By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor


With 53 of the top anglers in the business going at it this week at the Grand Lake WinterFest, err, Bassmaster Classic, it’s difficult to gauge who’s going to be able to manage everything there is to manage on top of trying to catch winning-quality fish.

By everything, we mean there are so many variables to consider and 10 livewells full of uncertainty, especially with the inclement weather that’s draped much of northeastern Oklahoma this week. We already know some southern-bred anglers cut their official practice day short due to the snowy conditions Wednesday.

This event is going to boil down to who can shut out the elements mentally and crank up their focus on the fishing and employ a strategy that entices the 4-pound and bigger fish to bite. Some may have multiple patterns going that can catch limits of 2- or 2 1/2-pounders, but the roars inside the BOK Center on late Sunday afternoon will be reserved for the man who can consistently unlock the big bites.

Prevailing opinion seems to be that this Classic won’t be won off a particular spot or sweet stretch. Instead, success will be had by jumping around the lake and reading what the fish in that particular area are doing. The lake is 66 miles long, from the Pensacola Dam on the lower end to Twin Bridges State Park by the Route 60 bridge, so there’s plenty of territory for the competitors to explore.

The daytime highs on day 1 Friday aren’t expected to get much past the freezing mark and following an off day that featured more wintry conditions, but we’ve got a hunch the fish won’t care all that much. It’s supposed to get up to 40 degrees Saturday with some sun before milder conditions – temps in the upper 50s! – move in for Sunday’s finale.

Adapt, adapt, adapt will be the name of the game here this week.

With all that in mind and more, here's a look at BassFan's recommendation on the Top 10 to watch at this event.

Top 10 To Watch

1. Mike McClelland – While he gets his mail in northwest Arkansas, he’s been known to pass some time – okay, a lot of time – fishing Grand. It was the site of his first of three career Elite Series wins in June 2006 and he seems locked in on what he wants to do this week. Even though his experience on the lake before March is nil, he’s a lifer of this region and is well conditioned to what will be some challenging conditions. This will be his ninth Classic appearance and plenty of observers feel it could be his derby to lose, especially if suspending jerkbait bite is going to play as large a role as many expect.



BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Brent Chapman cut his teeth as a tournament angler on Grand and the reigning Angler of the Year would love add a Classic title to his growing résumé.

2. Jason Christie – Back before he started fishing the FLW tour, he was the boss in these parts, cleaning up during winter time tournaments at Grand. That alone is worth something this week. He’ll no shortage of waypoints, but he’s still not sure he has many that he can depend on for quality bites this week. It’ll bear watching how he holds up being the “local favorite.”

3. Brent Chapman – After unseating Kevin VanDam from the Angler of the Year perch last year, it was an offseason full of hustle and bustle for Chapman, who’ll be fishing his 12th Classic. But he’s been amped up to come to Grand since it was announced as the site. This was one of the lakes he grew up fishing and coming off a spectacular 2012, the versatile Kansan would love nothing more to keep the momentum rolling with a win at Grand.

4. Edwin Evers – “Steady Eddie” from Talala, Okla., has built his career around being, well, steady – at everything. But it’s not often you get to fish for the sport’s biggest prize in your backyard and that’s what he’s got going this week. He intimated after Wednesday’s practice day that 20-plus per day could be required to win – “You’re gonna have to catch ‘em,” was how he put it. Don’t discount his mid-summer Top-4 finishes at Grand from 2006 and 2007 – he knows this lake intimately and it wouldn’t surprise many if “caught ‘em.”

5. Aaron Martens – Had a pair of respectable finishes (9th and 15th) at the Elite events at Grand back in ’06 and ’07 and everyone knows about his quartet of 2nd-place finishes in past Classics. After a slow start in 2012, he got himself straightened out and closed the year with a win at the All-Star event. If the fish are suspended, and there’s likely to a few caught that way, Martens will be a contender.

6. Kevin VanDam – Is any Watch List really a Watch List without the 4-time Classic winner somewhere on the docket? The second anniversary of his last victory – the 2011 Classic at the Louisiana Delta – was this past Monday and he’d like nothing more than to snap out of this perceived slump he’s in by capturing a record-breaking fifth Classic title. He’s won Classics before fishing enchanted spots and he’s made a career out of running patterns so whichever way this week plays out, expect KVD to be in the mix on day 3.

7. Tommy Biffle – Fished his tail off down the stretch last year to earn a berth in this year’s Classic. If there’s something to flip anywhere around Grand, especially if there’s some stain to it, the Wagoner native will find it. If not, he should be to lean on past experience to carry him through. He’s been runner-up in three Forrest Wood Cups and two Classics so you can only imagine how badly he wants to prevail this week.

BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Kansan Casey Scanlon could be a darkhorse choice this week.

8. Mike Iaconelli – He was the last boat to leave the Wolf Creek launch ramp after the official practice on Wednesday and he’s liking the fact that his name hasn’t been tossed around too much as a potential contender. Imagine that – Iaconelli going incognito. He’s used to the cold and stained water and he’s got a few things working this week so it wouldn’t surprise us in the least if he’s in the mix come Sunday. A prior Classic victory and close calls in other majors have him prepared just about anything.

9. Casey Scanlon – A bit of a sleeper/darkhorse pick here, but the Kansan is no stranger to these Midwestern lakes. He won the Table Rock Lake Central Open to get into his first Classic and he’s hoping to ride the local wave to success. As a Classic rookie, you’d think the pressure might get to him, but he seems to be in his comfort zone and the conditions aren’t foreign to him one bit. Oh, and did we mention he thinks he may have figured out a big-fish pattern?

10. Pete Gluszek – At Media Day Thursday, he was joking that he’d be posting videos of his 6-pound catches to the Bass University Facebook page throughout the first day of competition. Joking aside, keep an eye on the New Jersey resident who got here by winning the Cayuga Lake Northern Open with a deep-shallow combo. Known as a shallow-cranking guru, he’s liable to break out with something a little different from the rest in his second Classic.