Big trucks pulling trailers loaded with some of the fanciest bass boats you’ll ever see – the crafts ladened with enough electronics to sink most vessels.
The decks are loaded with what seems to be dozens or rod and reels – plastic worms, jugs, spinnerbaits, topwater plugs and floating frogs cover the decks.
The trucks and boats are plastered with matching wrap-around art and stickers for sponsoring companies, the largest to bring attention to the major contributors.
Where are we, a NASCAR event, where the drivers are arguably the best promotors in the world of sports?
No … this is a typical scene when the Bassmasters come to town.
If you’ve been in Elizabeth City – on the banks of North Carolina’s Pasquotank River – the past few days, you’ve seen then.
Bass fishermen, the best in the country, are in town to compete in the third of nine stops in the Bassmaster Elite Series, where the 100-plus angler field is vying for big bucks and a chance to qualify for the Classic – the biggest world championship in the freshwater fishing scene.
Action starts with a 7 a.m. sendoff on Thursday, with the finals set for Sunday. Weigh-ins are at 3 p.m. each day.
Takeoffs will be from the Elizabeth City waterfront where the two smallish ramps at Riverside Park meet the water.
Wind-driven tidal rivers this time of year can be more than a little challenging, especially this week, after a slow-moving cold front brings a mix of northerly and southerly winds.
Winds out of the north lower the system’s waters, while breezes from the south push water in.
And according to the National Weather Service-Wakefield Monday briefing, another front will hit the area Thursday night into Friday – bringing a decent amount of rain to the event’s second day.
For good measure, throw into the equation the area’s tannin waters – stained by cypress roots and resembling light-colored coffee or dark tea – and anglers can toss another stick in the spokes.
The fish have to adjust – and so do the anglers.
Luckily, these folks could catch bass from a grocery store parking lot if they had to.
THIS IS NOT the first time the Bassmasters have fished the area.
In 1975, the fifth Classic field was put on a plane in New Orleans and not told what the “secret lake” would be until they were airborne.
The field ended up in Nags Head, N.C., and the event was held on the Currituck Sound – fished on 30 identically rigged Ranger bass boats.
The title and $16,000 were won by Louisiana’s Jack Hains, who beat out that year’s Angler of the Year Roland Martin.
But the last time the “big boys” got their lures wet in the area was in 1982, when Basil Bacon bagged a total of 46 pounds, 12 ounces to win the North Carolina Invitational.
Things have changed a lot since those days – technology has gone off the charts, boats are bigger and faster, and the competitors learning the fish’s mindset.
All that aside, some things never will change.
The anglers still have to catch fish to win.
To read more of my work, go to: leetolliveroutdoors.com
