Brian Snowden's Tournament Journal - Bassmaster Classic
 

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Wow! What an amazing experience it was getting to fish my first Classic. It was great finally being able to accomplish this goal, and the event lived up to all of my expectations. It was incredible to see all of the fans and spectator boats each day of the competition, as well as during the Expo Show. It was great seeing and visiting with so many people who enjoy bass fishing as much as I do, young and old.

During this event we had one day of practice before the competition, which seemed to go by extremely fast. It was hard for me trying to check many areas that I had found, in the official practice three weeks prior to the tournament, in the brief seven hours we had. I first tried to reestablish my primary pattern cranking ledges and points with a Bomber, Fat Free Shad. During official practice this bait had produced many nice fish, but I was unable to make this pattern work during the tournament. I did manage to catch a few fish in practice and one during the tournament on a Pop-R worked along main lake points. I then proceeded to try my secondary pattern of working a 3/8 oz., brown, BOOYAH Jig with a YUM, Muy Twintail Grub in pumpkin pepper with green flake fishing brush piles in 8-15 feet of water next to boat docks. This produced my only keeper for the first day of competition, which was very disappointing for me. That evening I decided to go back to the same areas in which I had caught the fish cranking, but I would switch to a Carolina rig.

The second day of competition I knew I had made the right change in my game plan. I worked the Carolina rig along the same points and ledges using a ¾ oz., Excalibur, TG Barrel Weight with a three foot leader and a 2/0, Excalibur, Tx3 Point Hook with a YUM, Rib Fry in watermelon seed. I was throwing this bait on a 7 foot, medium heavy, St. Croix, Casting Rod with an Ardent Baitcasting Reel spooled with 17 lb., SilverThread, green line. This produced four nice keepers weighing in at 9 lbs. 6 oz., and I lost two other keepers that would probably have put me in the final day of competition.

By Brian Snowden