Louisiana anglers excited about Classic tourney

Published 12:55 am Thursday, March 5, 2020

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Going into the fourth and final official practice for the 50th annual Bassmaster Classic, one of two Louisiana qualifiers was upbeat, optimistic and apprehensive, all at once.

Darold Gleason, a Toledo Bend guide from Many, was pumped, too, on Tuesday before getting out on Lake Guntersville early Wednesday. He had some work to do before Day One of the Bassmaster Classic, as did his friend and fellow competitor, Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia.

“I’m kind of excited … a couple of Louisiana guys trying to bring home the trophy,” Gleason said Tuesday evening.

Gleason and Sumrall are the lone Louisianians in the 53-angler field assembled for the world championship of bass fishing.They both were challenged by the 107-square mile lake in northwest Alabama during prefishing outings Feb. 28-29 and March 1.

“It hasn’t been easy to get bit,” he said. “I’m sure someone found an area with a bunch of big ones or a solid technique. There’s so many good people in the field I’m sure someone’s got to figure it out.”

Lake Guntersville this week reminds Gleason of his home lakes of Toledo Bend, where Sumrall also works part-time as a bass fishing guide, and Lake Sam Rayburn, Sometimes it’s hard to get bit frequently, he said, but it’s highly likely to get bigger bass to bite in late winter and early spring.

Gleason said he was leaning to check areas other than those he scouted the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday,The forecast was for cold weather and high northerly winds on opening day Friday,

“I’m factoring in the wind and the conditions. They’re calling for 15-20 mph northwest winds Friday. That’s blowing against the current,” he said.

What’s going in his favor is an abundance of eel grass everywhere he’s been on the lake.

What isn’t favorable is the water color, he said,

“It’s pretty dirty, a little more stained than I would prefer. I was hoping it would be a little prettier water.”

If he did get bit the first three practice days, he didn’t stay long. There was so much fishing pressure he didn’t want other boats to see him catch bass, he said.

Sumrall mentioned the large number of bass anglers on the lake, also, in an Instagram on Saturday.