Thoughts on the Bassmaster Opens

I’ve heard lots of pros complain about the Opens, claiming that there’s no way to make money at them unless you win one, yet the proof is in the entries – they’re all filled up, with waiting lists. To quote Yogi Berra: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too popular.”

I watch the Opens particularly carefully when they go somewhere I know or otherwise care about. That’s why the repeated events on the James River intrigue me. I used to fish there quite a bit, and back in the day, when it was tougher, it was one of my favorite places to compete. I liked that you could junk fish a milk run of “one fish spots” and do well, and I felt like I had a knack for finding some off-the-wall stuff. I remember once winning a May tournament of 80 or so boats with just under 11 pounds.

Those days are over.

This year 11 pounds a day would get you a firm handshake and an early trip home. Kenta Kimura caught 65 pounds, including 24-11 on day three, to win. That’s amazing, but what really stunned me is how far down the list you could go and still have solid catches. That 11 a day I mentioned above? It would put you in 116^th place. Fourteen a day wouldn’t get you a check.

Yes, during the early part of this century the watershed suffered from the Largemouth Bass Virus, and they hadn’t started the aggressive stocking program of fast-growing hybrid bass, but even recognizing those factors I’m still amazed. In my mind, the huge river system still fishes small, and for it to replenish that way each day and stand up to nearly 450 pros and co-anglers (with no true off-limits) shows me that I need to get down there again – sooner rather than later.

Here are a few more musings on the Opens.

A Different Type of Tournament

As noted above, there’s no true off-limits for the Opens. I don’t believe you can have a non-competitor in your boat within three days of the tournament, but other than that you can prefish as long as you want, and with whomever you want.

That changes the dynamic. Granted, many or most of the winners are still guys who don’t camp out at length before, but still you have to approach the event knowing that many of your competitors have been sore-mouthing fish for a couple of weeks. It’s different than an Elite, which is not only a smaller field, but with a finite practice period.

The Caste System

One of the features of the Opens that’s also sort of a bug is that they are (as the name would suggest) open to anyone who can write a check quickly enough. The gap between the haves and have-nots may have closed via the information superhighway, but there’s still a sizeable contingent of anglers in every one of them who effectively have zero chance of winning. At the other end, there are tour-level pros, local hammers, and guys who pretty much know what they’re doing who have lots of time to prefish. If you are in the former group and have the time, money and energy to get out there – and don’t mind getting your butt kicked – then have at it, but there are more of them every year

Cost of Nine?

The Opens remain “win and you’re in” with respect to the Classic, but not as far as getting into the Elite Series, and there’s a waiting list around the block for that opportunity. That’s evidenced by the fact that there are 80 or 90 anglers fishing all nine Opens this year to substantially enhance their chances of getting to the next stage of the pie-eating contest. With events strung all over the country, gas over $4 a gallon, practice effectively unlimited (or limited only by the need to be at another Open prior), and winnings limited, I’d love to know what it costs to be all-in on nine of them. It seems like a loss leader, and while some of that group of 80-90 are making a calculated bet, others are high-end donators.

Japanese Pros Show Out

With Kenta Kimura’s win at the James, it means that all four Japanese pros on the Elite Series have won with BASS – Kimura, Aoki and Matsushita at the Open level, and Taku Ito on the Elites.

Opens and Elites Not Equal

Here’s a question for those of you who follow the sport closely, and I’m not calling anyone out – Do you ever recall an angler who fished the Opens with moderate success for years finally qualifying for the Elites and then setting the world on fire? I don’t. Again, not telling anyone to give up their dreams, but this is a big boy sport. Very few anglers who don’t show immense promise early on end up being stars, or even surviving on tour very long. Rick Pierce of Bass Cat used to advise anglers to qualify for the Elites twice before accepting the berth, to assure themselves that the first time wasn’t a fluke. I don’t think any of them ever accepted.

Swimbaits Prevail

I’m not sure how many fish Kimura caught on his Tiny Klash swimbait, but I love the fact that swimbaits have contributed to the past two Open wins on the James. It’s a fishery that I don’t consider traditional big bait water, so it continues to open my eyes to the possibility. I also love the fact that he used a new-school version of the old-school Squeaky Dolphin buzzbait.