BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Mike McClelland of Bella Vista says he is “flying under the radar” going into his ninth Bassmaster Classic. He couldn’t be happier about it.
It’s not that McClelland has escaped the notice of those who follow professional bass fishing. These pundits and prognosticators have picked him as an oddson favorite to win the Classic that runs Friday through Sunday on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.
Weigh-ins are at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa (Okla.).
Indeed, all signs point to the possibility this Classic appearance could result in victory for McClelland.
He won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on Grand Lake in June 2006. He was a Top 12 finisher when the Elite Series returned to Grand in June 2007. He lives close to Grand Lake and has been competing in tournaments there since the early 1990s.
Talk about a coincidence: The first time he finished “in the money” in a Bassmaster event was on Grand Lake in the 1992 Oklahoma Invitational. He tied for 24th place in a field of hundreds.
At age 45, in the prime of his fishing career, this six-time Bassmaster tournament winner is primed for his first Classic trophy.
Despite all those factors, McClelland isn’t getting the same attention as Oklahoma qualifiers Jason Christie, Edwin Evers and Tommy Biffle. The average fishing fan hasn’t picked up on McClelland’s potential as a Classic champ.
“I’m really glad I’m flying under the radar right now,” McClelland said. “I won the first time the Elite Series fished Grand Lake and that put a lot of added attention, if not pressure, on me the second time. This time, the Oklahoma guys are getting it, not me.”
If the focus on Oklahoma anglers continues into competition, McClelland said, he will benefit. He predicts Evers, Biffle and Christie will each attract a flotilla of spectator boats.
“And (Kevin) VanDam,” McClelland said. “VanDam’s a favorite no matter where you go.”
Four-time Classic champ VanDam won the 2007 Elite event on Grand Lake. That Oklahoma connection is just one more reason why the superstar of bass fishing will collect spectators during the Classic.
McClelland knows how, and why, a lack of such distractions can help him in the Classic.
“I do have a lot of experience on Grand, but I really don’t have any experience there this time of year,” he said. “I’ve never fished Grand in December, January or February, and very little in March, so it’s going to be a new experience for me. So I’m glad I’m flying under the radar. I can ride on the lake without a lot of spectators following me. I can focus better, figure out what I need to make happen.”
McClelland got a look at Grand in wintertime when he scouted the fishery just before Dec. 10 when the waters became off-limits to all Classic competitors. A reporter caught up with McClelland, and he agreeably posed, arm extended to display an open tacklebox of lures. The photo was published on Bassmaster.com.
Giving away secrets? No way, he said.
“It’s common knowledge that those baits I showed are going to be used by literally every Classic contender there is this year,” he explained. “The time of year limits our choices of lures, of what will work. And lures aren’t the secrets they were 10 or 15 years ago, anyway.”
But McClelland’s biggest Classic weapon is not a lure, it’s confidence.
Outdoor, Pages 7 on 02/21/2013