This 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’s Sporting Goods win is turning into something else. I knew it would be exciting with lots and lots of things to do, but I didn’t realize how wild it would get. Winning a Classic is something you dream about, but until it happens you don’t truly understand what it means. All I can say is, Wow!
After the Classic I had to get ready for the Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend presented by Econo Lodge. It was less than two weeks away if you count the practice days. Toledo Bend is a great fishery. It’s known for big bass, and plenty of them. However, it is not known for its cell service. It’s limited at best.
Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal, but with the number of calls, texts and emails I had coming in it made it impossible to return them all, or even a good percentage of them. I did the very best I could to mix things up between the bigger outlets and the smaller ones. I’ll continue to do that over the next few weeks.
Please accept my apologies if I didn’t get back with you. It wasn’t because I don’t care. I do. It’s just that there are more things to do than there are hours in the day. And, I still have to fish professionally against the toughest anglers around. That takes up a lot of time. Anyway, I’ll keep working at it and do my best to make sure everybody gets what they need.
I just finished a media event with Toyota, Carhartt and Quantum. I haven’t been to as many of them as some of the guys, but I really like them. It gives me a chance to work one on one with some of best writers and photographers in the business, and with some of the best products in the business.
Maybe the best part of them is that they give us a chance to get the word out about products and techniques that’ll make anyone’s fishing more enjoyable and hopefully more productive. It also helps us get the word out about the Classic as far as what happened and what was really going on out there.
Last week I was at B.A.S.S. headquarters working on more Classic stuff, and I’m hoping to spend a little time at home before I head to the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett.
After this column we’ll try to work on something that all of us want to know more about — how to catch more bass. Next week’s column will detail how to make a relatively small change to a jig that’ll make a big difference when you’re fishing in a big bass venue. I used it on Lake Conroe at the Classic.
In the one after that we will cover a flipping technique that’s well-known among Elite Series anglers but not so much among recreational anglers. I think it’ll make a big difference in how many bass you catch this year.