As I write this, I am getting ready for the Simms Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork. I’ve found that after a long break between the Lake Chickamauga event and this one, I’ve been busy with a lot of activities. Now I’m having to refocus on the event.
I’m an Elite Series pro, but that’s not all that I do, and this past month has been full of great experiences and busy work.
I got the chance to go to Punta Cana with my wife, Sonja, for Derek and Annie Hudnall’s wedding. Derek is on the Missile Baits team and one of my roommates and friends on the Elite Series. Seeing them grow as a couple then come together as husband and wife was wonderful and exciting. Since I took Sonja with me, it became a nice vacation that we took together. It was a great week.
During this break we also got to celebrate my stepson Noah’s graduation from Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va. He did a great job in school, and our whole family was there to congratulate him. I’m really proud of him.
I got to fish a fundraiser for the James Madison University (JMU) Bass Fishing Team with Mark, our warehouse manager. Noah went to JMU early in his college years and was on the fishing team, so the members that know me invited me to fish. Mark and I fished out of his boat, caught 16 pounds and got the last check. It was fun.
I also got to take the family to a Whiskey Myers concert in Salem, Va. Whiskey Myers is a band that sponsors my Elite Series colleague Lee Livesay, and they are bass fishermen. Sonja and I took the whole family to see them – and give them some Missile Baits gear. That was another great event.
Speaking of Missile Baits, I’ve been working on a new worm for a while that is about to hit dealers very soon, the Magic Worm. This is a unique project for Missile Baits because it is a collaboration with Roboworm, and it is a hand-poured finesse worm.
I’ve wanted to add a worm that is not injected into the lineup for quite some time, and after discussing things with Robo, we decided to partner on this project. It is the first time that their company will produce a worm for another U.S. manufacturer, and I think the partnership and the bait are pretty cool.
The Magic Worm is a 6-inch finesse worm that is engineered to have great action, and of course the kind of colors that only Roboworm can produce. We’ll be offering 12 colors that are unique to Missile Baits. Some of our team members contributed, but all of the colors are unique. I’m partial to John’s Juice, which is the color I used on my drop-shot rig at the St. Johns River when I won there earlier this year.
The design incorporates some of the “crawfish shell” ribbing that is a trademark of our baits with a tapered tail, and it is a very versatile worm. Anglers will find that they can use the Magic Worm on a shaky-style head like our Warlock Head, as a wacky rig, a Neko rig, a split shot, a drop shot or a finesse Texas rig. It’s been a fun and rewarding project, and it’s especially rewarding to collaborate with Roboworm.
I share all of the above with you to try and encourage all of you who love to fish. We all have a lot of distraction in our lives as we prepare for a fishing outing or a tournament. But I realized if I can find a block of time to focus on the event ahead, to do some map study, to think about the lake and to work on tackle, I can get in the fishing groove pretty quickly. It happens to us all, so don’t feel like great days can’t happen for you. With a little focus, they can.
I want to end this column with some words about Ray Scott. I recorded a video for my social media about him and the impact he made in our world. Heck, Ray built our world. Nothing would be the same without his vision for the sport, in the conservation realm and so many other aspects of bass fishing.
He was larger than life, and it didn’t take long being around him to know that he was that special kind of person with charm and charisma. But he still listened to those around him and made them feel important. He was the precedent for what bass fishing is today, and I’m grateful to have known him.
One of the most humbling experiences I’ve had in my career was having him sign a copy of his book Bass Boss for me. He gave it to me as my term as President of the Professional Anglers Association was starting. He wrote “To John Crews, Good luck with the PAA, I think you’re the right man for the job, Ray Scott.”
I still look at that and feel in awe of him, and I this sport will miss him dearly.