Hank Jr. should have come to Waddington

All I’ve seen is a place that’s good for the Bassmaster Elite Series, good for the sport of bass fishing and good to the people involved with both.

WADDINGTON, N.Y. – After three days in the North Country along the banks of the St. Lawrence River, I have come to a conclusion:

Hank Williams Jr. gave up on New York too soon.

You may remember the song Hank wrote back during the early 1980s called “Dixie on my Mind” that listed all of the things he didn’t like about his trip to New York. It included a line in the chorus that said, “I just don’t fit it, and I’ll never come back again.”

There is absolutely no chance he could have felt that way if he had traveled as far North as Waddington.

As easy it would be for a Southerner to feel like a fish out of water here, the people who call this region home just won’t allow it – especially if they know you’re involved with this week’s Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River.

They’re treating this event like their version of the Olympic Games, and they’re treating those of us tied to it like gold medal winners.

I’ve seen signs welcoming anglers and fishing fans 25 miles west of here in Ogdensburg and 20 miles to the East in Massena. So far, the list of places where I’ve been asked about the tournament includes a Burger King, a Subway, a Walgreens and a little restaurant/bar called The Club.

I met some amazing local fans in the parking lot before Wednesday’s registration who were scurrying to get pictures of as many wrapped trucks and boats as they could before the anglers headed back to their hotels. I listened to one local radio personality raving about those same wrapped boats Friday morning for a good 20 minutes.

This is a town of amazing people who are crazy about the outdoors – and with the scenery they have here, it's easy to understand why.

Another line from Hank’s song said, “The thing, you know, that I miss most of all is the freedom of the river and the pines.”

Again, he just visited the wrong part of New York.

The 40-mile road between Ogdensburg and Massena is lined with deer crossing signs – and if you drive after dark, you’ll see the white tails and glowing eyes they’re warning you about. The land between these small villages is lined mostly with green grass and the very pines that Williams said he longed for.

The St. Lawrence River itself is a multi-faceted waterway, whose beauty is matched only by its value to the world’s shipping trade. These crystal-clear waters, which serve as home to an incredible smallmouth bass population, are used by gigantic ships from every corner of the globe, hauling everything you can imagine.

Someday, I plan to visit New York City and spend a few hours in Times Square. Maybe then I’ll see what gave Hank such a bad opinion of New York.

But this week, all I’ve seen is a place that’s good for the Bassmaster Elite Series, good for the sport of bass fishing and good to the people involved with both.