The expected slugfest for the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake Amistad might not get started with a flurry as most anglers believed. Strong winds and a cold front passed through the area in time for the start of day one, leaving many to wonder what the impacts of the change in conditions would have on the production for the day.
Before the day's take-off, Bassmaster.com asked a group of Elite anglers who the weather might impact their day. Their responses:
Jeff Kriet
Hometown: Ardmore, Oklahoma
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "I think it is going to hurt me. I like to cast that big worm and with the wind I am going to have to throw a crankbait or spinnerbait."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "If a big cold front came in it would hurt, but there are so many fish in here it probably wouldn't matter much."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "Probably 34 or 35 pounds."
Ken Brodeur
Hometown: Niantic, Connecticut
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "It will help me because I'm not doing any sight-fishing today."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "This wind doesn't help much at all, and if it got really cold the fish might freeze up a little bit."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "I don't know, maybe 30 pounds."
Skeet Reese
Hometown: Auburn, California
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "Well it's going to hurt my sight-fishing ability, but I've got another pattern I can run and catch some big ones also. The wind does help when you are trying to catch staging fish and that's what I will target, but you absolutely will see some good catches because of the wind."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "I don't know. I think it would take quite a bit to shut this lake down because it's so broken up as far as creeks, you're always going to have fishable water."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "I figure there will probably be five or six bags over 30 pounds. To lead, you'll probably need to catch 34 or 37 pounds."
Greg Gutierrez
Hometown: Red Bluff, California
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "It's going to make it hard to move around. Most of the fish I targeted were on the other side, and then I realized the wind was coming so I tried to open up to some fish on the other side."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "This is going to be as bad as it's going to be as far as the guys that are sight-fishing. The wind on the water and if we have overcast, that will make it tough for them to sit there and pick a fish off."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "Oh my goodness, 30 pounds a day could easily be done."
Gary Klein
Hometown: Weatherford, Texas
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "I want the wind because I'm not sight-fishing. With this wind it knocks the glare off the water and the fish are a little bit easier to catch. I'm pretty stoked about the wind."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "None. This is a great deep-water lake so even when it gets cold you can still catch them. When I was here in November I was catching fish 75 feet deep."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "It wouldn't surprise me if it was pushing 40 pounds."
Tommy Biffle
Hometown: Wagoner, Oklahoma
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "It's just going to make it harder. Not really hurt it, but just will make it tougher all around."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "I don't think it can be bad."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "Close to 40 pounds."
Bill Smith Jr.
Hometown: Summerset, Kentucky
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "I don't think it will do either. Some areas that I'm in won't be affected by it."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "I don't think there is any true conditions that could happen for this lake to be bad."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "You're looking at probably the high 30's."
Kelly Jordan
Hometown: Mineola, Texas
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "Well it will be good for me if I catch them, and bad for me if I don't."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "I don't think the fishing here will ever be horrible. What this wind will do though is make a bunch of areas unfishable. The sight-fishing bite will be really tough and put a damper on a lot of guys plans."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "Without the wind I would say there would be multiple, multiple 30-pound stringers. But even with this wind, there will probably be five guys still getting that weight."
Steven Daniel
Hometown: Clewiston, Florida
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "It's hard to say because wind is usually good on clear lakes, but you need a little protection from it. The fish are going to bite, it's just a matter of how efficiently I can fish them."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "I don't think it can. This is the best lake I've ever been on."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "Probably in the mid-30's. I actually think there will bigger sacks caught tomorrow."
Charlie Youngers
Hometown: Oviedo, Florida
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "I think it's going to be good based on what I'm doing. I've been kind of letting the wind help me, and the only way this Northwest wind will hurt is that I don't know how it will affect the fish."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "Probably something that would muddy the water up. Anytime during practice if I came across some stained water or if it got clouded up I couldn't get a bite."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "On a day like today, 30 pounds would be pretty strong. There may be ten bags that big come across the stage today."
Mike O'Shea
Hometown: Westlake Village, California
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "You know I kind of prepared for both. I've got some areas I can go in and catch them without seeing them and I've got some places where I'm looking right at them."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "A cold front. If the temperature dropped 30 degrees."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "I would say somewhere around 30 pounds."
Robert Hamilton Jr.
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Will the wind help or hurt your fishing today? "I geared up for fishing in the wind and this has played out exactly how I wanted."
What kind of weather conditions have to set in on Lake Amistad for the fishing to get bad? "They would have to call it off. It's progressed far enough now, it doesn't matter what the weather does."
What will be the leading weight today after the weigh-in? "High 30's or low 40's with a lot of 25- to 30-pound stringers."