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Mark Davis is the last man to win a major event on the Alabama River, so who better to breakdown this week's CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship then the man himself. The folowing is from an interview conducted Thursday night after weigh-in. Take it away, Mark.

Day Three

Everyone is happy when they hit the water tomorrow. All five have qualified for the Classic, so now everyone but Mike McClelland will likely swing for the fences.

Mike will probably go after another 10- or 12-pound limit and make someone else catch a really big bag to catch him. But that really hasn't happened all week so he is definitely the favorite going into day four.

If I had to pick a guy to challenge him I'd pick Chad Brauer. He's slow and methodical and will really work his pattern. If a lack of current slows down the spot bite, Chad might be in great position to make a run at it. His fish won't be hurt if they don't generate. But if it clouds up and rains his fish will be more affected than the spots.

It's really a three horse race. Morris is fishing little eddies and trying to hold his boat right in against heavy current. That sounds like a place that might have a few largemouth mixed in with the spots, which gives him a shot at a bigger bag.

Fishing just for largemouth is what Brauer has going for him. There are some big spots in there, but they are very unpredictable. With one turbine going Sunday it would hurt the spot fishing. But you never know.

Day Two

McClelland is in the driver's seat with almost a 3-pound lead. He's the only one who can afford to be conservative on day three.

If I'm Mike McClelland I'm going out to catch five bass. He wants to win as bad as anybody, but first he wants to get a top five and qualify for the Classic. Otherwise the rest of the top 10 cannot be conservative.

With iffy current everyone should be fishing for 10 pounds. That should keep you moving up the totem pole. But anyone in the top 10 could make the top five.

If you are depending on heavy current you could go from a day two hero to a day three zero. A weekend may mean less generating and that could force people to go to a Plan B.

Its tough when your pattern is vulnerable to things like current. When I practice for a fishery like the Alabama River that is so diverse I work on a back up plan just in case the current fails me. If I catch them quick at the start of practice I immediately might spend the rest of practice working on Plan B. But with fishing it's really always out of our control and you've got to know that going in and be ready.

I really don't see the Alabama guys having any real advantage at this point in the tournament since everyone who makes a top 10 is pretty dialed in. It could actually be a disadvantage if you know too much. When you have a lot of knowledge you can get impatient and do too much moving, instead of settling down and getting into a rhythm. Less knowledge means sticking with what your doing a little longer and letting it happen.

Day One

When I won the Elite 50 event here in 2004, it was spring and I had to change locations, baits and tactics every day of the tournament. I caught them on buzzbaits, deep cranking, flipping, you name it.

It's rare that a guy finds one big load of fish that lasts for all four days of an event, but if it is ever possible, it is at this time of year when fish are more inclined to school up in bunches.

One danger the top anglers face is staying too long with a tactic that produced on Day One. The bite on the river is likely to change, so staying with what worked on Day One might not be enough on Day Two.

Current, not weather, is the key to fishing the Alabama River, despite the fog delays. That is more a mental challenge than a fishing challenge.

It doesn't surprise me that Mike McClelland is at the top of the leader board. He's a clear water angler, but very versatile. Great with a jig.

Doug Garrett is another Arkansas guy who is a very good shallow water guy. If he's flipping, he's a threat.

David Wharton is one guy a few spots off the lead that is worth watching on Day Two. He has a ton of experience and probably won't have a problem changing tactics, which is what it might take to stay in the hunt.

My guess is that the leaders will go right back where they left off on Day One to see what's left. If the fish are biting well, they'll need to try and catch the biggest bag they can. If the bite is just OK, a 10- or 11-pound limit could be enough. My prediction is that it will probably take 22 pounds or so to stay around the Top Five.

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