Card in the hunt

Brandon Card was cautiously optimistic  that he could adapt a fall pattern to Tenkiller that he uses back home on Fort Loudon. 

“Back home I like to run to the backs of the creeks and target isolated logs out in the middle,” he said. “Those areas are like ambush points for the bass when the shad move back into the creeks.” 

That panned out during practice and Card proceeded to mark waypoints for the best areas in the hopes of a sustainable strategy.The plan was validated on Thursday when Card caught a 4-pound largemouth. Even so, the plan came with a hitch. 

“I knew the water was going to drop six or eight inches a day and put the shoreline brush that had been productive on dry land.” 

He was correct. That cover began to vanish, but there was hope for the log pattern as the water dropped. The new idea was the fish would back off to the next available cover. Now, on Saturday even that option is drying up. 

Today, Card has resorted to targeting his best high percentage areas that remain inundated. Now, it looks like he is faced with having to find new water with the odds increasing that he will be fishing on Championship Sunday.