Elite pro Rick Morris from RPM Full Throttle Fishing fills in fishing fans with an interview previewing his pre practice on the St. John’s River stop for today’s St. Patrick’s Day blast off in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic Citrus Slam.
Morris spent three days searching for fish on the tidal water system of the St. John’s River. St. John’s is the longest river in the Sunshine State, spanning 310-miles. It connects the Ocean to many lakes including Rodman and Lake George. Focusing predominately on Rodman as his target, the Mercury pro described the area as having a lot of grass, broken timber, clear water and no tide.
Explaining that the anglers must lock into Rodman, Morris strategized that regardless of his boat number he would probably key in on this location.
Morris will make tracks to Rodman only about 10-15 miles from launch in the Roadhouse Tackle boat powered by his Mercury Motor. Due to the fact that the anglers must lock into the waterway and there is only one scheduled time in, the boat order is not a factor. He states, “I was told there will be two different out times but basically the lock equalizes everyone’s fishing time in Rodman.”
Although he is sure that there will be some anglers heaving in thirty-plus pound bags, he commented, “I am not one of them”.
Realistic about how the pre fish will translate into his tournament weight the RPM Custom Rod creator stated, “I am going to focus on deep beds that I cannot see and if anybody’s following me, they’re doing the wrong thing.”
Morris hopes to make the first cut, finish 49th or better, collect a check some points and move on from the Florida fisheries that have kicked off this season’s Elite circuit.
Describing the conditions as consistent, RPM said the water temp has ranged from 67 to 72 degrees and the air temp has been in the low to mid 80’s with no wind. He also commented, “Some wind would help.”
As he continued to layout his Citrus Slam plan, the 4-time Classic qualifier revealed he will be throwing plastics on beds and hoping to get a limit early, leaving time to put the trolling motor on high and search for a kicker to bump up his bag.
Stating he topped off his Triton with his 70-pound bag of Senko style baits he said, "I have plenty to choose from.”
Morris also threw in a lucky, 100-year old horseshoe he was given. He will be sure to hang the horseshoe upright to keep the luck on the boat.
On Wednesday, the tournament eve, Morris is shown rigging his RPM Okeechobee Special 711 with 20# Berkley Fluorocarbon and anticipates starting with Carolina and Texas rigs. He stated, “I will put my mind to making long casts, slow retrieves and big hooksets.”
Here’s hoping that he can turn those big hooksets into big bass.
The Citrus Slam kicks off on March 17 and runs through March 20.
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For more information on the Bassmaster circuit, visit their website.
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