The 2011 Bassmaster Classic will be held in New Orleans in February, and competitors from across the country have been in the Louisiana coastal marshes for the past few months getting the lay of the land. LouisianaSportsman.com connected with one of these would-be champions yesterday (Dec. 13), and asked how an out-of-towner approaches the vast Louisiana Delta.
“… (Y)ou get on the computer, the Internet, you do all the research you can, get the maps you can …,” said Idaho’s Brandon Palaniuk, who earned a ticket to the Classic through the BASS Federation Nation and will fish the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series. “When you come down, you try to find something where you can fish your strengths.”
The Bassmaster Classic is slated for Feb. 18-20, with daily weigh-ins held at the New Orleans Arena. The 50 competitors will launch from Bayou Segnette State Park, and can fish anywhere their boats can take them.
The waters went off limits to competitors Sunday (Dec. 12).
The sheer size of the fishery is one of the big challenges for anglers like Palaniuk, but he explained that he simply searched for areas that fell within his comfort zone.
“The expanse of water down here is like nothing anywhere else in the world,” Palaniuk said. “I don’t want to give too much away … but … you get back in those marshes that look like the marsh land that we have at home.”
Palaniuk admitted he did much more riding around than fishing because conditions promise to be much changed when he returns for competition. However, he said he felt confident he would be able to put stringers together.
“You know, when you get down to it, fish are fish,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re fishing, they’re going to be in the same places.”
Watch the attached vid for the full interview.
LouisianaSportsman.com will be giving away three incredible prizes connected to the Classic, with the signup link being placed on the front page of the site no later than Jan. 1.
The first random drawings will be for two VIP Classic Experience prize packages to include passes to the angler media luncheon before the event begins, special floor seating for the weigh-ins, backstage tours and lots of BASS merchandise. Each package will be valid for two people.
Also, the site will give away a bass-fishing trip with Louisiana Bassmaster Elite Series pro and nine-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Greg Hackney. The trip, which will take place following the 2011 Elite Series, will be taped for airing on Louisiana Sportsman TV.
Of course, the Louisiana Sportsman crew will be on hand at the championship event, providing behind-the-scene updates and covering all the action through a special Bassmaster Classic section to be launched in February.
Click here for a schedule of events surrounding the Classic.
