The BASS fellas are in town for the weekend.

Things are going to be a little different this weekend when the top bass fishing anglers in the world converge on Elizabeth City for the seventh stop in the Bassmaster Elite Series.

It’s the series second stop in northeastern North Carolina in two years.

This time around, it will be later in the year by a couple of months. Temperatures in the air and water will be a bunch hotter. Water levels will be lower. And with the largemouth already have spawned out.

But Alabama pro Kyle Welcher is hoping some things are exactly the same.

The event starts Thursday and finishes Sunday. The 98-angler field will be drawn down to 50 after Friday and will be reduced for a 10-fisherman finale on Sunday.

Weigh-ins will be each early afternoon at the city’s Waterfront Park.

Expect a healthy sized crowd.

Last year’s champion will be looking for would be bass hanging around the roots of standing cypress trees and staging around fall-downs and docks.

And if he could have it his way, the action would be really close to home.

During last year’s insane run to the title, Welcher never went more than a couple of miles from the Elizabeth City boat ramps.

On two days, he said he only started his engine to idle away from the takeoff spot.

While others were traveling at break neck and boat-busting speeds to points at the edge of the angling limits – areas as far away as the Chowan River and Alligator rivers, and Virginia Beach’s Back Bay – he fished along the Elizabeth City’s Causeway and tree-filled flats just to his west.

In fishing so close, he got several more hours of angling time because he didn’t have to make long runs.

And from the first 7-pounder he caught on Thursday morning, he led throughout by a margin that grew daily and left competitors and observers scratching their collective heads.

Welcher weighed in close to 30 pounds – including double-digit fish – each day en route to a BASS tournament all-time record margin of victory.

He had 13 fish that topped seven pounds and averaged just shy of six pounds a fish.

His 20 allowable fish weighed a combined 118 pounds, 12 ounces and gave him a BASS all-time record edge of 45-7 over second place Brandon Lester’s 73-5.

The previous record for margin of victory was 29-10.

Even some of the best to ever fish marveled at what they were witnessing.

A two-time Elite Series Angler of the Year, Welcher won $100,000 and a spot in the Bassmaster Classic.

Heading into this weekend’s event, Welcher is in 15th place in the Angler of the Year standings, nearly 100 points behind leader Cory Johnston of Canada.

But you can throw all this year’s differences into the mix and it wouldn’t matter to Welcher.

He’s hoping just one major thing is the same.

As usual, there’s more to come.