TUCKER’S LONG-AWAITED CLASSIC

Story by Matt Pangrac - Photos by Mark Jeffreys and Matt Pangrac

Saint Louis, MO - The past 18 months has been an interesting journey for Missouri’s Mark Tucker.  After competing at the highest level of the sport for over a decade (including a five year tenure on the Bassmaster Elite Series) and qualifying for seven Bassmaster Classics between 1998 and 2010, Tucker made the difficult decision to step down from the Elite Series after the 2010 season. 

The decision had little to do with Tucker’s drive to compete but was more the result of an unstable economy and the pressure of surviving tournament to tournament on personal funds.  Fully intent on sitting on the sidelines in 2011 while fishing the Central Opens and several local trails and focusing on his concrete business, Tucker was thrust into the limelight early on in his hiatus from Elite Series competition. 

At the first 2011 Bassmaster Central Open of the season on Texas’ stingy Lake Lewisville in late February, Tucker claimed one of the first golden tickets to the 2012 Bassmaster Classic with a victory.  While he received ample media attention immediately following the win, Tucker spent the better part of 2011 and early 2012 quietly preparing for his 8th Bassmaster Classic which will kick off virtually one year after he qualified for the tournament.

“After living and breathing it for 10 years and then sitting on the sideline, it’s frustrating,” he admitted. “Every time one door closes another one opens.  You just have to have faith and try to be positive. It’s been pretty emotional.”

With Tucker’s return to Classic competition at the Red River just a month away, he admitted that although it’s exciting to think about the possibilities that may arise from a strong performance, he’s still struggling with the knowledge that it will be the only tournament in 2012 where he will compete against the best of the best. 

“There’s nothing that I’d rather be doing than gearing up for the Elite Series season.  It’s something that after a while you’ve just got to make a decision.  This will be my 8th Classic and when you’re competing against those 49 other guys you’re fishing against the knock-out artists of the decade.  You’re looking at guys in this Classic who are unbelievable.  You know what you’re up against but that brings your game up.  That’s one reason why I still train and try to stay positive.” 

Keeping an Open Mind
Deviating from his preparation for his previous seven Classic appearances, Tucker said that he made the conscious decision not to pre-practice on the Red River heading into the 2012 Classic and instead concentrate on preparing his tackle and finalizing off the water details. 

“I’ve actually done a lot of work thinking about the Red River and building tackle and customizing some stuff that I think will work when I get there,” he explained.  “I think that it’s best to go there for the three official practice days and if you find something you can pretty much bank that it’s going to work out.  If I had gone down there before the cut off, it would have been really easy to have way too much on my mind.

“A lot of guys have the funds to go down there and look at different spots, but it works better to my advantage if I don’t practice a whole lot and don’t have a whole lot of options,” he continued. “It seems like I do better when I have to just put my head down and fish in the moment.” 

Staying Mobile
Part of Tucker’s decision to rely solely on the official practice days for the Classic was based on the success and familiarity he has with river fisheries.  “I’ve fished down in that area quite a bit,” he explained. “My best finishes have been on a river and even though I’ve probably only fished four or five tournaments on the Red River, I’ve spent time on every pool and I kind of know what looks good and what works.  As long as you have an idea of what to do when you get there, you can eliminate a lot of water.

“I know from fishing there where I’ve caught fish for the most part and what those fish were relating to.  I haven’t talked to anybody about the best areas so I think that if you go there and fish the way that you know how to fish, you’re going to figure it out.”

With a solid idea of what it will take to excel on the Red River in mid February, Tucker said that the winner will most likely have to exploit several productive areas over the course of the tournament rather than milk one area for three days.

“I really believe that the guy who doesn’t take too much into one area will win the Classic.  It’s hard to win off of one spot.  You’re going to have a guy who will catch them in one pool one day and is liable to lock down to the next pool the following day.  That’s the guy who will dominate the Classic.  I don’t think that you’ll be able to sit in one area for three days of the Classic.  You’re going to have to move around a little bit.”

As a result, Tucker made the decision to run a fiberglass boat in the Classic, although he entertained thoughts about fishing out of an aluminum boat to access backwater areas.  “You’re just susceptible to get stuck in a rut if you do that and you can’t move around,” he said. “If you’re in an area and they don’t bite, you’ve committed yourself and I don’t want to find myself in that situation.”

Looking Ahead
Mixed into his Classic prep, Tucker said that he has been busy with a normal routine.  “I actually haven’t fished since the end of November,” he allowed.  “I’ve got bird dogs and almost every day I’m either quail hunting or pheasant hunting.  If I’m not in the fields walking then I’m in the gym.”

Tucker also has the business of the first Central Open of the year back on Lake Lewisville which kicks off February 9th to attend to. “Lately I’ve just been doing some prep work for Lewisville and getting geared up for that one.  I’d like to do well at Lewisville and make some money but the conditions are totally different from when we were there last year which will make it exciting,” he said. 

While another victory would be nice, Tucker said that that should he have a good run in the 2012 Opens he would consider making a return to the Elite Series if everything lined up.  “I would love to get back to the Elite Series.  In all reality, you have to have a huge sponsor because it takes a lot of money.  If you don’t have a big time sponsor, you better be able to perform miracles with a rod and reel or you’re going to be right back to trying to make enough money to get to the next event.  That’s the only negative thing that I see right now about getting back to the Elite Series.” 

While he hasn’t picked up any new major sponsors for the upcoming Classic, Tucker is proud to still represent Mercury.  “They’ve been my number one sponsor from day one and have stood behind me since I started,” he explained.  “My main exposure at the Classic is going to be for Mercury because that engine means everything in your career and it can make or break you.” 

Overall, Tucker said that his return to the Classic via the 2011 Central Open victory has been an unexpected blessing.  “That just goes to show that you have to have faith in what God wants you to do.  I stepped away from the sport and then went to Lewisville last year and won on a lake that I’d never seen before in my life.  It shows me that maybe I am supposed to be here. I feel very blessed and fortunate to be able to experience another Classic.”