Many Will Tackle Toho Like Any Other Event

Photo: BassFan Mike McClelland's focus is on five fish each day – in other words, five first, size later.

Next week's Toho Bassmaster Elite Series presents an interesting situation, in that it puts the field onto a waterbody that's largely an unknown quantity.

Sure, Florida's Kissimmee Chain, which includes Toho, is a popular and heavily fished venue, but tournaments there are typically held in the winter and early spring. So while the Elite Series pros know how to run the lakes, they don't really know what the bite will be like, or what it'll take to make a Top 50 or Top 12.

But from a fan's perspective, it's nearly an ideal situation, and one quite different from this year's FLW Tour finale at the Detroit River. Why? Because at Detroit, a number of anglers simply went out, caught their "guaranteed" 12 pounds of smallmouths, and parachuted into the Forrest Wood Cup.

At Toho, though, expected weights remain a mystery. And fears also loom that Florida could rear its ugly double- head, where anglers pummel 20-plus-pounds one day, then limp in with a few keepers the next.

The 2 1/2 days of practice next week will paint a more complete picture of how the bite sets up, but until that time, most pros BassFan spoke with plan to attack Toho like any other event, regardless of their points position.

31st: McClelland Seeks Top 50

Mike McClelland is currently qualified for what would be his fifth Classic, but his cushion's not plush – it's stuffed more with wood chips than feathers. At 31st in the Elite Series points, he's just 49 points ahead of 36th, which is the final guaranteed Classic spot.

But he's done the math and feels that if he can finish in the Top 50, he's guaranteed a Classic berth. He'll therefore practice for Toho like he would for any other event. He'll launch with an open mind, and focus on five bites first.

About his points position, he said: "I'm not going to say it's going to totally affect how I practice, because I feel that anybody who's fished to make the Classic this year has fished to catch five every day. And that's first and foremost how I'll go about practicing – trying to figure out what I can do to catch a limit every day."

The research he's done about the Kissimmee Chain in September tells him that big weights will be rarer than in winter and spring, which he said is all the more reason to search for five bites first, then worry about size later. If he can weigh 10 fish, he thinks he'll be where he needs to be to make the Classic.

"Qualifying for the Classic is definitely my major goal (next week)," he added. "I'm in a position where I can't move dramatically in the points – that's just how they stack up, and it's not like I can jump 15 or 20 places.

"So it's really all about going down there, fishing well, and making sure I qualify for the Classic. That's not to say if I got on something real solid I wouldn't try to win it, but my outlook when I first get down there will be how to catch five."

Photo: BassFan Alton Jones wants to keep the points standings out of his mind so he can fully focus.

Alton Jones, who's fished 10 Classics, enters Toho with a 27-point cushion over 36th. Toho has been kind to him through the years – in six events he's finished worst than 50th only once, and two of his finishes were Top 12s.

BassFan asked him whether he'll fish this one any differently, maybe a little "safer," knowing the Classic's at stake.

"You hear talk about that, but I don't know what playing it safe means," he said. "In every practice, my goal is to go out and find the biggest fish I can, and as many as I can. So it's not like I'm going to pass up 5-pounders to play it safe, because you never know what it's going to take.

"Granted, my goal is certainly to make the money (Top 50), and if I do that, I feel I'll make the Classic," he added. "But at the same time, I'll just practice like I do for every other event. I'm not going to ignore the flipping bite, for example, if it's harder but I feel it can be won on that."

In other words, he'll try to find every bite he can – flip-fish, schoolies, crankbait fish – then "try to figure out the most productive pattern on the water." And he'll try his best to keep Classic qualification out of his mind, because "it's not fruitful to think about that stuff."

36th: Crews Feels it

Jones may wish to keep the points out of his mind, but the Classic still looms heavier like a flat-car full of steel. After all, it is the Classic. And beyond the prestige, many pros' contracts include bonuses for Classic appearances and performance.

John Crews has fished three Classics and currently holds the 36th-place position in the points right now, which is the final guaranteed Classic spot. And boy does he know it.

"It definitely weighs on you, because it's so important to be there," he said. "I'm definitely going to dig deep, and practice hard and smart for every waking second that I have in those 2 1/2 days."

To "dig deep," he said, means finding out as much as he can about what's going on and what he can do. He expects the fishing to be tough, but that's not necessarily a bad thing – "it just adds another element to it," he said. Meaning, in a tough bite, he'll have to explore every possibility he can in practice.

"I'm going down there with a fairly open mind as far as how I'm going to catch them," he noted. "I'm not going to get settled into one or two things. A Top 30 is my goal – that'll make the Classic, and knock another check down. A Top 40 should do it, but 40th to 50th? It's going to be close."

38th: Hite Already There

Davy Hite's so spooked by what happened last year that he's already in Florida, where he's fishing surrounding lakes and trying to get a feel for the conditions.

What happened last year? Heartbreak. He entered the final event of the season at Table Rock with a simple goal – catch one single fish, which would guarantee him a Classic spot. He never caught that fish and had to watch from the Birmingham bleachers.

This year, the Classic's at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina, near his Ninety Six home, but he's currently 38th and 5 points out of a guaranteed berth.

About last year's Table Rock debacle, he said: "It was very frustrating. I'd only missed a couple of Classics in my 14 years, and it hurt to miss that one. I've definitely never missed two in a row, and I don't plan on missing this one.

"All I'm going to say is I'm going to fish my tail off. I can't even describe how disappointing it would be to have a Classic in my home state and not be in the field."

Photo: BassFan Dean Rojas doesn't want to know the math – it's enough for him to know he needs a strong finish.

Other times, with a shot to win Angler of the Year, he didn't hold back, and succeeded, so he plans to return to that attack plan.

"That's the way I'm going to approach it," he noted. "I know by the math that a Top 40 would probably have me there, but I'm not fishing for 40th. I'm going to fish hard. I'd never left this early for a tournament in my career."

41st: Rojas Must 'Go For It'

Dean Rojas hasn't missed the Classic since 2003, but he's 20 points behind a guaranteed berth right now. One hurdle he faces is an ongoing streak of inconsistency that began this summer.

Since June, he's made the Top 12 cut three times, but he's matched that with three finishes of 78th or worse, and it's those stumbles that put him in his current predicament.

"I can't be conservative – I have to go for it," he said of Toho. "I have to catch them and do well to make the Classic. It's obviously something we strive for every year, and I'm not going to hold anything back."

He'll practice like he does for "every single one of them, and try to win the event."

He's worked magic at Toho before – he set the previous all-time BASS weight record there in 2001 – and he knows the lakes well, so he likes his chances. But he's so far resisted an analysis of the points.

"I haven't even looked yet," he said. "I haven't done the numbers. I don't want to know. I just want to know I need a good finish."

81st: Clark Trying To Win

Preston Clark currently treads dangerous ground. BASS will automatically requalify the Top 84 anglers for next year's Elite Series, and at 81st, he's 64 points ahead of the final cutoff spot.

Photo: BassFan Preston Clark's dangerously close to the 84th-place cutoff, but it doesn't matter – his goal is to win Toho.

"I'm going to go out to try to win the tournament," he said. "I think that I've got a definite home-field advantage here, and I really feel like I could be one of the favorites to win.

"I'm not worried about (re)qualifying or anything else. I'm going for the win."

About his feelings the week before the event, he added: "I'm very excited about it. I'm not nervous a bit. I think I can do really well. To be honest, anything less than a Top 12 finish would be a disappointment for me."

84th: Gutierrez Seeks Re-Qual

Greg Gutierrez is well out of Classic range, but he enters Toho with a goal just as critical – to automatically requalify for next year's Elite Series. And right now, he holds the final guaranteed spot. If he falls out of requalification, he'll be forced to fish in the Wildcard event to compete for remaining berths.

Given his position, and his desire to continue his career and stay in the Elites, he's looking for a big points swing next week.

"I'm either going to be qualified, or not be qualified, and I think fishing for just a basic check is not going to help me in any way, shape or form," he said. "Sure, a Top 50 would be $10,000, but it won't help me achieve my goals and make this work as a profession.

"With the position I'm in with the points, I need to go for it," he added. "That's kind of where my mind is – that I have nothing to lose – so if I hit one over it'll be huge, and if I don't, I can't sink much farther than I am already. I'll either be a hero or a zero."