The delightful snow that had residents sledding down highway overpass embankments and kids engaging in snowball fights yesterday has turned into cold rain this morning and it’s expected to continue throughout the day.

That means that while our Classic competitors are fielding questions at Media Day the lake is changing.

Grand Lake, 90 miles northeast of the festivities in Tulsa, will likely turn muddy. If it takes a couple of days to do so, as some locals expect, then we may see heavy weights out of the gate on day 1 followed by a changing bite as the tournament wears on.

There’s much speculation that the big bass are eating right now. There have been reports of 25-pound stringers in practice.

We’ll try to dig up some intel at the luncheon today and keep our AnglersChannel.com followers ahead of the game.

Right now, if you’re playing fantasy fishing, go ahead and pick Kevin VanDam. He’s not talking a lot, but he has a sly smile on his face and this is his type of tournament – pattern-based and with changeable conditions that require daily, if not hourly adjustments.

Jason Christie is also a no-brainer, as is Tommy Biffle. Those who’ve talked with him say Biffle is on some really good, really hard to find stuff in some unusual places. The home field advantage will be just that this week.

Well, I’m fixin’ to go listen to a bunch of, “aw shucks, I’m not on anything real strong” and other tales from 50-some-odd guys who hope to win the Classic trophy and $500,000. As Rick Clunn once told me during a Media Day interview, “I am on auto pilot right now. I can sit here and answer your questions but my mind is out on the water still trying to put the puzzle together.”

With the constant change in weather, our pros are likely to have their heads on Grand Lake’s water near Grove, OK as their butts are in their boats at the Tulsa Expo Pavillion this morning.