Two factors define the position of BASS Federation Nation Championship qualifier Jamie Laiche going into the Oct. 27-29 competition: 1) He’s from Gonzales, La.; and 2) He’s from Gonzales, La.
Because the competition will be on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, La., Laiche’s Gonzales address makes him the home-state favorite. Viewed from a second angle, his Gonzales address means that if he’s successful in the championship, he’ll qualify to compete on home waters, again, in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, which is set for Feb. 18-20 on the Louisiana Delta out of New Orleans.
“If I would make it to the Classic, I’d consider myself a local because the Classic’s Bayou Segnette launch site is about an hour from my house. I’ve fished that area quite a bit,” Laiche said.
He is only one of 55 entrants in next week’s Federation Nation event. They represent 47 states and six foreign countries. The overall champ will win a Skeeter/Yamaha bass rig valued at $60,000. The winners in each of six divisions will advance to the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.
The Red River event will be Laiche’s third time in “the Nationals,” as many Federation members refer to their championship. He was successful in 2007 in qualifying for the 2008 Classic, and now he’s looking for his second trip to the tournament to beat all tournaments.
“It could be on the very northern tip of the United States, and it would still be very cool to make it to the Classic. But being out of southern Louisiana, this Classic would be even more special to me,” said Laiche, who said he has recovered from a serious arm and hand injury that sidelined him for many months. The remaining partial numbness of one hand doesn’t cramp his fishing, he said.
Laiche’s experience and success on the Red might help him. In 2008, he finished 10th in a Bassmaster Central Open there. He was also one of the six members of the winning team in the 2007 BASS Club World Championship held on the Red.
But fishing home water could also hold him back. Laiche said he will lose any Red River advantage he has if he can’t resist the impulse to “fish the past,” the term anglers use to describe a common shortcoming: inability to recognize changes in fish behavior and location because the past clouds the angler’s judgment.
“We all have trouble with that when we’re fishing home water or water we know well,” Laiche said.
To come up to speed, he spent three long weekends on the Red before the Oct. 16 cutoff.
“The river was fishing really tough,” he said. “The water was a little lower than normal, and lower than I like it. I think the river fishes better when the water’s higher. The times I was there, there wasn’t much current. Bites were few and far between.”
Water level and current aren’t likely to change much for the tournament, he said, so water temperatures could rule the bite. If the water cools by tournament time, that could trigger a shad migration to shallower areas, and thus a better bass bite, he said.
As the only competitor from Louisiana, Laiche is sure to get extra fan and media attention in Shreveport-Bossier City, but his is not the only interesting story about the Federation Nation Championship. Many people will be watching their state’s sole entrant, as well as other anglers, for their unique stories. A sample:
- Jay Evans of Corvallis, Mont., will be out to earn his second Bassmaster Classic berth. He competed in the 2009 Classic, which was, coincidentally, on the Red River. He finished 25th in that Classic.
- Scott Parker of Londonderry, N.H., is trying for his second Classic appearance. Like Evans, he was in the 2009 Red River Classic, where he finished 31st.
- Randy Phillips of Oxford, Mass., as the 2009 Federation Nation Championship winner, has an automatic entry into the 2010 event. He will be attempting to put together back-to-back Classic qualifications; if successful, he would be the only Federation repeat in 2011 from 2010.
- Joey Nania of Liberty Lake, Wash., at age 19, has a shot at becoming the youngest Classic qualifier in history. A two-time Junior Bassmaster World champion, he now has both eyes on a pro career. He got a good look at the Red River in early June when he competed there in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open, but he didn’t do well there ? 101st of 185 pro-division anglers.
- Ron Ryals of Live Oak, Fla., is this year’s entrant from the Paralyzed Veterans of America. He was the organization’s Angler of the Year.
- The six non-U.S. entrants are Isauro Tijerina of Mexico; Dave Rochette of Canada; Mike Macdonald of Zimbabwe; Alessio Telese of Italy; Justy Varkevisser of South Africa; and Ryuji Saho of Japan.
While championship contenders are on the Red River the final day, the 2010 Junior Bassmaster World Championship will take place on nearby Cross Lake. Twelve young anglers in two age groups (11-14; 15-18) will vie for scholarship money. The Junior anglers will weigh their catches Oct. 29 on the Bassmaster stage at Red River South Marina beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT, just before the adults being their finale weigh-in.
Coverage will be online at the Bassmaster website beginning Wednesday, Oct. 27, and continuing through Friday, Oct. 29 with a live leaderboard, photo galleries and results each day.
Fans are invited to the 7:30 a.m. CT launches and 3:30 p.m. CT weigh-ins at Red River South Marina in Bossier City. All events are free and open to the public.
For information about host cities Shreveport and Bossier City, go to http://www.lasportsauthority.org and http://www.shreveport-bossier.org
About BASS
For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster, BASSInsider webite, and ESPN3 webite, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster Tournament Trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.
BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.By: BASS Communications / BASS
