It's been a while since Rick Clunn has liked the look of an upcoming slate of tournaments as much as he does the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule. Quite a long while.

"Somebody might look at that schedule and think that I drew it up, or that I at least had a lot of input on it," said Clunn, looking ahead to his 39th professional season. "But honestly, I had nothing to do with it. I was completely in the dark until it came out."



He's won tour-level events at four of the eight venues (maybe five, depending on where the "mystery event" lands). Another stop, Toledo Bend, is the place where he fished his first tournament.

"Another thing I like about it is they've got it a little more spread out time-wise," said the 65-year-old four-time Bassmaster Classic winner, whose dislike for competing around the spawn is no secret. "There'll be some more summer-type fishing and I'd really like to see that pattern continue.

"It's also a little more family-friendly – it's got some breaks in there and you don't have to be gone from March through June."

Experience Brings Caution

Despite his enthusiasm for how the 2012 campaign looks on paper, Clunn is quick to point out that it's no guarantee of a successful season that will result in his 33rd Classic appearance.

"I have to be very cautious about that because a little bit of wisdom has seeped in over the years," he said. "Historically, if I went back over every year of my career, I could find tournaments where I was thinking that I couldn't wait for this one or I was kind of dreading that one or I wasn't sure about this one. And ironically, you'd be amazed at how many times they've come out just the opposite.

"What does that say? Well, if there's one you're really looking forward to, your mind's not as open because you already know how you think you're going to catch them. But the ones you dread, you go into those with a much more open mind and that often translates to a better performance."

From a preliminary perspective, the one he dreads most is the St. Johns River in Florida, which will be a repeat stop from 2011. He finished 55th there this year after opening the season with an 11th at the Harris Chain.

"The rest of them have been historically good to me – I even won one at Okeechobee one time. But after 38 years of doing this, it's my own fault if I haven't figured out how to fish in Florida."

No Fear of the Unknown

When asked to venture a guess as to where the mystery event will take place, Clunn was unable to come up with a specific answer. With an event the preceding week on the Mississippi River out of La Crosse, Wis., it's a given that it'll be an Upper Midwest locale.

"I doubt it's going to be Minnetonka because that lake has never been all that tournament-friendly," he said. "I'd be more inclined to pick something in the Great Lakes region, like maybe St. Clair or the Detroit River.

"We had the one canceled a couple years ago (at Michigan's Bays de Noc), so they may try that again. But at this point it's all just speculation."

He loves the idea of the mystery tournament, which is somewhat reminiscent of the first six Classics (although back then anglers didn't even know which region of the country they'd be competing in). He'd like to see more of them, but understands why they must be limited in number.

"In an ideal world, where you didn't have to have media or TV concerns and sponsors needing to know where you were going and fans knowing where to go, it'd be great if they were all like that. But that's not the way it is and those are the kinds of things that got us away from doing it for the Classic.

"From a purist standpoint, I love it. If we could have two or three like that, I think it might add a little bit of new interest."