and rainfall daily (23 degrees in Tulsa right now), along with looking at things like water levels and online reports from local tournaments.
Of course, that varies a lot according to an angler's personality and how he likes to approach a tournament. Some like to know as much as possible about what has been happening and to have a feel for the flow of things upon arrival. Others find that more confusing than helpful and far prefer to arrive with a clean mind.
Pre-practice mindsets are similarly different among various pros. Some fish as much as possible when they visit a venue ahead of time, wanting to get a feel for how the lake fishes and how its fish tend to behave. Others spend all their time looking with their own eyes and with electronics, believing that the fish's behavior in November has little bearing on how they act in February and simply wanting to study structure and cover and to learn as much as possible about the lake's character.
The perspective on the whole event also varies so much from one competitor to the next, as they bring such a wide range of experiences to the event. Still, when the 2013 Bassmaster Classic actually starts on month from today, collegiate qualifier Matt Lee, who is 23 years old, and Kevin VanDam who will be fishing his 23rd consecutive Classic, will have the exact same number of minutes ahead to fish the same waters in search of the winning bag.
Side Note: Bassmaster.com has put together a great slide show that looks at all of the 2013 Bassmaster Classic contenders.
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