The upcoming Bassmaster Classic is shaping up to be a good one on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas. It's in a state known for giant bass and close to the perfect time to be there as the bass get close to spawning. Unfortunately, Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Brandon Card will not be there fishing this one, but he fished the 2021 edition on the lake and knows the fishery and competitors well.
Card offered insight into the lake, how the fishing should play out, and who he expects to do well in this tournament. He also shared how we would approach the event if he were fishing this year.
How the Lake Sets Up
Like many Texas lakes, Lake Ray Roberts is full of standing timber. This amount of wood in the water adds some navigational danger for boats but also provides plenty of cover for bass. Card believes it will be a player, but not just any of it will be good. The lake is full of it, and he would look for specific areas.
"There is a lot of standing timber there, and I would be focusing on the places where you have standing timber right at the mouth of those spawning pockets," he said. "Creek channels and ditches with stumps cutting through pockets and flats are also a big deal in Texas this time of year."
Another thing that Card says could impact the event is the water clarity. "If there is a little bit of rain, it will muddy up the water, and then the riprap at the bridges and even at the dam could be a player," he predicted.
Tactics in Play
With it being springtime, there should be many ways to target fish in this event. Some will be doing their best to stay deep and intercept bass moving to spawn with the help of their electronics, and others will be in full-on power-fishing mode around the bank. Card thinks that both approaches could work, and if he had qualified for this event, he'd be doing a little bit of everything.
"Around the standing timber, there are several ways to catch them with forward-facing sonar," he said. "Guys will catch fish on a minnow, but it's also setting up great for a jerkbait for those pre-spawn fish. I'd be fishing the Yo-Zuri 3DB 110 in the shallow and deep versions for those fish. The sexy shad color is a great color for Ray Roberts."
Another approach Card would take is to fish shallow diving crankbaits to cover water. "The Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Mid Range 1.5 Crankbait works awesome in this situation; it dives a little deeper than other 1.5s and will get down five to 8-feet deep," he said. "It also deflects off of stumps really well. One of the best colors for prespawn in Texas is their burnt orange crawfish pattern."
Card will still use a square bill style crankbait for riprap but also likes a 3DR-X Series Flat Crank in red crawfish in the spring. "That's a great pre-spawn color, especially in dingy and dirty water," he said. "That bait could be a player on the riprap and in the stained water. It's got a coffin bill and flat side, and it's a great bait for this time of year."
Weight Predictions and Anglers to Watch
This is Texas, so everything is said to be bigger, and that could include the winning weights. While Card isn't predicting crazy numbers, he thinks the weights will be solid and should exceed the 50 pounds and 15 ounces that Hank Cherry brought to the scales over three days to win the 2021 Bassmaster Classic. That was a June event; the fish should be shallow and fatter this time.
"I'm thinking something in the low 20s a day will win, maybe an average of 22 pounds per day," Card said. "To get a Top 10, you'll likely need an average of around 18 pounds a day and maybe not that much."
When asked who he thinks could do well in this event, he listed a mix of anglers who are good with their electronics and some shallow-water gurus. In no particular order, he chose Taku Ito, Cody Huff, John Cox, Jay Przekurat, and Alex Wetherell.
While he won't be fishing this year, Brandon Card has unique insight into this event as he competes with the competitors and has fished a Bassmaster Classic on these very waters. If his predictions of a shallow-water power fishing event with big bass come true, it will be fun to watch.
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