(Editor's note: This is part 1 of a 3-part story.)
The official Bassmaster Classic pre-practice begins tomorrow at Lay Lake near Birmingham, Ala. The field faces cold water and potentially tough fishing conditions with overnight lows below freezing.
Clear skies and warmer temps are predicted to move in for competition, which could help the largemouth bite, but as of right now, indications point toward this Classic being a spotted-bass contest.
Of course, it's too early to tell much of anything, and the field hasn't even wet a line on the fishery in over a month.
Before the practice reports start to filter in, here's a look at the 51-angler field that will fish this year's Classic. Anglers appear in alphabetical order.
Jody Adkins -- North Canton, Ohio
> Qualified through: Federation Nation – Northern
> Fished: No Classics
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: For now, little is known about this Ohio qualifier, except that to make the Classic through the Ohio Federation Nation typically means you have to do well at the tough-bite Ohio River. That's a potential plus for Adkins given the current conditions at Lay.
Casey Ashley -- Donalds, S.C.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (24th)
> Fished: 2 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 13th (2009)
> Current world rank: 37th
> Insight: Ashley can fish fast and cover water – benefits of his Savannah Chain pedigree. That was an important pattern at the 2007 Lay Classic, but it might not play this time. Not an outright favorite at this point.
Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Okla.
> Qualified through: Southern Opens
> Fished: No Classics
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: Ashmore's record shows better finishes on lakes than rivers. Sure, Lay isn't a true river, but it acts like one most of the time. This will be the first time Ashmore wets a line at the tour level, and he's fishing the Elite Series this year, but the scouting report is decidedly thin on him. Any BassFans have a bead on this Classic competitor?
Tommy Biffle -- Wagoner, Okla.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (3rd)
> Fished: 15 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 2nd (1990, 1994)
> Current world rank: 11th
> Insight: Biffle's back in the big show after a 1-year hiatus. He's finished 2nd twice in the Classic and three times in the Forrest Wood Cup. He's been oh-so-close so many times, and most feel he'll win a major championship before his career concludes. Finished 20th at the Lay Classic in 2007 and 33rd in 2002 (although that was a summer event). His track record is strong on Alabama rivers and is perhaps a Top 20 favorite at this point.
After five runner-up finishes, Tommy Biffle hopes to finally clinch a major championship title.
Denny Brauer -- Camdenton, Mo.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (32nd)
> Fished: 19 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 1st (1998)
> Current world rank: 97th
> Insight: Another legend who's back in the big show. In Brauer's case, he hasn't fished a Classic since 2007, and this marks just his third Classic in 11 years. That said, he's a former Classic champion (1998) and runner-up (1992, 1999). The fact that spotted bass might dominate certainly hurts Brauer's handicap, but if anyone can get the big largemouths to bite, it's him.
Stephen Browning -- Hot Springs, Ark.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (30th)
> Fished: 5 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 7th (1997)
> Current world rank: 81st
> Insight: Browning's a tough one to peg. He's workmanlike and tends to hover around the Top 50 in finishes, with forays above and below that mark. So he's a consistent angler, but doesn't consistently threaten for wins. That said, he thrives on rivers and may be one of the guys who figures out how to catch the bigger spots upriver next week.
Terry Butcher -- Talala, Okla.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (35th)
> Fished: No Classics
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Current world rank: 87th
> Insight: Butcher, a 6th-year pro, is fishing his very first Classic. There's noting in his record that would push him toward the favorites column this week, and his highest finishes tend to come from deep, often clear water – there's certainly none of that currently at Lay. But he's jacked to fish his first Classic and should be a fun angler to watch.
Brent Chapman -- Lake Quivira, Kan.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (20th)
> Fished: 8 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 10th (2002)
> Current world rank: 32nd
> Insight: Chapman loves to flip and pitch and crank – good news if the weather warms up considerably, but bad news if this Classic turns out to be about deep-water spotted bass. Like most pros, Chapman's had a topsy-turvy sponsor ride the past several years, and needs a big showing next week to kick off another solid year. A Top 20 threat at this point perhaps, but again, a warming trend could help him.
Cliff Crochet -- Pierre Part, La.
> Qualified through: Central Opens
> Fished: No Classics
> Best Classic finish: N/A
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: Given his Central Opens record, Crochet seems destined to become a big stick. He's fished nine Central Opens with no finishes worse that 80th, and this year he tallied finishes of 22nd, 7th and 3rd. Should be interesting to watch.
Boyd Duckett -- Demopolis, Ala.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (31st)
> Fished: 3 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 1st (2007)
> Current world rank: 46th
> Insight: The defending Lay Lake Classic champion is certainly near the top of the favorites list. He's got the place wired. The bad news for Boyd is that cold weather pretty much tosses out his home-lake advantage because the largemouths become so difficult to catch. And when he won, he needed two kicker bigmouths to surpass Skeet Reese's spotted-bass total.
Todd Faircloth -- Jasper, Texas
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (5th)
> Fished: 7 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 5th (2001)
> Current world rank: 7th
> Insight: There's no reason to think Faircloth can't be a major factor here – he's fished well just about everywhere he's gone over the past 3 years. He's extremely familiar with Lay and finished 12th and 18th in his two Lay Classics. Has become a powerhouse over the past few years who's always capable of big surprises (both good and bad).
Jami Fralick -- Martin, S.D.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (37th)
> Fished: 2 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 8th (2009)
> Current world rank: 73rd
> Insight: Tasted the spotlight last year at the Red River Classic when he led going into day 3. Things went downhill from there, but Fralick's a solid angler who surely has his sights set on a Top 10. Has a good knack for finding something a little different.
Federation Nation qualifier Jeff Freeman is fishing his 2nd Classic.
Jeff Freeman -- Max Meadows, Va.
> Qualified through: Federation Nation – Mid-Atlantic
> Fished: 1 Classic
> Best Classic finish: 28th (2008)
> Current world rank: N/A
> Insight: This is Freeman's second Classic via the Federation Nation (he's a former National champion). And he's had some success from the back of the boat – namely, two Elite Series co-angler wins. The last time the Classic was at Lay, Federation Nation qualifier Terry McWilliams threatened for the win. Maybe this is the Fed's year.
Shaw Grigsby -- Gainesville, Fla.
> Qualified through: Elite Series points (19th)
> Fished: 11 Classics
> Best Classic finish: 2nd (1993)
> Current world rank: 28th
> Insight: Grigsby's still got the fire, but hasn't cracked a Top 10 in the Classic since 2000. Still, he's one of the legends in this Classic and can do big-time damage anytime. The fact that the largemouth bite might be off seems to stack the odds against him though.
– End of part 1 (of 3) –
