By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Logistical hassles are a big part of a professional bass angler's existence, and all who've remained in the game for any extended period of time have learned to deal with them. Point A and Point B are often separated by tremendous distances and there are always potential pratfalls along the way.
Over the next 3 weeks, though, a trio of Bassmaster Elite Series competitors who've also qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup will confront an uncertain itinerary that goes well beyond frenzied. They can only hope that some of the many variables don't combine to render it chaotic.
Jason Christie, Ish Monroe and Zell Rowland will compete in Waddington, N.Y. (the St. Lawrence River) this week; Shreveport, La. next week (Forrest Wood Cup at the Red River); and Detroit, Mich. (Lake St. Clair) the week after that. They'll be fishing for a half-million dollars in that middle leg while their Elite Series brethren are enjoying a relaxing week off, but they'll have to jump through some large hoops to make it happen.
It's more than 1,500 miles from Waddington to Shreveport and more than 1,000 from Shreveport to Detroit. Monroe and Rowland plan to fly both ways, although their flight schedules may require some adjustments depending upon how they fare at the first two stops.
Christie hopes to fly to Shreveport as well, but there's a chance that he could end up logging all of those miles in both directions on the ground.
Two Boats, Less Trouble
Both Monroe and Rowland have employed two boats throughout their two-tour campaigns, and both will leave their Elite Series rigs parked at the Detroit airport for their trip to Shreveport.
Christie, on the other hand, has fished all 12 tour-level events this year from the same boat (he's won three of those derbies) and will conclude the season in that same fashion. That's what makes his agenda a bit more complicated.
He has an FLW team deal (Rayovac batteries) which mandates that he sport that wrap at the Cup.
Ish Monroe says his travel itinerary is as solid as he could possibly make it.
"I probably could've gotten another boat for this year and gotten it wrapped, but I didn't want to go through all that trouble," he said. "These 3 weeks were going to be the only time it'd be tough getting it from one place to another and I couldn't see having another whole set of rods and reels and everything to make things easier for 2 or 3 days. Then when the season's over, I'd have to worry about selling two boats instead of one."
Jonathon Henry, an FLW Tour co-angler from Alabama, has agreed to fly to New York and ensure that Christie's boat gets to Shreveport. Whether Christie will be along for the road trip and able help out with some of the driving is still up in the air.
"I'm hoping I can just jump on a plane, but I'll have to play it by ear and see what happens. If I make that first cut (at the St. Lawrence), which I hope and expect to do, I won't be able to fly until Sunday.
"It's this first one that I'm most worried about because I'm going to a very important event the next week. I've waited a lot of years for the Forrest Wood Cup to be a predominantly shallow-water deal, and when it finally happens I'm 26 hours (of driving time) away the week before."
Prepared to Pay Penalties
Monroe says he's got his itinerary all mapped out and he's not stressing at all about the pending ordeal. Another FLW co-angler, Mark Horton, will pick up Monroe's FLW boat at the Day's dealership in Frankfort, Ky. and haul it to Shreveport, and it'll be waiting for him when he arrives.
Under his best-case scenario, he'll pay United Airlines $150 in penalties to change his flights from Saturdays to Sundays. If he has to do that, it'll mean he made the final-day field at each of the first two events, so he'll easily be able to afford the fees.
"I'm not even a little bit stressed about it because I've prepared for it," he said. "I've got two boats and I've got good people around me helping me out."
Zell Rowland says he'll skip the practice session for the St. Clair Elite Series if he wins the Forrest Wood Cup.
He has the most to protect as far as the Elite Series Angler of the Year race is concerned as he currently sits at No. 7, which is just inside the cutoff for the post-season. A 2014 Classic berth is a near certainty.
Christie's Classic slot is assured due to his victory at Bull Shoals earlier this season. Rowland, who's 86th in the points, must win one of the final two events in order to fish at Lake Guntersville in February.
"If I win the Cup I'll fly back on Monday and then I'll get 2 days (of practice) at St. Clair," Monroe said. "That should be enough, and I could fall back on catching largemouths from the (Detroit) River. Fifteen to 17 pounds of those should put you in the money."
Cup Prep Key
All three anglers spent a considerable amount of time pre-practicing at the Red before it went off-limits recently. Rowland's stay was the longest, as he put in 6 full days.
An Army Bass competitor will haul his FLW boat from his home in Texas to Shreveport later this week.
"Right now I'm planning to leave Shreveport on Saturday," he said. "If I win (the Cup), I probably won't show up at St. Clair until the first day of the tournament."
He certainly doesn't envy Christie's prospects of driving the entire 2,600-mile-plus journey, if it indeed comes to that.
"I think if he does it once, he's going to say he's never going to do it again. I guess with two guys doing the driving it'd be doable, but one guy by himself would be a dead man walking."
Christie is keeping his calendar completely clear for the immediate aftermath of the St. Clair event.
"The week after these 3 weeks are over, I'm going to do nothing but sleep," he said.
