Paul Mueller told me yesterday that he went looking for “new water” early on. My question to him was why so soon? It was the first day of competition, of course. Here is what he said.
“This is one of those types of tournaments where you have to go looking for clues to keep ahead of the game. There might not be three days worth of fish in one area, because they are constantly on the move.”
Mueller said the key to his area is the presence of higher water.
“There is more water coming in and it’s warmer too, and those are two things I have that are working in my favor.”
What else is key is timing. Yesterday, Mueller waited until 11:30 a.m. to hit his key area.
“It took a lot of patience because the area has to get just right for the fish to come in,” he added.
This morning, Mueller said he will go to that area much sooner. He chose to spend more of his time up north, instead of joining the crowds in Lake George and points farther south.
“The weather is going to stabilize and that will make it even better,” he said.
Mueller also told me his plan is to keep moving, cover water. And if it means searching for new water, then he will do so, if it looks like Championship Monday is in his future.