Now that I've said all that, I think I also have to tell you that sometimes the best-laid tournament plans still don't work.
Although my first Classic was in 2007, it should have been in 2003. I was in third place as we went in to the final B.A.S.S. Open event of the season, and I needed to stay in third.
I had everybody's statistical guarantee that if I finished 30th or better in the last event, I would make the Classic. So I went out and chose to grind that last tournament. I plugged hard for three days, fished smart and finished 26th, - and that was going to be good enough.
But Tom Hamlin, who started the tournament fifth in the standings went out and swung for the fences. He went after nothing but big fish and he had a great tournament. In the end, after a season full of racking up points, Tom beat me by two points.
So I was smart and did all the right things. But I guess I wasn't quite smart enough.
Oh, well. I'm still going to take the smart route at Oneida. I want that Classic spot and another shot at Lay Lake.
