Normally, the final practice day of a Bassmaster Elite Series derby is spent finalizing game plans, rigging tackle and otherwise transitioning from practice to game mode. That plan got wrecked at the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Pickwick Lake, at least for some weather conscious anglers.
A series of severe weather systems, packing extreme lightning and the potential for tornadoes, is impacting the Tennessee River valley in northern Alabama. That includes Pickwick Lake, and particularly the lower end of the fishery nearest Mississippi. And as of this writing a tornado outbreak was underway in southwest Alabama, promoting the National Weather Service to issue a very rare Potentially Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch.
Yesterday, I was on the lake shooting an aerial gallery, with my guide, David Allen, launching his boat at Waterloo Boat Ramp. I had a rough count of 30 wrapped trucks and boat trailers when we returned around 6 p.m. Part of that count is because these guys fish daylight to dark, but I’ve got a hunch they were anticipating the impacts of the weather on practice today.
Derek Hudnall, John Crews, Ed Loughran and Bryan Schmitt are sharing a rental house, and all of them elected not to practice today.
“As much as we wanted to be out there, we don’t play with lightning,” Hudnall said.
The first sign of what to do occurred when the owner of their rental house, a school bus driver, informed them classes were cancelled for Wednesday due to the weather. The roommates decided to sleep on it. Alarms went off at 5:30 and the live radar confirmed a no-go for practice on Wednesday.
“The future radar was getting progressively worse by the hour,” said Hudnall. “We decided to go on the side of caution and stay put.”
That meant tweaking tackle, rigging up and mentally adjusting to what’s to come. Meanwhile, others toughed it out, choosing to go out while keeping an eye peeled on the radar apps of their smartphones.
Brandon Palaniuk was among those anglers. He was toughing it out in the rock-and-roll waves below the tailrace.
“I’m watching it (the radar), closely, and my truck and trailer are nearby, at McFarland Park,” he said. “When I need to bail out, I’m only a few minutes from home base.”
Another round, possibly the beginning of an all-evening onslaught of severe weather, was forecast to begin at 5 p.m. local time. By then, everyone will be back on land, ready to begin whatever tomorrow will bring.