MLF pro Bryan Thrift grew up fishing on Lake Norman and is a strong contender for the trophy .
RULES DIGEST
Format changes ahead for REDCREST IV competitors
By Joel Shangle
A Prespawn Showdown
According to Montgomery , REDCREST IV ’ s early-March timing is smack in the middle of the lake ’ s traditional prespawn phase . Montgomery , who won a Southern Open on Norman in 2010 , predicts that the 40-angler field will be divided between shallow- and deep-water patterns , as bass will be just starting to make their annual push shallow to spawn .
“ If you look at the weather history around the lake , the very end of March and the first week of April are typically the full-blown spawn ,” Montgomery said . “ Of course , everything is weather dependent , but things are set up for perfect prespawn conditions and some huge fish . The March weather in the Carolinas can be unusual , though – it could still be a winter pattern , it might be prespawn , and there ’ s an outside chance that some fish will be spawning .”
Thrift echoed Montgomery ’ s assessment of Norman ’ s March fishery and agrees that the March 8-12 tournament dates are ideal .
“ The first two weeks of March are the best time of the year for big fish ,” Thrift said . “ We ’ ll see 5-pound fish with the possibility of fish up to 7 pounds . The big fish will be staging to spawn and the fishing should be excellent .”
Techniques in Play
Thrift grew up fishing Lake Norman and believes it has shaped his fishing style . Known for his “ run and gun ” pace and hitting multiple targets with different baits , Thrift believes that approach is the best way to fish Norman .
“ I hate to call it a ‘ junk fishing ’ lake because that sounds bad , but that ’ s how it sets up , especially this time of year ,” Thrift said . “ We ’ re going to see a little bit of everything in this event , with guys catching them on spinnerbaits , ChatterBaits , jigs , shaky heads and a bunch more baits . There ’ ll be fish caught on docks , out on the points and around wood . That makes Norman so much fun : You can catch them so many ways . There ’ ll be so much in play and you ’ ll have to keep an open mind each day .”
If REDCREST follows historical trends , Montgomery predicts that three main prespawn approaches will be in play .
“ Some guys will be fishing super-shallow for spots and largemouth , some will focus on the creeks and pockets , and a group will be out deep using their forward-facing sonar ,” he predicted .
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
FOR THE PREVIOUS THREE iterations of REDCREST , winners Edwin Evers , Dustin Connell and Bobby Lane earned the big red-and-silver trophy and champion ’ s paycheck on the strength of memorable single-day performances on Championship Day in the “ every fish counts ” format . Starting at REDCREST IV in Lake Norman , the Bass Pro Tour ’ s biggest title will be decided by a cumulative weight based on a five-fish scoring limit .
In addition , the 40 anglers competing in REDCREST will have a slightly different path through the Knockout Rounds to the Championship Round . Here ’ s a quick look at the key rule changes :
REDCREST scoring based on five-fish daily limit As announced by MLF last fall , Bass Pro Tour scoring has moved to a five-biggest-fish daily limit in 2023 – that includes all rounds of REDCREST .
Knockout Round structure is different
REDCREST ’ s two Qualifying Rounds remain the same ( 20 of the 40 anglers advance , based on a twoday cumulative weight ), but unlike previous years – when those 20 were broken into two groups that fished in a single-day-weight format – 2023 ’ s Knockout structure is based on cumulative weights :
• The best 15 weights in Knockout Round 1 will advances to KO Round 2 and will carry their weights forward . The bottom five will be eliminated .
• The anglers with the 10 best two-day weights from the two Knockout Rounds will advance to the Championship Round .
REDCREST winner now determined by a three-day cumulative weight
Unlike the three previous REDCREST final days – when the Top 10 competed in a single-day winnertake-all sprint with zeroed weights – the 10 anglers who advance out of the Knockout Rounds in 2023 will carry their two-day KO Round weights with them . The REDCREST champion will be the angler who finishes Championship Day with the heaviest three-day cumulative weight ( KO 1 + KO 2 + Championship ).
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 35