The six BASS Federation Nation qualifiers for the 2010 Bassmaster Classic bring a substantial amount of experience into the sport's premier event. Three of them are making their second Classic appearance and one of those notched a 6th-place finish just last year.
Of the other two second-timers, one has 2 seasons worth of FLW Tour experience and the other has two Bassmaster Elite Series victories as a co-angler. One of them, though, has been a bit distracted – his wife delivered their third child just last night.
With conditions at Alabama's Lay Lake as tough as they are, that trio and the three Fed Nation first-timers could each be just a key bite or two away from bass fishing's biggest prize. Following is a brief rundown on each.
Bryan Schmidt
Olney, Texas
Central Division
Schmidt is a planner for a company that builds crop-dusters, and he dusted all but five anglers at last year's Classic at the Red River in Shreveport, La. This is a different type of fishery, however, and like most of the field, he endured a rough practice period.
"Practice could've been a lot better," he said. "I had 1 decent day out of 4 and even that wasn't enough to get a limit. This cold, muddy water makes it real tough.
"It's going to be tough to follow up on a 6th-place finish, but if there's one tournament you want to win, it's this one. Making the final day is my first goal, and I'd like to put myself in position where I have an opportunity to win it."
Last year's experience has helped him get through all the Classic hoopla and he's more rested this time around.
"Last year from the (Federation Nation Championship) through the Classic, I hardly slept. This time it's been a lot more relaxing."
Brent Long
Cornelius, N.C.
Southern Division
From a fishing perspective, Long's previous Classic showing wasn't nearly as fulfilling as Schmidt's – he finished 49th right here 3 years ago. Since then, he's fished 10 FLW Tour events and some triple-A-level stuff and is ready to give it another go.
"My goal, of course, is to win," he said, "but realistically, I want to have a good finish. The way I look at it is there's one winner and no losers here.
"I had seven bites in 4 days of practice, so it's a wait-and-see thing. This place doesn't fish cold like my home lakes do. When it gets dirty and cold at home, you can catch the big ones super-shallow."
The residential contractor said he's had his best business year ever despite the economic downturn that's crippled much of his industry. He'd like to carry some of that good mojo over into this event.
"I'm going to start where I had the most bites, and from there I'll be starting all over again because the conditions will have changed. I'm going to fish where I think they're going."
Jeff Freeman has won two Bassmaster Elite Series events from the back of the boat.
Jeff Freeman
Max Meadows, Va.
Mid-Atlantic Division
Freeman, the 28th-place finisher at the Lake Hartwell Classic in 2008, became a father for the third time last night when wife Katrina delivered a girl they named Ivy Rose. He also has 9- and 6-year-old sons.
"Up until Tuesday, I was still planning to go home (for the birth) and come back," he said. "But between the weather at home and the amount of time it would've taken, it would've been virtually impossible.
BASS was great in letting me use my phone during official practice in case an emergency occurred. I really have to thank those guys."
The 38-year-old owner of a Western store had a lackluster practice, but he's ready to get down to business now that his daughter has arrived and everything is fine at home.
"I want to win this one, and I think we'd all be cheating ourselves if we didn't believe that. I really want to fish all 3 days because you can't win if you're not fishing on Sunday."
Randy Phillips
Oxford, Mass.
Eastern Division
Phillips, the 2009 Federation Nation champion, described his Classic experience as "a dream come true. Absolutely fabulous." His hotel room is three doors down from Kevin VanDam's, and both he and his two young sons have spent considerable time talking with the world's top-ranked angler.
Fishing-wise, the general manager of a box and crating firm that does business worldwide has set a couple of objectives.
"One is to make the (Top 25) cut and the other is to have fun," he said. "I'm extremely competitive and everybody wants to win this tournament, but no matter what happens, I don't want to get down. I want to make sure I enjoy the experience.
"It's been slow fishing and I'm going to have to grind it out to try to get five bites. But I think it's been that way for a lot of people – only time will tell."
His status as the reigning champ means he's already qualified for this year's Fed Nation Championship, so that gives him a leg up on returning next year.
"Everything I've experienced makes me really want to come back."
Don Hogue
Pasco, Wash.
Western Division
Hogue's practice wasn't all that bad, but he's afraid a lot of it might not be relevant as the weather conditions change.
"Probably like about everybody else, it was good and bad," said the high school teacher and football coach. "I think I learned some things, but I also think I'll have to flush a lot of that away."
He hasn't set any concrete goals for the weekend.
"No, that stuff is beyond me. I'm just going to go out and fish. I'm interested in trying to figure out the puzzle and I just want to catch as many as I can and have them be as big as they can be."
Jody Adkins
North Canton, Ohio
Northern Division
Adkins has thoroughly enjoyed the entire Classic experience thus far.
"It's been great meeting all the fishermen," he said. "And focusing on the fishing has been real easy."
He had a so-so practice, but is confident he can make a good showing once competition gets under way.
"I got a few bites and I think I've got a pretty good area. The weather should help it out quite a bit, too.
"My only goal is to make the cut and fish all 3 days."
Notable
> Bassmaster Weekend Series champion Darrell West of Drasco, Ark. is another non-tour pro in the field. "I did catch some fish (in practice) and I'm pretty optimistic," he said. "My goal is to make the cut and fish all 3 days – I want to be able to enjoy every possible moment of this experience."
