How would Rick Clunn feel if he were to win the Bassmaster Classic for the fifth time this weekend at Lake Toho? He said he honestly doesn't know.

"I've won four of them,

and each one has surprised me about the way I've felt," he said. "All of them were different, so at this point I know better than to try to predict how I'd feel."

Family Affair

His victories came in 1976-77, 1984 and 1990. He said the last one, at the James River in Virginia, was extra-special because of the reaction of his three daughters, who were teenagers at the time.

"They were more pumped up than I was," he said. "I think that was the first time that they really understood what their father did for a living, and it was a great thing for me that they got to experience that world championship at that time."

The 59-year-old has won more than $2.5 million during his career and has a full portfolio of sponsors that provide additional income, so the financial windfall that comes with a Classic win wouldn't have a big impact on his life.

"It would add some longevity to what I do, but it wouldn't change a whole lot," he said. "I've already got good contracts, and it's not like I'm going to jump out of those and into others."

A Different Lake

His second Classic win was at Toho, but he said that will have no relevance this weekend. For one, very few of the anglers who were in the field 29 years ago had much experience with Florida bass. For another, it's now an entirely different place than it was then.

"There's probably 20 times more fish now," he said. "There's also a lot more vegetation and the higher part of the water column is used by the fish a lot more. I really don't think there are any similarities."

Of his 17 tour-level wins, he said that's the only one in which he truly got lucky. The morning of day 1 was extremely foggy and he'd planned to lock down to Lake Kissimmee, but he couldn't find the lock.

"I just pulled into the first grassline I could find and caught a 7-pounder on a Floyd's Buzzbait," he said. "I weighed in 18 pounds that day and I didn't catch much the next 2 days, but I still won the tournament."

His 27-07 total beat out Larry Nixon by 1-12.

Bed-Fishing Possible

Like many top-level anglers, Clunn is an amateur meteorologist. He's hoping for some significant wind this weekend because he prefers to use power-fishing techniques.

He's sight-fished in a tournament just once in his career (last year at the Smith lake Bassmaster Elite 50), but said he'll do it here if the right conditions present themselves.

"The reason I don't sight-fish has nothing to do with ethics, but rather with skill level," he said. "It's just not my strong suit. I've often been asked whether the young anglers today are better than they were in the past and the answer is an unequivocal no, but the exception is bed-fishing.

"When I was coming up, we didn't do that and it was a skill that we didn't develop," he added. "I've always been able to hold my own in the spring, but I'm a better summer and fall fisherman."

Notable

> Clunn likes this year's Bassmaster Elite Series schedule because it runs from March through November. "For the last 7 or 8 years, everything has been spring-related except for the Pickwick FLW," he said. "Everything has been pre-spawn, spawn or post-spawn and that doesn't reflect overall ability. This will go a long way toward answering the questions of who the top anglers are, and a lot of the younger guys haven't developed many of the skills you need to fish at other times of the year."

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