Imagine being a football fanatic with the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl, and experience all the festivities, would you take it? I mean, you can catch all the backstage action and schmooze with the pros, but you still wouldn’t miss a second of the game.
That almost sounds too good to be true, but it doesn’t have to be, in the sport of bass fishing, since the Classic is in Houston this year — and you could be there too. No, this it’s not some silly pitch or gimmick to get you to the Classic, but rather an urging to be a part of something all bass fishermen wish to be included in. It’s an opportunity to make memories that are irreplaceable, and it’s on most anglers’ bucket list.
Gone are the days where attending the Classic means missing out on the action that is happening on the water. With Bassmaster LIVE, BASSTrakk, the live blog, photo galleries and videos, staying updated has never been easier. If you are on the showroom floor checking out all the booths at the expo, roll on by and watch Tommy Sanders, Mark Zona, Davy Hite and guests break down the action from the water in real time.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
My first Classic experience was the 2010 Lay Lake Classic and I can still picture every detail of Beeswax Creek, and the prominent competitors that fished those hallowed waters. I’m thankful to this day that my father took the time to get me involved in bass fishing and especially experiencing the Classic in person.
For a 15-year old angler, zeroing on a tournament day was basically the end of the world, but after seeing some of the best anglers in the world struggle in person encouraged me more than I ever could have imagined. Talking and listening to the best in the world after a humbling day on the water was one of my personal highlights, because those five-minute conversations keep my head in the game to this day.
It’s magical, the Classic is just magical and it’s hard to describe it in greater detail. One angler gets his life changed forever, and at the end of the week the fans in attendance get to see the champion crowned and paraded around the coliseum with his family.
This year in Houston, however, the winner will be paraded around a professional baseball stadium, that’s surreal if you asked me.
Seeing the Classic in person breeds some hopes and feelings that watching at home can’t quite generate.
Just like Justin Lucas readily talks about, visiting the 2005 Classic in Pittsburgh made him want to be a part of it even more. Now, Lucas is going to his third Classic, and as become a prominent figure in the sport. He’s probably one of the anglers that younger guys can best relate to, or even hope to be one day.
Young, old, poor, rich; it doesn’t really matter if you’re at the Classic. That single event unites an entire community of anglers of all skill levels and mixes them together, as the best in the world do what they do best.
My first day of work for Bassmaster.com was at the 2014 Classic at Lake Guntersville and I’ll never forget that day. I also won’t forget my first Classic experience on Lay Lake either. Every year since has been different, but equally memorable.
As a 23-year old bass-fishing fanatic, I circle my calendar for the big dance every year and I could be as excited as many of the anglers actually fishing the Classic, because it genuinely means that much to me.