04/14/2026
Catchin’ up with Card for a preview of this week’s Elite Series event
South winds blew 20-25 mph all day Monday during the first day of practice for this week’s Bassmaster Elite Series event on the Arkansas River at Muskogee, OK.
We caught up with veteran pro Brandon Card, a Vexus® pro from North Carolina, at the end of a gusty day on the river to hear his early thoughts on the week ahead.
Q: There have been a handful of Bassmaster Open events here at Muskogee, but never an Elite Series. You live 15 hours east of here in North Carolina, have you ever fished here, or was today your first day on these waters?
Card: I spent two days in the Kerr pool about eight years ago looking around, but today is the first time I’ve been here since then.
Q: How would you describe this place to fishing fans who aren’t familiar with it?
Card: Pretty dingy water, and I think it will get dirtier with more wind and rain forecasted. But dirty water doesn’t bother me. I prefer being able to see my lure about 8” deep, versus 3” deep. That sounds minor, but it can make a big difference in how well they bite.
Q: Elite Series pros will be permitted to lock-up toward the Verdigris River, or lock-down river into Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. What percentage of them would you guess will lock-down river into Kerr?
Card: I’d guess 50%.
Q: What will be the biggest challenge this week?
Card: Figuring out where to spend your time in practice, because there’s so many river miles you have to be careful not to spread your time too thin. I’m already racking my brain on where to start the day on Tuesday.
Q: Given the fact the wind blew 25-mph most of the day, how grateful were you to be able to ride the waves while sitting on the unique, cushy, AirWave™ seats in your Vexus® VXs21?
Card: Ah, man, I love these seats! They’ve been my favorite feature of a Vexus since the first day I test drove one.
Q: What three lures will you be leaning on a bunch this week?
Card: Swim jig, buzzbait, and a Yo-Zuri 3D pencil topwater, that lure has been very good to me every time that we’ve come to Oklahoma for an Elite event.
