In any fishing tournament, weather condition will always claim the Most Formidable Opponent title. Sometimes, the meteorological makeup amounts to little more than manageable discomfort; other times, it’s downright disruptive.
The latter has played out for three of the four St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN Division 2 events.
In mid-February, the division-opener at Lake Sam Rayburn had its first and third days cancelled by severe weather. In March, the Kentucky Lake event ran a full 3-day schedule, but a month later, the tournament at Norfork Lake saw volatile conditions and rapidly rising water cancel days 2 and 3.
Suffice to say, today’s early morning announcement of a postponed start to the final Division 2 event at Leech Lake was understandably disappointing. However, with much of the field likely targeting smallmouth in Leech’s big, open waters, the forecast for winds of up to 25 mph presented potentially hazardous conditions.
Stephen Browning, who’s working to requalify for the Elites after seven years away, respects the safety-first protocol, but he said his plan would have survived an angry Leech Lake.
“For me, it was a little disappointing, because I wanted to go fishing,” Browning said. “I still get pretty jacked up before these tournaments. I actually had left and was driving to the ramp when I got the text. It was a downer, for sure.”
Darold Gleason, who’s also seeking another shot at the Elites said: “I wasn’t shocked. It was a rough forecast, it’s been a rough lake all of practice and (today’s) forecast looked a little worse,” Gleason said. “It was very comparable to last year’s Day 1 cancellation (on Leech Lake), so I wasn’t surprised by it.”
Ready, Set, Wait
Browning had a pretty good idea of what the originally scheduled start on Leech Lake would look like, but with that window closing, he’s left contemplating what might have been.
“The big key is that it takes out your planning,” Browning said. “I had been watching the weather all week and checking different sites to kinda judge what Day 1 was gonna be like.
“It had been blowing hard all three days of practice, so I tried to find an area that had a few fish and would be fishable if the forecast turned out as it did today. When postponements happen, it’s disappointing, because I planned for this weather and I have to worry about what tomorrow is instead of what today is.”
In his 30 years of professional fishing, Browning has seen and prepared for practically every imaginable weather scenario. He’s learned to fish in ways he doesn’t personally favor, as well as those that fit squarely in his wheelhouse. Unfortunately, today would have exemplified the latter.
“With my style of (shallow power fishing), it would have benefitted me more than guys that would have been fishing out in the middle of the lake and probably wouldn’t have been able to keep their trolling motors in the water,” he said. “I’m in a situation where I’m like, ‘I wish we would’ve gone today.
“As a fisherman, as a competitor, you really don’t see the other side of the situation that B.A.S.S. has been put it with these weather conditions. There’s so much liability on this organization and they have to lean toward the safety of it, instead of ‘Let’s hope everything works out.”
Points and Perspective
This week’s weather could end up impacting the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. The top 50 in each of the two Open divisions advance to a 3-event Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops series. Points are zeroed and the Top 10 in final EQ standings will receive invitations to fish the 2026 Elite Series.
Fisher Anaya is leading the Division 2 points, so he’s grateful for a day of rest. While he’s aware of his advantage, he’s more concerned for his fellow competitors.
“I know it’s hard for the guys that are trying to get into the top 50 cut when there are not as many days for them to fish,” Anaya said. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Gleason entered this week’s event in 49th place for Division 2, so he knows he needs a strong performance to keep his Elite hopes alive.
“My plan is to not be conservative; I’m doing what I think I need to do to have a really good tournament and that’s fish for brown ones (smallmouth),” he said. “I thought about taking my largemouth stuff out of the boat, but I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes, you may need a keeper or two to save your day.
“I’m gonna stay loose with my plan, but I’m pretty committed to the brown ones because I feel like that’s what I need to focus on to potentially make a Top 10 or have a good finish. That’s what I need to stay in the points.”
Preparation Potential
Circling back to the Elite connection, Gleason makes an astute observation. The thought behind the EQ system was to help ensure anglers are ready for the demands and pressures common to top-tier competition. Often, that entails inclement weather.
“Postponements are not what we want as an anglers, but it prepares you for things like Pickwick Lake my first Elite season (2021),” Gleason said. “That’s when B.A.S.S. postponed the start by two days due to (extreme flood conditions).
“We had to move our camper from the campground we were in. It was chaos and after two days, it’s go time.”
Filling the Time
So what do anglers do during “weather days”?
Anaya: While his roommates slept in, he stood outside their rental home, drank his coffee and enjoyed the cool breeze. No scheduled activities after that point.
Browning: Following a morning rest, Browning took some advice from local pro and Easton Fothergill, the reigning Bassmaster Classic and Leech Lake Open champion, and headed to nearby Lake Mantrap. (Tournament waters are off limits, but non-tournament lakes are fair game for practice.)
Gleason: Visiting the local driving range, he vented a little on defenseless golf balls.
“I was up since 3 o’clock and I was hyped up and full of energy,” Gleason said. “I figured I’d come beat on some golf balls and clear my head.
“After that, I’m going to lay on the couch with the dogs, watch TV, relax and stay off my feet. The next two days are going to be a whole lot of standing on the trolling motor and scanning around, so a day to prop my feet up will be nice.”
Looking Ahead
While standard Bassmaster Open format includes two qualifying days followed by a Top 10 championship round, this week’s event will comprise two days of full-field competition. Assuming the weather outlook remains favorable for two days of competition, Anaya sees the pros and cons.
“If you’re in the mid pack (on Day 1), you still get another day to make up ground,” he said. “It evens the playing field, but you also have a lot of room to fall.
“In a 3-day event, if you make the Top 10, can only fall nine spots. This can help some guys out, and it can burn some guys.”
Anaya’s obviously in prime position for the EQ cut, but he’s making no assumptions. The Alabama pro’s admittedly out of his element on Leech, so he’s playing defense.
“It’s been a tough practice for me, so I was going to start largemouth fishing and just hope I can get a limit,” Anaya said. “From then on, if I could get a limit, in 30 minutes, I was gonna smallmouth fish the rest of the day and just pray I’d get one to two bites because out there, you know they’re gonna be big; you just have to get ‘em to bite.
“My thought process is: Get a limit and then go for big ones. I don’t need to fall out of the EQs because I gamble and I don’t catch a limit.”
Browning’s hopeful that his initial game plan will carry past the postponement and remain viable with competition begins Friday morning.
“I feel like I’m in a different situation than some others guys,” he said. “There’s a group of us that are in pretty good shape in the points to qualify for the EQs. I’m not saying ‘play it safe,’ but there is some wisdom in going out to an area that you feel was a little more protected, hunkering down and trying to catch the five best fish you can and then figuring it out the next day.
“I’m probably going to go with my original game plan and see how it’s going. You kinda have to fly by the seat of your pants and I like that. If something doesn’t feel right, I’m all about Plan B, Plan C, Plan D.”
