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When the pros come to town
All who fish understand most anglers’ lips are sealed when it comes to revealing their secret hot spots and most-productive tactics and lures.
They would rather give up Grandma’s spaghetti sauce recipe than share information about where they are catching and what the fish are biting. Whether you are in Maine or California, if you fish you possess knowledge that you guard closely.
So when the Major League Fishing GEICO Select series came to Youngstown this week, many wondered just how many cats might be let out of their bags. MLF rolled into town with sponsor-wrapped boats and trucks to give 24 of the world’s finest bass-fishing professionals access to four local lakes.
Major League Fishing is bass competition conducted in a made-for-TV format. The competitors don’t know where they are going until they actually arrive at the launch ramps. Then they have just 15 minutes to make big decisions about how they’ll attack.
Competitors included 2014 Bassmaster Classic winner Randy Howell of Alabama, former Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers of the Year Gerald Swindle of Alabama and Brent Chapman of Kansas, Forrest Wood Cup champions Jacob Wheeler of Indianapolis and Scott Suggs of Arkansas, and other tour-level stars like Ott DeFoe, Todd Faircloth, Marty Robinson, Jason Christie, Fred Roumbanis, Andy Montgomery and a dozen others.
They fished this week on public lakes Mosquito and Milton and Aqua Ohio’s Evans and Pine lakes. The results of the competition will not be revealed until this week’s tournament – known as Bass Pro Shops Challenge Select, presented by Ferguson – airs in seven episodes on the Outdoor Channel during the second quarter 2016.
Much like the outcomes of TV reality shows like “Survivor” are top secret, the MLF episodes storylines are kept under wraps. The competition is filmed in a manner that keeps the score secret. Producers of the fishing show reported each day was packed with drama.
What will be particularly interesting for anglers who know the local waters is how the professional anglers approached “our” lakes. I had a chance to observe Wednesday as the action unfolded on Mosquito.
None of the 24 had ever competed on the local lakes, so they basically had nothing more than the information they could glean during a brief ride around the lakes.
And they caught fish. In each episode filmed this week, some of the pros started catching fish almost immediately.
It’s no wonder they are “pros.” They clearly demonstrated they know how to read the water early and adjust as the day advances.
I was impressed that on a lake as large as Mosquito, they settled in on some of the spots that we locals have come to know and love.
So it would seem that the secrets have been discovered and by March 2016 the whole world will know the spots that you and I have so carefully guarded. But that’s certainly not as bad as some would think.
When we get the opportunity to view the final production, we no doubt will learn a lot. We’ll gain new insights about tricks we’ve never considered.
For some of us, deep secrets will be revealed. For many others, however, Major League Fishing’s Select competition will be an eye-opening experience – offering a fresh perspective on waters where we’ve become a little too accustomed to doing the same ol’ thing.
I, for one, can’t wait to see how the producers showcase our local lakes.
Editor’s Note: Read Sunday’s Vindicator for a report by Jack Wollitz and photographer William D. Lewis about what the stars of Major League Fishing think about their week in Youngstown.