December is crunch time for making the most of my offseason. As usual, I’ve been busy with social media, sponsorship management and boat swapping. I’ve also added a major project that’s been on my mind for some time — building a man cave.
A fact of life for most bass addicts, and pros in particular, is that we accumulate more and more tackle every year. My stuff has outgrown my garage. When prepping for a tournament, I’ve been wasting hours of precious time looking for what I need.
My biggest pet peeve is my baits getting dirty or tarnished when they’re not stored properly. That makes them less appealing to bass. No professional tournament angler can afford to let that happen. An organized man cave will keep my baits in prime time condition and let me quickly put my hands on the ones I need.
I often work past midnight getting ready for an Elite Series tournament. That’s a pain when I’m outside in the dark, especially when it’s raining. A large man cave will let me work on my boat and tackle inside with plenty of light to see what I’m doing.
It’s important that I finish the shop before January arrives. That’s when all chaos breaks loose. I’ll be receiving multiple boxes of baits, tackle and other fishing equipment from every delivery service in existence. All that new stuff needs a place to go. I’m not complaining. It’s just a hectic time of year.
A critical delivery will be my new Nitro Z21 XL. The man cave will give me plenty of room to dial it in as far as installing electronics and loading tackle and equipment for the first two Elite tournaments in 2024. Both of those events are in my home state of Texas. You can bet I’ll be packing lots of swimbaits.
In this current day and age of electronics being king in bass tournaments, my Nitro will have a king-like setup. I’ve been fortunate to partner with Bass Pro Shops. No matter what brand of electronics I need, as long as Bass Pro stocks it, that equipment is just a phone call away.
We’re about 90% done with the man cave build. It consists of a 50-foot x 60-foot building constructed with 20-foot high, poured concrete walls. I think of it as a well-insulated, high performance cooler. It will also be air tight, which will keep dirt and dust outside where it belongs.
I’ve been posting the man cave’s progress on Facebook, Instagram and on my YouTube channel Zaldaingerous. I’m looking forward to showing it off on Bassmaster.com via the Elite Man Cave photo gallery series when the build is finished.
Whenever I’ve needed information on how to do things like applying spray foam or painting gutters, I’ve posted those questions on social media. I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which has a sizable fishing community. Many local anglers have responded with helpful advice, and a few fellow fishermen have actually come and put hands on the build.
I understand that not everyone can build a separate shop for a man cave. But I encourage every serious tournament competitor to utilize as much space as your significant other will let you get away with to set up and organize a tackle storage area. You want to be ready to go when the spring fishing season hits.
