One of the more interesting subplots as the Bassmaster Elite Series swings into New York next week is the battle for Classic qualification. The Top 36 in the Elite Series points are guaranteed a spot in the Big Show, and each pro clustered around that mark has a lot at stake the next 2 weeks at Lake Erie (Buffalo) and Oneida (Syracuse).

Two anglers in that group that bear particular watching are the two tied at 33rd – Denny Brauer and Shaw Grigsby, Jr.

In the case of Brauer, a past Classic champion, he's fished just one of the four most recent Classics. Notable too is the 2009 Classic is slated for the Red River, which should offer a strong flipping bite, and he's perhaps the best flipper in the history of the sport.

As for Grigsby, who finished 69th at Buffalo last year, he's fished none of the four most recent Classics. He came darn close the past 2 years. At the Table Rock season finale in 2006, he assumed he was well out of the cut and discussed fishing with his partner. When he did in fact make the cut, he DQd himself for breach of the no-information rule.

Then at last year's Toho finale, a livewell switch shut off, all his fish died, and the resulting penalties cost him the cut and in all likelihood a Classic berth.

They're both among the most recognizable names in the sport, with heavy fan followings and a wealth of history behind them. But in terms of their Classic hopes, everything all hinges on the final two New York events.

Brauer Mixed On Approach

Sometimes, when anglers are faced with a qualification battle, they choose to fish for points. Brauer said he's probably not going to do that next week in Buffalo, mostly because he doesn't know how he could do it on that type of fishery, where limits are a given and it's more about finding a horde of quality smallmouths.

If he's in the same situation at Oneida, he might play it a little conservative there – say, target smallmouths when his gut's telling him to fish for largemouths. But all told, he'd rather do his gambling at the Red River, where his odds of winning (and the potential payoff) are much better, he said.

"When I look back, there were numerous times after it's been over when I said, 'Man, I should have fished for points,' he noted. "But it seems like, mentally, I have a hard time doing that. If I'm not fishing they way I think I need to be to win, it's a tough deal.

"The thing about the next two tournaments is it's hard to even target largemouths. So you're going to be fishing smallmouths. I guess the only gamble (at Buffalo) would be making a long run or something like that, which I did last year and did not fare real well (He finished 75th– Ed.)."

So Brauer's going to fish what he can find at Buffalo and "try to get the best finish" he can. And he feels he learned some things there last year, both during competition and after, that he'll be able to utilize this year.

"If it was a different scenario that fished more to my strength, I'd probably be prone to gamble and try to win the thing," he noted. "But I also can't say I'm going to fish conservative. I'm just going to try to fish the best tournament I can. I don't have to win either one – I just need decent finishes. I don't want to be on the outside (of the Classic) looking in, like last year."

Grigsby Will Be Aggressive

"I'll go for it 100%," Grigsby said of his Buffalo plans. "There's no playing it safe in this league. The guys are way too good, so you just do everything you can to catch them. You can't back off a bit. That's pretty much the bottom line. You have to go for the $100,000 every day you're out there."

He added that he could "care less" about the potential to lose a day's catch due to a long run and weather. He fishes a lot of saltwater, and has confidence he can take his time and run high seas without a problem.

"I'm going to go where I feel I have the best shot at catching 20-plus pounds a day."

About what a return to the Classic would mean for him, he said: "It would be great. I've been pretty snakebit the past few years. Every year I seem to be really close. I just hope I don't fall short again. I'm hoping I make it."

Notable

> Both pros got some extra time on Lake Erie last year. Grigsby did a day of filming on the lake for his show One More Cast. Brauer did some scouting and learning.