Many, LA – Following day two of the Bassmaster Elite Series Toledo Bend Battle, True Image Promotions caught up with Brent Chapman for a quick Q&A. Chapman sacked 25 pounds 8 ounces on day two which vaulted from eleventh place into the lead. Chapman leads by one pound nine ounces over second place Matt Herren. Five anglers are within five pounds of the lead and twelve anglers are within ten pounds.
TIP: Looks like you are having some fun out on Toledo Bend?
Brent Chapman: I’ve got to say, today for the first two hours it was an absolute blast. Every angler should have the joy of good fishing like that. It was practically every cast. To have over twenty pounds in the boat that quick sure makes the rest of the day more relaxing.
TIP: The big question is, are you sharing the spot with anyone?
Brent Chapman: No. I have it all to myself. That is what’s most exciting. That’s how you win a tournament. Sharing fish just doesn’t work out most of the time. Tomorrow being Saturday I expect there may be a few locals out and hopefully they’ll let me have the spot for two more days. After that, they can catch all the fish they want on that spot. I’ll even tell them how to do it!
TIP: So the mornings are hot, does the fishing slow down after that?
Brent Chapman: On day one, I caught some fish in the afternoon, but today I didn’t really catch much after the morning hours. I did leave the spot pretty early both days so that could be the cause of the slow down. Managing the fish through four days is the big decision in these events. Do I keep catching them and try to cull up a few pounds or do I leave them for the weekend?
TIP: Did you find the spot during practice and if so did you know it was going to be as good as it is?
Brent Chapman: Yes, I spent a little time on it on Tuesday and then on Wednesday I caught two sixes and a four on it before I left. Yesterday, I was a disappointed, I really thought I could have caught 30 pounds from it on Wednesday. We’ll see maybe tomorrow will be even better than today.
TIP: I don’t want to get into how you are catching them, but can you give us some clues?
Brent Chapman: I’ll tell you this. I am catching them deep and I am catching them in a way that I can catch them fast. The fish are aggressive and if you get the right bait in front of them they strike it violently.
TIP: It sounds like you have one particular spot that is loaded. Do you have other areas with fish?
Brent Chapman: I do have a few other spots with fish on them. Nothing like the main spot, but if I need to scramble I have a few backup plans. I am hoping I don’t need them.
TIP: Are you tired of hearing about the Angler of the Year race yet?
Brent Chapman: Sort of, because there is so much fishing to do. With the large numbers of great anglers still in the race, there is no telling what can happen. However, I will say its nice to be in the conversation about the Angler of the Year – lord willing we’ll still be talking about it when it counts in New York come August.
TIP: Good luck tomorrow.
Brent Chapman: Thanks. I think the fish are there to have a real shot at winning this, but you know how fish are they could be all the way across the lake tomorrow. I’m hoping I can stretch them through two more days and have a real shot at winning this. Regardless of how it turns out, this is an absolute blast of a place to fish and I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow.
