Fantasy Fishing players who currently have Greg Bohannan on their roster might be interested to hear that the Arkansas angler will be missing most, if not all, of the official four-day practice on Lake Norman leading up to the National Guard Open.
Bohannan has a pretty good excuse though – his wife, Holly, is due with the couple’s first child April 18. Bohannan found out his first youngster would be a boy the day after finishing as runner-up at the 2008 Stren Series Championship.
As is always the case, the Kellogg’s pro has a plan in place. Holly and the baby are ahead of schedule, according to their doctor. On April 15, Holly will be induced into labor. If all goes well, the entire Bohannan clan will leave their Rogers, Ark., home on the morning of Monday, April 20. Driving straight through from northwest Arkansas to Charlotte takes approximately 17 hours, but with a newborn it will undoubtedly take longer.
Bohannan said, ideally, he would get to put his boat in the water for a few hours on Tuesday before the lake goes off limits Wednesday. While this is clearly a joyful family time, Bohannan is currently 18th in the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year race. If he can escape Norman with a respectable finish, he has the opportunity to do some serious damage at the Tour’s next stop on Beaver, his home lake.
“With a decent Norman tournament, I have a legitimate shot,” Bohannan said of Angler of the Year. “I have some experience there from last year, and I feel really confident right now with how I’m fishing. But without any practice this year, I would advise Fantasy Fishing players not to pick me (at Norman).”
Just because Bohannan says not to pick him doesn’t mean he’s not going to catch them. Of all the lakes on the FLW Tour schedule, Norman is probably the easiest to pattern – especially in the spawn and early postspawn stages. The Tour has visited each of the past two years, and it’s no secret that shaky heads, Senko-style plastics and swimbaits will be dominant.
“I’ll tell you this,” he added. “If you had to pick one lake in the entire country to go fish without practicing, it would be Norman. Just about everyone is going to catch five, and catching one 4-pounder behind a dock can change your whole tournament.”