Pro angler Davy Hite will spend his four-day practice period starting on Friday, deciding how he will fish the Red River in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic next Friday-Sunday.

“The big thing here on the Red River is that you have a lot of river you can fish. You can commit to lock or not lock or even to lock twice, but then you are basically committed. That’s just the nature of the beast for the type of place we are going to be fishing.,” said Hite who won the 1999 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta.

“You just have to make that choice. If you don’t lock through you have a lot more fishing time, but you are limited to an area you can fish. If you lock through twice, however, you have a lot less fishing pressure, but a lot less fishing time.”

Add the effect of weather to equation and you have a situation where the wrong guess can either make you a champion or leave you at the bottom of the pack.

For most anglers the ideal conditions would be a continuation of the recent weather patterns and river conditions – moderate air and water temperatures and steady water levels with a moderate flow.

But the Red River comes by its name naturally. It can turn wild and run red with mud on a whim of weather. A hard rain can muddy the river channel in the wink of an eye and flooding from upriver storms can push that stained water into the normally clear and productive backwaters. If that happens, the fishable areas shrink considerably.

“You have to pack for spring, summer and winter because you never know what the weather will be. It could be 20 degrees like it was a couple of years ago or it could be 80 degrees,” said Hite who has won eight Bassmaster tournaments and qualified for 13 Bassmaster Classics in less than 20 years on the circuit. His tournament winnings just on the Bassmaster circuits total almost $1.74 million.

“I came out here and pre-fished in mid-December before the off-limits started and the water was low then, but they have had some rain since then and the river is up some, which should be really good for fishing,” the Ninety Six, S.C., pro said. “I think it will be a pre-spawn/spawn type of tournament because their winter has been really mild, just like ours.”

The Classic will be held out of Red River South Marina & Resort near Bossier City, La., an area Hite is familiar with thanks to several previous Bassmaster tournaments on the river, including one of his eight BASS wins in November 2001.

“But this is a spring tournament and when I won was in the fall,” Hite said. However, he added, the river really fishes to his strength which is power fishing.

“I think power fishing is the way to win – crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, flipping lizards and worms, that sort of thing,” he said, “and that is the way I have won most of my money as a pro.”

The Classic has added significance, he said, because it is not only a chance for sponsors to showcase the pros on their teams and advertise their products, ultimately it is all about winning first place.

“If there was ever a tournament where it is all or nothing, it is the Bassmaster Classic. Not many remember all the times I did not win a Classic, but a lot remember the time I did win it,” he said. “Plus, first place pays $500,000 and second is about $45,000. That makes you make it an all or nothing kind of tournament.”

 

2012 Bassmaster Classic

Feb. 24-26, 2012

Red River, Louisiana

Red River South Marina & Resort

www.bassmaster.com