Topsy-Turvy 2021
Posted by Pete Robbins on May 5th 2021
The Elite Series was set to start up in Alabama again today, and just as we saw the last time they were there (for Pickwick), floods of Biblical proportions have descended on Neely Henry to radically change the playing field. Assuming they are able to get on the water after Day One was postponed, If you’re a local, does that help you or hurt you? I mean, who knows better how to adjust than someone like Matt Herren who’s been fishing there for years? On the other hand, it was Herren’s running buddy Bill Lowen – from semi-distant Indiana – who figured things out last time.
Either way, while certainly someone who found fish on Monday is grumbling today (and may be flustered tomorrow), assuming they get back on the water, from a fan’s perspective things couldn’t be better. We had the mix-up and delay of Pickwick, followed by a grind-em-out deal at the Sabine, succeeded by two Century Belts at Fork, and now another big question mark at a comparatively unfamiliar venue.
I know that early in the tour’s history the Elites promised to go to “the best places at the best times,” but the best schedules from my perspective are the ones that require the greatest range of skills. An AOY in a slate of 10 Falcons-In-Its-Prime or 10 Ohio-Rivers-At-Its-Worst would still have to earn the title, and would no doubt by a worthy champion, but this year’s up-and-down campaign is the type I like to see. No stumbles, no bombs, a top ten or two, and you’re golden. Easier said than done.
