Instead of hoping for a pleasant day on the water , Thrift would prefer some nasty weather to get the fish in a biting mood .
“ Norman can get fickle when it ’ s calm and the sun is shining ,” he explained . “ That ’ s when the bite is usually the toughest , so I ’ d like to see some clouds , wind or even a little snow . If that happens , it ’ s going to be a free-for-all and we ’ ll get to see what this lake can really produce .”
Past Wins Came Throughout the Lake
While Norman has hosted multiple sizable tournaments in recent years , most have occurred in the fall , when fishing is generally the toughest of the year . The closest comparable event was a 2010 FLW Tour stop won by Thrift ( Montgomery finished third ). That event was held in late March . A year later , Fletcher Shryock won a Southern Open on roughly the exact dates .
Thrift , Montgomery and Shryock will compete in this event with Tennessee pro Wesley Strader , who has also won an Open on Norman .
Another relatively recent event came in the form of an FLW Tour Invitational in 2016 . That event was held in September and was again won by Thrift , with Strader finishing third .
“ It ’ s crazy that four out of the 40 competing in REDCREST have won here , because there haven ’ t been a lot of big tournaments on the lake ,” Montgomery said . “ It ’ s also interesting because the wins were spread out on the whole lake . That ’ s how Norman is – it can be won everywhere . Wesley and Fletcher won way up the river as far north as you can go . My win was from mid-lake , and Thrift won it down the lake one time and from one end to the other for his other win . Norman is unlike other lakes we go to where there ’ s a hot area that always seems to win tournaments .”
“ the change to a five-fish format is going to change how guys fish redcrest .”
Format Change for REDCREST and Predictions
The big news for the 2023 Bass Pro Tour season was the switch to a five-fish format from an every-scorable-fish competition . The REDCREST winner will be decided by cumulative weight over the final three days ( see sidebar ).
While Thrift and Montgomery share much of the same outlook on the event , likely from growing up fishing the lake and competing as teammates in their younger years , they differ on their predictions and how the format change will impact the event .
“ The change to a five-fish format is going to change how guys fish REDCREST ,” Thrift asserted . “ There are so many fish in the lake right now , and you won ’ t see guys finesse fishing to catch 50 every day . There will be many more techniques in play and the weights should be tighter , but that doesn ’ t mean someone won ’ t still run away with the win because big fish will go a long way here . Catching over 14 pounds a day will set yourself apart from the field , and having a kicker will help even more .”
Montgomery , on the other hand , believes REDCREST ’ s outcome would be the same even if the previous format was still in place .
“ When we changed to a variable minimum weight on the Bass Pro Tour , I fished the same way , and I believe the outcome of this event will be the same regardless of the format ,” Montgomery said . “ I believe it ’ s going to take consistent days averaging 15 pounds a day to advance and more than that to win .
“ Norman is capable of kicking out 23-pound bags of spotted bass , and I think we ’ ll see some impressive single-day catches up to 20 pounds , but the key will be those who can back it up to keep their average weight consistent . Many people will be pleasantly surprised with how good this lake is fishing .”
Ott DeFoe
Kevin VanDam
Jacob Wheeler
REDCREST FIELD OF 40
Here are the 40 Bass Pro Tour anglers competing in REDCREST IV ( in alphabetical order ):
• Casey Ashley
• Adrian Avena
• Josh Bertrand
• Zack Birge
• Stephen Browning
• Dustin Connell
( 2021 REDCREST champion )
• Mark Daniels Jr
• Mark Davis
• Ott DeFoe
• Dakota Ebare
• Brent Ehrler
• James Elam
• Edwin Evers
( 2019 REDCREST champion )
• Todd Faircloth
• Shin Fukae
• Anthony Gagliardi
• Randy Howell
• Alton Jones
• Alton Jones Jr
• Chris Lane
• Jeremy Lawyer
• Jordan Lee
• Matt Lee
• Jared Lintner
• Justin Lucas
• Cody Meyer
• Andy Montgomery
• Andy Morgan
• Michael Neal
• Mark Rose
• Fletcher Shryock
• Wesley Strader
• Randall Tharp
• Bryan Thrift
• Jonathon VanDam
• Kevin VanDam
• Greg Vinson
• David Walker
• Jacob Wheeler
• Jesse Wiggins
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
38 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023