Pace didn ’ t qualify for REDCREST 2022 , but Evers will be competing and has a chance to become the first two-time REDCREST champion after claiming the inaugural event in 2019 on the Upper Mississippi River in Wisconsin .
Kevin VanDam is another angler in the field with past success on Grand Lake ( he collected Bassmaster Elite Series wins here in 2007 and 2018 ). Those events were in a five-fishlimit format and the winning totals equated to roughly a 4- pound per-fish average . It ’ ll be a much different scenario at REDCREST as anglers will count as many scoreable bass over 2 pounds as they can catch in a day .
EVERS EXPECTS REDCREST EXCELLENCE
Evers comes to REDCREST as one of the heavy favorites . The 2019 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year is intimately familiar with Grand Lake and lives roughly an hour away in Talala , Oklahoma . Evers is one of a handful of anglers who can refer back to a wealth of success on the fishery , including the 2016 Classic win and a pair of Top 5s on Grand in Elite competition . Evers ’ Classic win came in early March , and the Berkley pro believes the fishing will be much better for the entire field because of the late-March timing of REDCREST .
“ Late March is the best fishing of the entire year on Grand Lake ,” he says . “ It ’ s a time of year when you can catch fish just about any way you want to , and guys can fish their strengths . It ’ s the best time of year to catch them on a variety of techniques , up and down the whole lake .”
While there will likely be a wide variety of baits and depths in play , Evers points to a trio of Grand Lake staples to be the biggest players come late March . “ Crankbaits , jerkbaits and jigs will be the primary baits , like they are on Grand every year in the late winter and
The 46,000-acre sprawl of Grand Lake O ’ The Cherokees will provide nearly limitless options for the 41 anglers competing in REDCREST 2022 .
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
Edwin Evers already has major-championship pedigree on Grand Lake , and expects REDCREST to produce some of the best fishing of the year there .
spring ,” he says . “ It ’ s typical prespawn stuff , and we should be right in that late-winter and prespawn stage . If we get a good warming trend , there could also be some fish spawning , but I believe it will mainly be prespawn patterns .”
PHOTO BY JEFF SAVAGE
Weather is the Wildcard
As is the case during any spring tournament , the weather will certainly be a factor in the five-day REDCREST competition window . The March 23-27 timing should place the competition just outside of the worst weather of winter , but the potential for a cold snap is always present .
“ Grand Lake – and Oklahoma bass fishing in general – is always volatile with the weather changes ,” Elam says . “ It ’ s an even bigger deal in the spring , and we ’ re almost certain to have a cold front come through each week . The guys who do well will be the ones who pay attention to the changes and make the best adjustments to the weather .”
Birge will also keep close tabs on the weather in the weeks leading up to the event , as it will significantly affect his strategy .
“ Springtime fishing can be terrible or it can be lights-out ; it just comes down to how cold it is and if we get any flooding ,” Birge explains . “ If we have consistent weather and no high water , it ’ s going to be great fishing – those bass will be up shallow and ready to eat .”
Unpredictable weather notwithstanding , Bardin believes REDCREST week will be heavily focused on bass preparing to spawn , with the possibility of some fish spawning , and a small percentage settling into a postspawn pattern .
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