They brought partners, who by rule cannot have fished either of the major tours. At the end of two days on the water, there cumulative weight (based on a daily team four-fish limit) will determine the standings. Then they’ll progress to the poker tournament, which will have 200 competitors. The anglers’ standings in that event will be determined by where they finish among their 98 peers, not how they end up overall, although there may still be a temptation to go “hero or zero” with the big bucks involved.

The Fishing 
Arbuckle is a tiny lake by tour-level standards, just 2,350 acres. While it’s certainly no Erie in size, it felt like the big pond during the three days of official practice, when the wind consistently blew in the 30mph range. 

“I had to go out and buy extra thermal underwear,” said Texas pro Kelly Jordon. “I haven’t been home in three weeks and I wasn’t thinking about winter when I left. It’s supposed to be in the upper thirties or low forties when we blast off.”

Jordon, for one, hopes that the cold weather perks the fish up. Right now the water temperatures are in the low sixties, but he’s heard that “they bust loose here if it gets into the fifties.” His practice period was short – just a half day because he stayed at Lake Conroe after the TTBC for a photo shoot – but he said that the lake is “small enough that you can just go fishing.”

One factor which complicates the fishing portion of the event is the lake’s slot limit, which prohibits keeping any fish between 13- and 16-inches. Lake Amistad guide and former Elite Series pro Kurt Dove said that he and his partner had five “unders” and five “overs” on Monday, with only one slot fish, but on Tuesday they caught a 4-pounder and “three really nice slot fish, with no unders.” He’s fishing shallow, throwing a topwater in the morning and then focusing on rocky areas when the sun gets up.

“We’re going to try to kick it up a notch tomorrow and cover water,” Dove said. “I’m going to run the trolling motor on high the first three or four hours and see what the fish give us.”

Rising third-year pro Clark Reehm said that “the practice period was frustrating.” Unlike some others who’ve found a reliable shallow bite, Reehm said he “couldn’t graph a fish shallower than 25- or 30-feet. All of the bait is out deep.”

Reehm thinks the lake will fish small if most of the anglers are on a shallow bite, but Mike McClelland said that he expects it to fish bag. “It’s pretty tough right now,” he said. “That has allowed some people to spread out. It’s fishing pretty big, but as the tournament goes on it might start to feel smaller.”

The Poker
Once the winners of the fishing portion of the event are crowned, the attention will turn to indoor sports, specifically Texas Hold’em.

Some anglers, like Rick Clunn, have participated in poker tournaments in the past. Others never played until this week. Most fall somewhere in between, with either one or two tournaments under their belts or at least some online competition. 

The Bass Zone’s Mark Jeffreys says that the team of Mike McClelland and Larry Wood are “really, really good.” McClelland did not dispute that, at least in regard to his partner: “Larry is a phenomenal poker player,” he said. “He’s a stud, way better than I am.” But the two of them played in a tournament on Monday and while Wood made it to the final table, McClelland held up his end of the bargain as well, finishing 15th. 

“It’s something I’ve done for enjoyment the last few years,” McClelland added. “I’ve played in eight or ten no limit tournaments, but mostly I’ve just played cash games. It’s just like fishing, so unpredictable.”

Prior to yesterday morning, Kurt Dove had never entered a poker tournament, but in his first attempt he finished in the top half of the field (47th out of 108). Jordon said he’d played online for a while, but never in a Texas Hold’em tournament. 

Reehm, a known talker, has substantial online experience, but worries that face-to-face he might lose something. “I probably have the worst poker face of every guy here,” he said. “I’m so brutally honest. I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold my laughter.”

One additional wrinkle to the poker tournament is the bounty system – any competitor who knocks out Jordon, McClelland, Clunn, Byron Velvick or Jeff Kriet will get an additional thousand-dollar bonus. “I think they want to curse me,” Jordon said. “But it could play right into my hands.”

The Partners
When asked if there was a pre-tournament favorite for the fishing portion of the competition, multiple respondents didn’t pause before naming Jeff Kriet. The Ardmore, Oklahoma resident knows the lake, McClelland said, but then he added that “being on your home body of water can be rough on you, too.”

One factor that may work to Kriet’s advantage is his partner, ESPN commentator Mark Zona, known to be a pro-caliber stick. Just as McClelland brought a poker ringer, Kriet did what he could to extend his edge over the first two days. Other anglers sought to strengthen their industry ties. For example, Dove brought good friend Corey Smith of Ditch Witch, a former sponsor. Jordon brought a friend who has bought several of his boats in the past, who happens to live nearby. 

Reehm took an equally pragmatic approach to picking a teammate. “I brought a sponsor,” he said, in this case referring to his father Randy, who paid the entry fee. No word on how they’ll split any winnings.

Jeffreys, who along with BASS ZONE contributors Dru Smith, Matt Pangrac and Harold “The Legend” Allen are participating in the event, brought a ringer of his own – 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion Skeet Reese. But the BZ crew will be pulling double duty this week – competing during the day and providing coverage in the evenings. Will it be too much to handle?

Weigh-in Information:
The weigh-in on Friday will be at Riverwind Casino located on HWY 9 west, Norman, Oklahoma.  The weigh-in will begin at 6:00pm CDT.

The weigh-in on Saturday will be at Riverwind Casino starting at 4:00pm CDT.

All ages are welcome to be a part of the weigh-in crowd Friday and Saturday

LIVE Webcast
The BZ will broadcast the weigh-in LIVE beginning on Friday at 6:00pm CDT and Saturday at 4:00 pm CDT.

The Main Event Poker Tournament
The public is invited to watch the pros compete in the 200 person field on Sunday beginning at 11:00am CDT at Riverwind Casino.

Meet the Pro
Thursday night, the Oklahoma fans received an opportunity to meet the pros in the field at Riverwind Casino.  An amazing number of fans turned out for pictures, autographs and memorable conversations with the Pros.  "I can't believe how many people showed up for Meet the Pro night," said Mark Jeffreys, founder of The BASS ZONE.  "It was 2 hours of hundreds of kids and fans spending time with their favorite pros.  What a cool opportunity for the kids and fans to spend time with a great group of guys."

The 2009 Fish and Chips Field