February 24-26 will see the most prestigious bass fishing tournament in the world head to Louisiana.
The Red River will host 49 elite anglers who will all be gunning for the sport’s largest prize. Three days of fishing, with the winner walking away with the title of Classic Champion, and a huge payday.
We are going to give you a preview of the Bassmaster Classic—from the water to the anglers—and then offer a few predictions as well.
The Red River
The Red River will play host to yet another Bassmaster event. This will mark the 11th event since 2000, including the Bassmaster classic in 2009.
Several of the competitors this year have quite the history on this body of water—but we will get to that in a moment.
The first thing to consider in a body of water like The Red is the fact that it is a river. That seems very obvious, but it brings into play factors that you don’t see in a lake.
First, you have to consider logistics. Getting to and from the weigh-ins in a river can be a hazard in and of itself. There will be other boat traffic to consider, such as tugboats and barges, and the presence of locks and dams. Getting stuck behind a lock when you are trying to rush to the weigh-in can be devastating to your tournament. The field will have to look sharp here to avoid the hazards.
The next thing to consider on a river is the fact that it is always changing. Several anglers took some time to scout The Red in November. They fished very little, but instead stayed glued to their fish finders. While this is obviously very smart to do, I would go so far as to say that it will help them very little.
A river the size of The Red will look entirely different in February. Since the anglers are currently not allowed to scout, any work they did previously could potentially be all for not. This means they will need to make adjustments on the fly.
The last problem a river poses is experience. Some anglers fish rivers very in often, while others are river rats. This level of experience and comfort will absolutely be a factor in determining a champion.
Now let’s take a look at the field.
2012 Bassmaster Classic Qualifiers
A total of 49 anglers from 22 different states will all throw their hat in the ring (er, water…) for a shot at the prize. Among them are some familiar faces, a few surprises, and a few folks looking to make a name for themselves in a big way.
Here is the full list of qualifiers:
- Kevin VanDam, Michigan (Defending Champ)
- Shaw Grigsby, Florida
- Edwin Evers, Oklahoma
- Davy Hite, South Carolina
- Dean Rojas, Arizona
- Casey Ashley, South Carolina
- Steve Kennedy, Alabama
- Denny Brauer, Missouri
- David Walker, Tennessee
- Ott Defoe, Tennessee
- Terry Scroggins, Florida
- Alton Jones, Texas
- Keith Poche, Alabama
- Greg Vinson, Alabama
- Chris Lane, Alabama
- Randy Howell, Alabama
- Keith Combs, Texas
- Aaron Martins, Alabama
- Dustin Wilks, North Carolina
- Mike Ioconelli, New Jersey
- Todd Faircloth, Texas
- Ish Monroe, California
- Jared Lintner, California
- Bobby Lane, Florida
- Jeff Kriet, Oklahoma
- Greg Hackney, Louisiana
- Kevin Wirth, Kentucky
- Fred Roumbanis, Oklahoma
- Timmy Horton, Alabama
- John Crews, Virginia
- Stephan Browning, Arkansas
- Takahiro Omori, Texas
- Matt Reed, Texas
- Bill Lowen, Indiana
- Marty Robinson, South Carolina
- Brent Chapman, Kansas
- Brandon Palaniuk, Idaho
- Gerald Swindle, Alabama
- Fletcher Shyrock, Ohio
- Mark Tucker, Missouri
- Kelly Pratt, Virginia
- John Diaco, New Hampshire
- Jamie Horton, Alabama
- Tom Jessop, Texas
- Matt McCoy, Indiana
- Josh Polfer, Idaho
- Chris Price, Maryland
- Allan Glasgow, Alabama
- Andrew Upshaw, Texas
As you can see, Alabama is well represented!
In part two of our preview, we will look at a few of the favorites in the field, and make some predictions as well. Stay tuned!