More Classic Practice

BassFan has a new story with some of the Classic competitors giving their summations of last week's pre-tournament practice period, and what many first deemed a deep-water bite has changed for some to a shallow water bite. The reason, according to all, is the muddiness of the water. This shows just how good these guys are, not just because they know how hard a deep water bite is under muddy conditions but because they have the experience and confidence to know that the possibility still exists to catch fish in water 10 feet deep or shallower. Most of us would automatically shift to the deeper, off-shore stuff. That would be our instinct, yet it's based more, I'm guessing, on what we've heard or read. The time the pros have put in on the water has told them something else entirely, which is to never rule out another possibility. Byron Velvick may have made the most surprising admission, which is that three of his top-12 finishes last year came after not developing a pattern during practice. His point was that it has worked many times for Skeet Reese. (He isn't comparing himself to Skeet or being arrogant--he's just pointing out that there's a precedent for that kind of approach, which lends some confidence to it.) So it would seem that the mantra of "fishing the moment" can be taken to its simplest form on the biggest stage that bass fishing has to offer.