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My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 9:46 pm
by RJ
First off, HUGE Thanks to Charles Sim for qualifying to fish the Classic. Had he not done so, the following reports would never have happened........

I applied to be accredited Media for the week thru both Fish-Hawk and RJnBirdees Outdoor Adventures. I was quickly approved and began game planning how I would cover this to those back home. Becoming a Media Marshal on the boats for Friday and Saturday would give me a front row seat and in turn a chance for you guys to see what goes on at the Classic from the water. Plus it would be a cool experience for me... :lol:

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Media Day was the Thursday. It was basically a 3 hour window that the 235 media members could approach the anglers in their boats to interview them before the event.

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I struggled with this honestly, I pondered many of the hours on the road what I would even ask these guys. I’m not a reporter and asking the same redundant bottled questions that have to be asked just isn’t my cup of tea.

I made the decision to listen in on the questions asked then when they had a moment or two on their own I basically told them after a 22 hour drive I still couldn’t come up with a question that would even be half way interesting! They all chuckled at that and asked where I came from. Once I answered Ontario, Canada the conversation started quick. Aaron Martens, Greg Hackney, Casey Ashley, Alton Jones and Edwin Evers all jumped on the opportunity to talk about the St. Lawrence River. They love that place. Hearing them talk about the river and being able to insert some of my findings was awesome. What would have been a question and answer period turned into a fishing conversation simply between two guys who love to fish. SO much fun.

Charles was all setup and was is charming self with everyone. He had told them about his Rubik’s Cube obsession of late so one reporter asked him to get at it…

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The Hookset.com ride fittin’ right in between Bernie Schultz and KVD.

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KVD was swamped at times. He was asked on a scale of 1 to 100 how confident he was in winning this event. His answer with a wink, 100. Well, what else could he say???

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IKE was pure IKE on this stage. At one point he was telling a lady reporter that the key to his week would be Dog Milk Bones. The box of dog treats sat on the deck of his boat so it had to be true….

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I’d recently seen a video that Aaron Martens released on Facebook about his tackle prep. I asked him how many days he spent working on tackle versus on the water days. His answer? A staggering 3 to 1. After seeing inside the storage of his Phoenix, he’s not lying. I bet he could find anything in that boat with his eyes closed. Unbelievably organized.

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Edwin Evers was awesome to chat with. I simply asked him if he was ready? “I think so” he says with a laugh. The local boys were feeling the pressure big time. Little did he know how the tournament would turn out….

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Brandon Palaniuk with the Rigid Industries ride…

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One my favorite guys to chat with was Greg Hackney. He was exactly what I thought he’d be, a great fella that just loves to flip a jig like me! Every tackle box in his boat was up and on the deck. I’ll hazard a guess at about $20,000 in gear! Got any crankbaits?

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He couldn’t stop talking about this bay on the St. Lawrence that he found in practice that he had 50-75 bites a day on the Frog. He said it was the best fishing he experienced that year! And yes he told me the Bay’s name….;)

This was only Day 1 of an experience of a lifetime. What struck me at the end of the day was something I knew all along. Having been around professional hockey players and some of the biggest entertainers in the world in a previous job I had I tend to not get star-struck, they’re just people who happen to be talented and have pretty cool jobs. What made this a really cool deal was the common ground we could find in conversation, Fishing. It was a real treat.

Day 1 of the tournament I was lucky enough to be the defending champ Casey Ashley's boat. What a blast with a great guy.

The blastoff for the Classic is unreal. Thousands on shore.

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I've done a full report of the day aboard the Costa Triton here: http://www.rjnbirdeesoutdooradventures. ... ey-ashley/

Day 2 I was Brandon Palaniuk's Marshal. Another fun day watching this young gun go to work on the biggest stage.

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Full report from Day 2 is here: http://www.rjnbirdeesoutdooradventures. ... -palaniuk/

Day 3 I decided to hit the Expo. Wow. Take the Ottawa Sportsman Show space times 4 and fill it with every piece of Bass fishing equipment you can imagine. It took me 6 hours to skim through it.

Took in the weigh in from the Media section and snapped a few winning pics. Seeing Edwin Evers pull those toads from his livewell and the 10,000 plus fans in the arena react was wild. Such a cool deal.

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2017 Classic? Maybe. :wink:

RJ

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 10:46 pm
by Troutskiii
Great report RJ, can't imagine how great the experience must of been.

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 8:24 am
by Christian Gervais
The best report ever. Thanks Rob. Lots of learning to be done with these stories.

You da man!

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 9:24 am
by Super
Really excellent reporting RJ
Thanks
David

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 9:30 am
by Out4trout
Awesome report Rob!!

Overheard on the street... "Who's that guy in the BPS shirt talking to RJ?"

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Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 2:46 pm
by zeke13
I loved reading these reports RJ .. fantastic job .. they certainly gave the media pass to the right guy.

As far as taking in a tournament, it sure sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 4:47 pm
by RJ
Thanks fellas. I know some enjoy these and some it's the furthest thing from their interest, I get it.

The highest praise to me on this was both Casey and Brandon reading these reports and sending me kudos. That's cool to me.. :lol:

RJ

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 4:49 pm
by Jul0682
Awesome report and awesome work bud and glad you had a blast. . Think anybody in here would love to had the chance to begin your shoes for the weekend... happy that u gave us all the great info and great pictures as well...

You the man and keep up the great work..

Cheers

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 8:41 am
by Alby
Awesome write up RJ! I followed you guys the entire weekend, and streamed the Classic live. Very cool to get an insider's perspective on the tournament. To watch these guys on tv and read about them is one thing, but to hang out and chat with them is an experience of a lifetime. Thanks for sharing with us.

You're right; they're just "one of us", but to hang out with them and chat with them is just too cool.

Not too sure about sharing a car with 4 dudes for 24 hours; I'm sure there were a lot of greasy meals along the way, which I'm sure led to a few gassy (crap your pants) moments....

Again, thanks for the updates over the weekend, taking time to keep us posted, and sharing the experience.

Hope to speak with Charles in the next few days and get his take on the Classic!

Alby

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 9:27 am
by Mick
awesome write up RJ. Must have been a thrill.

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 9:18 am
by badbass72
Was a great time for sure...well done on the reports RJ and just being able to fit so much into such a short time. Alby not sure who you travel with but our car was a treat...pretty sure the smell was a delicate mix of lavender and lilac

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:38 pm
by banjo
Nice write up.
I can only image the things you witnessed and absorbed and will likely put to good use, without even knowing it at times. Like when someone shares a boat, and comments "why did you cast there" and the only response is "it looked fishy" :D

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:50 am
by baz fish
Great report RJ. Looks like you have a great time at the classic :D .

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:38 am
by ShawnD
That's awesome RJ!!
Thanks for posting as much as you did. :mrgreen:

Re: My Bassmaster Classic Experience...

Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 9:55 pm
by Heisenbass
SO COOL. Thanks for the great report Rob. I'm gonna have to go down and take in a classic one of these days. Simply awesome!