I’m sure many of you believe our busiest time of year is during tournament season, and it can be. But not always.
There is plenty to do in the offseason, as well — like prepping our current boats for resale and ordering new ones, negotiating contracts and fulfilling last-minute sponsor and media obligations. And most importantly, the offseason is our chance to reconnect with family and friends.
When the Bassmaster Elite Series season ends, the time of catching up begins.
Sponsor stints
Even before the tour was complete, my calendar filled with a number of sponsor obligations. One was with Shimano — helping them to create images for next year’s catalog and filming various video clips for use in TV and social media.
I enjoy that type of work almost as much as tournament fishing … especially when the people I’m working with make the job even more rewarding.
Because of these efforts, Shimano is utilizing my image for their new catalog and ad campaigns. Watch for the new Curado TV commercial, too. It’s pretty cool. It starts out with a series of images showing the evolution of the reel, then inserts clips of the pro staff anglers. At the end is an aerial view of me in my boat, surrounded by a sea of duckweed.
Shot with a drone, the camera starts up high, then rapidly descends to just above the boat where you’ll see me holding a Curado rod and reel combo above my head, looking directly into the lens. It’s a dramatic shot, and it makes for a perfect finish to the sequence.
Shimano is also featuring me in their Curado print ad campaign. Here’s a copy currently running in several fishing magazines, including B.A.S.S. Times.
On the water/In the air
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ranger Boats. To celebrate, they’re introducing the commemorative “Icon” series — the nicest Rangers ever built.
As part of their promotional plan, they contracted a world-class production team to capture these new boats in action. The project included everything from fish-catching sequences to high-speed running shots. My job was to serve as both driver and angler for the shoot, which took place on Lake Okeechobee out of Roland Martin’s Marine Center.
This effort took the aerial game to a whole new level, whereby the video was shot from the cockpit of a low-flying helicopter.
It wasn’t my first time being filmed at high speed by a chopper, but it was definitely the most intense.
Imagine driving 70 mph down a narrow kicker trail — maybe 20 feet wide — flanked by tall reeds and having a helicopter 15 feet over your bow, flying sideways with two cameramen hanging from harnesses, capturing your every move.
Thank God no other boats were traveling in the opposite direction.
I’ve never seen a pilot with better skills at maneuvering an aircraft at awkward angles so the cameras were always in the best position for the shot.
You should see the results of this effort very soon.
A pinch of salt
This past week, I had the opportunity to film with longtime friend Rob Fordyce. You may recognize his name from The Seahunter — a popular saltwater fishing show on The Outdoor Channel.
Rob asked me to help shoot the pilot for an all-new series — a concept in which he’ll share time with pro bass anglers. Some in their world, some in his.
We shot the bass segments at Bienville Plantation in north Florida, then moved to the Gulf Coast for some inshore saltwater action. I can’t wait to share those experiences with you. We spanked them pretty good, and the cameras caught every bit of the action.
Now that these projects are in the can, it’s time to get caught up with family.
