“On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s about an 8 on the ‘tough scale’ out there,” says Scroggins. “The lake was full of vegetation two months ago, but now you can’t hardly find any,” explains Scroggins with a tone of frustrated concern.
“I had about five keeper bites on Monday. Yesterday, I caught about 30 bass, but hardly any of them were 14-inch keepers. I’m really struggling to catch quality fish. That’s my biggest concern,” said Scroggins.
Scroggins shares lodging with his Toyota teammate Gerald Swindle on tour, and the two often share information. “I feel bad for “G”, because as tough as my practice was, it’s been even tougher for him the past three days,” said Scroggins. “Heck, I even shared a couple of my waypoints with him last night to try to help him out.”
Then finally, Scroggins, whose big heart is matched to his big appetite finally succumbs to the jitters and politely excuses himself from the interview, stating, “man, I gotta go bud, Swindle is about to back down the launch ramp and he’s got my turkey sandwiches.”
Just down the dock from Scroggins sits Mike Iaconelli swigging bottled water in an attempt to properly hydrate himself for yet another day of 90-degree heat, and humidity levels that rival gym saunas.
Iaconelli estimates he’ll consume at least 12 bottled waters today, and asks his ride-along B.A.S.S. Marshal for the day, Jamie Harris from nearby Deridder, LA, to remind him to eat and drink plenty as Ike probes deep structure for a keeper bite.
Iaconelli scored a Top 20 here last year, but admits practice got tougher with each passing day. “Monday’s practice was pretty awesome for me, but it got way tougher on Tuesday and yesterday. I’m hoping it was just ‘area specific’ and that by going back to where I was on Monday, I should have a good day today,” said Ike.
Grab your bottled water. And pack a lunch. It could be a long hot grinder of a Day One on Toledo Bend.