Photos by Mark Jeffreys & Matt Pangrac

It seems unlikely that the weather patterns that characterized Duckett’s victory will be repeated in this week’s return to Lay Lake. The pre-tournament cold that marked the February 2007 will certainly be exceeded – it snowed during practice – but it’s expected to be in the low 30s every night between now and the end of the Classic, with temps getting up into the mid-50s at their height during the competition day. Perhaps the ever-lengthening days will bring some fish up nonetheless, but probably not in the numbers that competitors saw in 2007.

The precipitation and record-setting cold spell raise additional questions:

• Will the big largemouths (an 8+ on Day One and a 6+ in the waning moments of the tournament) that pushed Duckett over the top show up to play?
• Will three limits comprised entirely or almost entirely of spotted bass be enough to win the event?
• Will melting snowfall and other precipitation take the upper end of the lake -- where anglers including Skeet Reese reeled in near-winning catches – out of the picture? If so, will the lake fish smaller than any previous Classic site?
• Will the threat of miserable weather keep some of the normally-exuberant flotillas of spectators off the water?
• Will the power-fishing techniques that dominated at Lay in 2007 give way to finesse presentations?
• Did the anglers, many of whom will not return home until after the March California swing, pack enough cold-weather gear?

The BASS ZONE consulted several of the pros competing in the event for whom a Classic win would be a major boost to already solid careers. They provided their thoughts on these and other issues and discussed how their practice periods went:

Stephen Browning
I have not had a very good practice. With so many clothes on, it’s been hard to fish. I don’t know what I’m going to do because I’ve only caught two fish in three days. I went two days without a bite that I know of. 

It’s kind of frustrating. I don’t mind cold water and I don’t mind muddy water but dadgummit I don’t like cold, muddy water. I have not found any water with more than 12 inches of visibility and I rode around Logan Martin on Thursday to break my motor in and it’s all muddy, too, so any water they send down is going to be mud. That means it’s going to be one of those tournaments where I grind them out and don’t run around a lot. 

After the three days of practice that I had, I’m thinking my (river experiences) is not helping me at all and it may be hindering me, so I’ll have to fish with more of an open mind.

I’ve never used Wednesday (before a Classic) as a full-fledged practice day. It’s always been more about running around, but this time I may have to fish a bit.

Kevin Short
I found some deep fish so it if stays cold like it is, if the water doesn’t warm up a whole lot, I feel like I can do real well. It If it warms up, you can forget everything you learned during practice. All you can think about then is what you learn on Wednesday. These fish are ready to go, but it’s just so cold.

I’m really not big on finesse, never have been, I can catch them that way if I have to, but I don’t like to do it. I’m catching some spots, but some largemouth, too, which is what I’d rather go after. 

I really feel like if it stays cold, it will equal out the field. It’s just so much colder than it was in 2007 – it’s more like early January instead of mid- to late-February. (The conditions) shrink the lake in a big way, but they’re not going to affect me. I’ve got just a handful of little areas. I’m not around a lot of people. I haven’t seen a lot of people. If it warms up, it’ll open up a lot more of the lake. That’s good in a way and bad in a way. If it stays cold, a few guys will catch them, but a lot of guys are going to struggle.

James Niggemeyer
I’ve been sick and laid up in my camper the last two days. I went and saw a doctor and he said I have micro plasma, which is basically a form of pneumonia. That’s what they’re treating me for.

The weather affected my game plan because I went out the first day with a sore throat and stayed out for seven hours. That’s when my body took a turn for the worse, but I fished like the weather was going to stay the same. 

We’ve got one more day to hopefully salvage my tournament. I need to save my practice and to do that I have to be in the right frame of mind to stay out on a boat for eight or nine hours. This is the absolute worst timing for something like this to happen. You know it’s possible, but you hope it doesn’t happen. My motor isn’t even fully broken in, but I’ll do a lot more driving than actual fishing so that should take care of itself. The biggest thing right now is to stay mentally upbeat. I’m doing my map study, drinking lots of fluids and trying to rest this thing out.

Cliff Pace
The water temperature is a lot lower than all of us expected before we got here. I don’t necessarily want it to be a slugfest, but I’d like to get enough bites to be able to put something together.

I still think largemouths will play a big factor in the final outcome of the tournament. One or two of them could make a big difference, but I don’t think that’s going to be easy to accomplish.

If you take a body of water and damage it in any way, it hurts everyone. The bite has been tough, so I won’t be able to confirm anything on Wednesday. It’ll just be another day of looking for me.

The BASS ZONE's LIVE coverage of the Bassmaster Classic will begin on February 18th.  Check out the QIK Look section to see the BZ crew's adventures as they travel to Birmingham.