You wouldn't think an angler who's both homeless and injured would stand much chance to win the Bassmaster Classic at Lake Toho later this month. It might be unwise, though, to write off Luke Clausen as a contender in the 36th edition of bass fishing's premier event.
The Washington native sold his house in the rain-drenched Pacific Northwest last fall and has been traveling ever since. He's been to Brazil and Mexico, and he's currently staying with good friend and fellow tour pro Andy Morgan in Dayton, Tenn.
He's hurting too. He has severe tendinitis in his right elbow that prevented him from flipping for more than about an hour at the recent Okeechobee FLW. Fortunately for him, he caught a 7-pounder during that period that propelled him to a 24th-place finish.
The 2004 FLW Championship winner visited a doctor in Tennessee this week and got a steroid injection in the elbow. He doesn't know whether it'll still bother him when the Classic comes around in 3 weeks. Before that, he's got the second FLW Tour stop at Lake Murray next week.
"The doctor said I should know by next week whether (the injection) is going to work," he said. "It's either this, a cast or surgery, and neither one of those are options at this time of the year. I hope this works, or else it's going to be a long year of casting a lot of light stuff around."
Persistent Pain
Clausen said the elbow has troubled him for awhile, but it got progressively worse as he practiced for the Okeechobee FLW. Many long hours and days spent with a rod in his hand are the root of the problem.
He'd have preferred to flip a lot more at Okeechobee, but the joint just wouldn't take it.
"It kind of limited me there," he said. "I was lucky to catch the one good one. I did a lot of straight-arm casting with a Rat-L-Trap, a Chatterbait and a Senko. The way I was casting, it probably looked like I'd never fished before in my life.
"I got some pain pills by the second day, and that last hour I was able to catch a few key fish and move up to get a decent check. Ordinarily, I would've flipped for at least 3/4 of both days. I tried it on the first day for about 10 minutes, but the pain stopped me real quick."
He hopes Florida experiences mild weather during the week leading up to the Classic. If a cold front moves in and the injection hasn't alleviated a great deal of his discomfort, he'll be at a disadvantage.
"I hope it doesn't get cold," he said. "A mat-flipping contest wouldn't benefit me right now."
Help From his Friends
The 27-year-old Clausen has fished Toho just twice – during the Bassmaster and FLW events last year. He didn't have great success as he was 40th in one and 68th in the other.
His confidence level is reasonably high, though. He's gotten some tips on places to fish from FLW pros and renowned Florida sticks Bobby Lane and J.T. Kenney. He toured the lake with Lane one day last fall and caught a 9-pounder.
"I really like fishing in Florida," he said. "I've never really broken anything wide open down there, but I've been pretty consistent. The thing about it is, it's such a timing deal. Florida fish don't seem to feed all the time. Usually you're around a lot if you're catching any, but you're not going to sit there and catch them all at once.
"I kind of know some areas, and Bobby's probably the best fisherman in that state right now and I take what he's told me very seriously. That gives me some starting points, and I'll fish with those areas in mind and branch off from there. I'll have 10 rods on my deck and I'll be ready to do just about anything because things can change down there real fast."
His Last Hurrah?
Clausen is an FLW-only pro this year, so his second Classic might be his last. He was 26th last year on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh.
Whether he's still in pain or not, he won't hold anything back. "I guess what you realize at every Classic, including my first one, is just how little 2nd place means," he said. "Even with the money, there's a huge gap from 1st to 2nd. It's an all-or-nothing deal and we're guaranteed $10,000, so it's not like we're going to lose money."
The fishing will be far different than what he experienced in his first Classic last July on the ultra-stingy Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.
"You'll be able to find fish anywhere – there'll be a lot of places they could be," he said. "And there'll probably be big changes in the leaderboard because of the big-fish potential. You could be in the middle of the field the first day, and then catch two or three giants the second day and be right up there."
Notable
> Clausen said he sold his house in Washington because the market was right. He doesn't know where his next permanent residence will be. "I'm just taking it day by day," he said. "Who knows, I might buy something tomorrow."
> He doesn't have any concrete objectives for 2006. "I never set clear-cut goals. By the time practice ends at any tournament, you pretty much know whether you have a chance to win or if you're just fishing for a check. Long-term, I'd like to win more events. Making championships is great and it can be very lucrative, but there's nothing better for your career and your sponsors than winning events."
> The FLW Tour stop he dreads the most is bass-rich Lake Champlain in New York. "It's a game of ounces because everybody catches them. The difference between 14 and 15 pounds is 40 places. You end up fishing all day long for a fish that's just a few ounces heavier than another guy's, and to me, that's frustrating."
