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Leesburg, FL – The 2008 BASS Elite Series opens up this week in Florida, as it has many times before. When the pros launch their boats on Thursday, every one of the hundred plus anglers will still have visions of an Angler of the Year trophy dancing in his head.
But when the weekend's over, some of those hopes will be dulled, if not dashed completely. Florida can produce big strings, but it can also be harsh on even the best fishermen. Florida strain bass are notoriously finicky and even the slightest change in weather or conditions can put them into a funk. Most tournaments here in the spring are won either by sight fishing or bringing out the flip stick. Does that favor the locals? The BASS Zone caught up with some of the Florida residents on tour to gauge their emotions less than 12 hours before blast off.
What is your outlook for this week?
Peter Thliveros: "I've got it set in my head that I have to fish soft plastics the whole time. I'm going to lock through into Griffin, the first time I've done that in a long time."
Bernie Schultz: "I have feelings of apprehension. The lake is low, the key areas are limited and a lot of the field has figured out where the fish are. It could possibly come down to a boat race or doing something different in a crowd to survive."
Chris Lane: "It's going to be a consistency type deal for the winner. I've fished 27 tournaments here and I've never caught a limit. We're going to change that this week, but it hasn't been good to me."
Bobby Lane: "We're here a little bit late, but there will still be plenty of bites. I predict weights to be down a little, but the guy who can catch one 6 to 8 pounder and put a few with it will do well."
Preston Clark: "The theme for the week is slow. The bites are coming slow and you have to fish slow."
Terry Scroggins: "I thought it would be good, but little did we know the water would be three feet low. It won't take nearly the weight I thought it would take coming in."
Steve Daniel: "Fishing is pretty darn tough. The guys in the first flight are going to catch them pretty quick. I'm going to keep a flipping stick in my hands all day."
Brian Hudgins: "I don't think the sight fish will last more than a day. The weights should drop after that."
Shaw Grigsby: "It's not as great a lake as what it used to be. Ten or 15 years ago it was phenomenal. There are a lot of post-spawn fish now. I'm going to catch them, but I'm not sure how much they'll weigh, but I'll have a limit every day."
Do the Florida anglers have an advantage this week?
Peter Thliveros: "Yes, locals have an advantage, particularly in Florida because you have to use a style of fishing that most of us aren't used to. They can't fish as slow as they have to and that's what I've figured out over the years."
Bernie Schultz: "In years past, I would have said that, but most of these guys have been here and figured it out. Put any good angler on a body of water under different conditions and he'll figure it out."
Chris Lane: "Most definitely. It'll be flipping grass with a little bit of sight fishing. There's a little bit of an art to it."
Bobby Lane: "I would say definitely. We would have a better advantage if we were here a little later or a little earlier."
Terry Scroggins: "No they don't, because it's all wide open, going down the bank junk fishing."
Steve Daniel: "I don’t think the Florida guys have any advantage at all."
Brian Hudgins: "No, I don't think so. The lake is down and the stuff we've fished in the past is super shallow. It's all about hitting the right grass stretch."
Shaw Grigsby: "No. These guys are way too good. We've been here a lot of times. Most of us have been here and know the water well."
Are you sight fishing?
Bernie Schultz: "It's not my primary pattern. I don't think you can (win sightfishing). Attrition will take over. Too many guys are trying to do it. Too many are looking and with the lake low, that's too much competition."
Chris Lane: "I've seen some, but I probably won't pursue that route. I'm fishing for spawning fish, but not ones that you can see."
Preston Clark: "I’m going to look for them in the morning. I think I can catch about 10 pounds in the first hour and then spend the rest of the day looking for a big bite, going flipping."
Terry Scroggins: "I looked at a bunch but I won't do it tomorrow."
Shaw Grigsby: "It won't be the primary pattern. You'll have to put a flipping stick in your hand to supplement it. Boat number is extremely important."
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