(Editor's note: This short feature was provided by industry rep Alan McGuckin.)
Alabama anglers Matt Lee and Gerald Swindle are facing the same flooded and muddy Upper Chesapeake Bay as 106 other Bassmaster Elite Series pros, but on the eve of competition, both offered an admirable attitude of perseverance – and a bit of humor too.
Q: What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen floating in the floodwaters this week?
Leee: I made a few pitches at a PetSmart shopping cart.
Swindle: I saw a matching set of tires and rims, and you can bet I checked to see if they’d fit on my Toyota Tundra.
Q: What is one tip you can give fans at home for fishing high, muddy water?
Lee: Look for places where strong current forms an eddy in shallow water to cast your lure.
Swindle: Make your mind like an Etch A Sketch, start with a clear screen in your head every day. Don’t get mentally rattled about how bad the conditions are. Just keep moving.
Q: Name three lures we can expect to see the Elite Series pros use a bunch this week?
Lee: Spinnerbait, ChatterBait and a Strike King Rage Cut-R worm.
Swindle: Green-pumpkin ChatterBait, spinnerbait, and a black/blue ChatterBait.
Q: How much weight will an angler have to average each day to make the top-12 cut on the final day here on the Upper Chesapeake?
Lee: 12.8 pounds per day
Swindle: 11 pounds per day
Q: Have you eaten any of the Chesapeake Bay’s famous blue crabs this week?
Lee: I have not because my wife Abby is highly allergic to shellfish. But I love seafood, so maybe I can talk her into leaving a day earlier than me and I’ll stay here and hammer down on some blue crabs.
Swindle: I have not, but Lulu made us some shrimp tacos the other night that were awesome!
