By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE
 |
| Fishing deep paying off for Cali pro. (Photo: BASS) |
For Chris Zaldain, this week has been an
exercise in extreme patience.
The California native, who is fishing his
eighth season on the Bassmaster Elite Series, said many of his casts have been
taking an excruciating five minutes from start to finish as he targets spotted
bass suspended in 40 to 60 feet of water.
But his patience has paid off, as he’s built a
three-day total of 51 pounds, 9 ounces, including a Saturday catch of 18-4 that
lifted him into first place at the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier.
Zaldain will lead the Top 10 remaining pros
into Championship Sunday, with a $100,000 first-place paycheck on the line.
“From the time I cast my bait, let it sink and
reel it all the way back to my rod tip, it’s literally taking me up to five
minutes,” said Zaldain, who now lives in Fort Worth, Texas. “You have to do
that simply because the fish are really picky. You can’t fish fast at all, or
you won’t get a bite.”
Zaldain is fishing near Buford Dam on the
lower end of Lake Lanier in water that he said is only 47 degrees. Having
fished ultradeep, ultraclear water in California, he knew coming into the week
that’s where the lake’s biggest spotted bass would be.
“I’m fishing deeper than most everybody else,”
Zaldain said. “I truly believe that’s where the biggest spots live because it’s
the deepest, bluest, clearest water on the lake.
“They suspend out in those deep trees — and
when they begin feeding to get ready for the spawn, they pull up to the depth
zone I’m targeting.”
Zaldain’s catch of 18-4 was his biggest of the
week. But he doesn’t think duplicating that catch on Sunday will be enough to
help him win.
He believes a 20-pound catch is “more than
doable” on the lake — and he says the conditions could be shaping up perfectly
for it to happen. The Sunday forecast calls for a high of 49 degrees with a
90-percent chance of rain.
“That’s exactly how it was when I had my best
day in practice,” Zaldain said. “I keep checking those spots where I caught
them really good in practice, and they haven’t been there.
“Maybe it ends up being one of those magical
weeks where they start showing up on my best stuff on the last day.”
Zaldain can’t afford to stumble, with veteran
pros like David Mullins of Tennessee (51-4), Paul Mueller of Connecticut (50-8)
and Keith Combs of Texas (49-10) all within easy striking distance.
After catching 17-12 and 19-6 the first two
days, Mullins slipped a bit Saturday. But even as his game plan cooled, he still
managed to catch 14-2.
“I actually caught as many today as I did
yesterday,” Mulllins said. “But every fish I ‘laid back on’ was a lot smaller.”
“The fish weren’t as bunched up today as they
were yesterday,” Mullins said. “It’s one of those things where you wonder, ‘Is
it a cloud deal? Is it a rain deal?’ If that’s case, tomorrow I’m going to bust
them. If it’s because the fish are moving out and going somewhere else, then
we’re going to have to relocate them somewhere.”
Mueller, who has a wealth of experience
fishing in similar fisheries and weather conditions in northern climates, said
the weather played a major role in what happened Saturday.
“When I felt that air temperature get colder
today, I kind of knew something was different about the fishing,” Mueller said.
“After that, they would peck at it. They would follow the bait. But it was
really hard getting a hook in them.”
Combs is one of the few anglers who has relied
heavily on a shallower bite this week, and it’s paid off with consistent
catches of 16-6, 16-15 and 16-5.
“It’s definitely not easy,” Combs said. “When
we had the wind and the clouds this morning, I thought my patterns would really
work. But I tried everything I had, and I had only caught one fish before 11:30.
“I only had six keepers for the day.”
Indiana pro Bill Lowen caught 14-8 Saturday
and failed to qualify for Championship Sunday. But he maintained his lead for
Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with the 6-14 largemouth he caught Thursday.
The tournament will conclude Sunday, with the
Top 10 remaining anglers taking off from Laurel Park at 6:45 a.m. ET. The final
weigh-in will take place at Coolray Field at 4 p.m.
During the day Sunday at Coolray Field, the
Elite Series Expo at Coolray Field offers fishing fans an opportunity to check
out the latest tackle and visit family-friendly activities such as Get Hooked
on Fishing presented by Toyota and Shakespeare, from noon to 2 p.m. Get Hooked
on Fishing includes casting lessons, a kids’ fishing pond and chances to meet
the Elite pros.
No comments:
Post a Comment