Today’s Throwback Thursday historical photo is by Jim Casada, correspondent to the Herald newspaper, and one of David Fritts‘ press partners during the 1993 Bassmaster Classic. The following is a brief excerpt from his report about how Fritts worked his fish management skills during that event, as well as his uncanny ability to call his shot when it came to bass catching throughout the day.
“He seemed to be able to read every variation in depth, know the location of every drop or bit of structure. This was perhaps most abundantly obvious when we pulled into a small cove that seemed to offer nothing special in the way of cover.
“Yet he told me immediately, ‘there’s some good bass in here and I want to take two or three of them and then leave some for the next two days.’ Three casts produced three bass, all fine ones in the two and a half to three and a half pound range. With that we immediately cranked up and left.
“Later in the day Fritts repeated his feat of ‘calling’ a catch, but this time the B.A.S.S. camera boat was with us. He quietly said to the camera crew; ‘If I’m going to catch one here, it will come in one of the next three casts.’ Sure enough, his second cast produced a two pounder. That kind of ability and knowledge, being able to say almost precisely when he expects to take a fish, is a key reason Fritts has emerged from relative obscurity to be one of the hottest things going in the pro ranks right now.”
