THE SUPERBOWL OF BASS FISHING!
You might not know it but bass fishing is one of my all time favourite pursuits. In my first big time event at the Inaugural Kenora Bass International, my partner and I were in the lead after Day 1. Of course, I messed it up and finished 10th. it was just the beginning of what was to be an intense pursuit for a number of anglers in Canada. Don’t forget this was 30 years ago. Jeff Gustafson was still knee high to a grasshopper.
AT THE TOP!
Well look at him now, a pretournament favourite to the Superbowl of bass fishing. Yes, that’s right, the hype is incredible. My friend Darrin Bohonis and I are right now in Knoxville, Tennessee for the Bassmaster Classic. Hard to believe. It took us 22 hours of driving but we made it in two days!
We battled one little snow storm, plus a bit of rain but our rental car got us here safely. And tonight we checked in with Emily Harley who makes this run like a well oiled machine. I have fished hundreds of tournaments over my 40 year career, but nothing comes close to this. Why am I here? Because Gussy told me I should come. That was good enough for me so I recruited long time friend Darrin Bohonis to come along and share the experience. So far so good!
We arrived in Knoxville this evening in time to get our media credentials from Emily Harley, the guru of all things media with Bassmaster.
HERE IS THE GAMEPLAN!
So here is the lay of the land for tomorrow. Darrin and I will be grabbing a shuttle to the Exhibition Grounds in the morning to interview all four of the Canadians who have qualified this hugely prestigious event. This is called Media Day, a chance to ask these hardcore anglers what makes them tick. And, while they don’t know it yet, who they are predicting to win this career changing event. (they can’t choose themselves)
By the way there is only one angler from outside of the U.S. who has won this event. Any idea who that might have been? You will have to research that one. Check out the Bassmaster Classic website for the answer. https://www.bassmaster.com/tournament/2023-academy-sports-outdoors-bassmaster-classic/
With four top notch Canadians in the field, who are you placing your bets on? No, this is not a betting site. I am just saying that Canadian representation in this event is at an all time high and these guys are good, really good. I will be interviewing all four of them tomorrow so you will get an opportunity to see what they think their chances are. I don’t know about you, but I think a Canadian win is a good possibility.
Stay tuned for more from the Classic tomorrow evening!