Card's Classic Outlook

Posted by David A. Brown on Jun 6th 2021

By David A. Brown

*images courtesy of Bassmaster.com

Ask Yamamoto Pro Brandon Card to describe his outlook for the 51st Bassmaster Classic, set for June 11-13 on Lake Ray Roberts and he’ll say: “Opportunity.”

An interesting take; and certainly a thought deeper than the obvious life-changing potential of a Classic win. Of course, Card’s calculating that monumental possibility, but from the competition standpoint, this Classic presents a rare alignment that’s right in his wheelhouse.

“I feel like this probably is going to be about the only summertime Classic that I’ll get to fish in, unless we go back to summertime Classics,” Card said. “Based on the past 15 years, they’ve been spring events.”

From 1971 until 1983, the Bassmaster Classic was held in the fall. The event shifted to a summer schedule from 1984 to 2005, before settling into a first quarter — February or March — timing in 2006, the Bassmaster Elite Series’ inaugural season.

“I grew up watching summertime Classic, so this is a cool deal because it’s kind of a throwback Classic,” Card said. “My favorite time to fish is in the summer and my favorite state to fish in is Texas.

“I feel like this is a huge opportunity for me to fish my strengths in a state that I just absolutely love. I’ve had lots of success in Texas (including a fourth-place finish at the Bassmaster Elite on Lake Fork, April 22-25.”

Confident in his versatility, Card said the summer events suit his personal preferences; specifically, offshore patterns and topwater techniques. Suffice it to say, he’s excited to see what this event offers.

The Outlook

Although he’s had no time on Ray Roberts, Card said he’s been studying this 29,350-acre reservoir on the Trinity River’s Elm Fork tributary. The lack of national -level tournaments makes this a tough lake to scout, but Card said local events have produced promising results.

“When the Classic was rescheduled to June people were thinking ‘There’s not going to be any big bags caught.’ But there was a team event in June of 2019 and it took over 29 pounds to win. That gives me confidence that the big fish will still be biting that time of year.

“Also, I’ve seen some YouTube videos that have shown a pretty solid offshore bite. That’s what I needed to know; generally what the weights are going to be and the opportunity for an offshore bite.”

Admitting to a sense of eager anticipation, based on his findings, Card said the Classic’s no-points format will give him the green light to fish his strengths. Often, Elite anglers find themselves weighing the options of aggressive game plans, versus a conservative approach that better guards seasonal points standings. Anglers won’t face this on Ray Roberts.

“In a regular Elite Series stop, you can’t be too stubborn, as far as the way you practice, because you don’t want to have a bomb,” Card said. “But in the Classic, you’re just gunning for first place, so you can be a little more stubborn in trying to find that winning strategy.”

That being said, Card knows full well that he won’t be the only one pursuing this plan.

“The thing about offshore fishing — especially, now that everyone has advanced electronics — is that normally, you had to find a bunch and get on the right rotation and fish a bait that no one else throwing,” Card said. “The other option is you’d have to find that off-the-wall place that nobody else found. That’s a dream scenario — finding something nobody else found.

“That’s only happened to me a couple of times in my whole career. When that happens, things can get going right really quick.”

Recognizing the potential such a gold mine could offer, Card said he’ll be checking all the obvious places, but he’ll also look hard for the unseen sweet spots. Hard to put that into a box, but Card said some of the biggest opportunities await in the most unassuming places — the stuff that many would overlook, but where a closer inspection reveals a relatively small feature to which heavily pressured fish might retreat.

“That time of year, the lake is probably going to get a lot of boat pressure from anglers, pleasure boaters, water skiers and jet skiers,” Card said. “I’m hoping that, with a major lake (Lewisville) between the city and Ray Roberts, that might pull some of the traffic, but I’m preparing for a lot of (congestion) during the Classic.”

Weather, Card said, will also be a significant factor for Classic competitors. With daytime highs forecasted to reach into the 90’s, wind will help with the comfort level, as well as the all-important bait movement. Too much wind could become problematic, in terms of boat positioning, but a moderate breeze could be just the ticket.

The Likely Lineup

Card said he’ll keep a topwater handy for the morning bite and any possible schooling activity. For the offshore game, he’ll balance his cranking with a 7 3/4-inch Yamamoto Kut Tail. Preferring plum or green pumpkin watermelon laminate, he’ll Neko rig it with a heavy nail weight (5/16) and fish it on a 1/0 VMC weedless Neko hook.

“I can fish that thing through cover and brush,” Card said. “That bait gets bites, especially when you’re sharing water with other guys. The Kut Tail has bailed me out so many times when the fish get off the crankbait or the jig.”

Other likely players in Card’s arsenal include:

A 3/4-ounce green pumpkin/orange football jig with a 5-inch green pumpkin Yamamoto Twin Tail (Option: Peanut butter and jelly jig with a cinnamon trailer)
5-inch Senko Neko rigged on a size 1 VMC weedless Neko hook
D-Shad on a 3/4-ounce Scrounger head

Seasonal Tempo

Looking at the pacing of the 2021 season, Card makes an insightful observation regarding the Classic’s schedule. The past several years have seen the Classic following one or two Elite events. This year’s event follows the seventh Elite tournament, with two remaining.

“This is going to be the first Classic where I feel like my boat is dialed in,” Card said. “It always takes a couple months to get things running smoothly. I feel like my electronics are as solid as they’ve ever been and everything is working as it should.”

Lastly, with most of the Elite season in the rear view mirror, Card said he’s champing at the bit. Sitting well inside the cut for next year’s Classic — thanks, in part to a top-5 finish on Fork — he’s eager to notch a big win on a Lone Star fishery.

“Having flirted with a win in Texas, definitely helps the confidence,” Card said. “Knowing that I’ve been on the right deal at a couple of events this year gives me a lot of momentum going into the Classic.”