TULSA, Okla. – From “cardboard to Classic” is how angler Chris Dillow summed up his amazing story. Cardboard is where his story starts and Classic is where he’s at now.
His is a tale that should top “Things you didn’t know about Classic competitors.”
At 10 days old, Dillow and his twin brother were placed in a cardboard box on the steps of an orphanage in Augsburg, Germany. Almost two years later, they were adopted by an American family at the army base there and later moved to the United States, where they’ve both lived wonderful lives.
Their parents, Charles and Ann Dillow, gave them a great Christian upbringing, and that included camping and fishing trips with dad to the Shenandoah River. Chris, who started his own bass club years ago, said he feels fortunate that he’s not only alive and thriving in his business endeavors, but that this week he’s actually living out his dream of fishing in a Bassmaster Classic.
“The Lord has wrapped his arms around us,” Dillow said. “I feel pretty fortunate that I am so blessed.”
The boys were born in Munich and named Raimund and Wilfried in 1958. Their mother, they later learned, visited them in the Protestant orphanage, Evangelisch Kirchengemeindeamt, throughout their 23 months there.
The Dillows, who had tried to have children for years, went through a lengthy ordeal to adopt them, and changed Raimund to Christopher Lee and Wilfried to Curtis Wayne and brought them home to Waynesboro, Va.
“We couldn’t ask for better parents,” Chris said Tuesday as he waited in line for angler photos and interviews. “We’re just thankful to have a mother and father. At school when other kids would gripe about their parents, I would always tell them they were lucky to have parents – you should love and cherish them.”
Dillow takes his appreciation further. He said he is thankful his bio mother gave birth to him and his brother. They actually traced her down several years ago and discovered she had died in 2008, but they learned about her life and the names she had given them.
Chris and Curtis today trade off in taking care of their 87-year-old father. They won’t be able to make the trip to support Chris, but he knows his family has his back.
After graduating from James Madison University and becoming a hotel manager, Chris works a realtor. He said that keeps him from fishing a great number of events.
“Being in real estate, it’s pretty tough to get out and do the pre-fishing thing,” he said. “But I go for the win all the time. I just keep a positive attitude, keep my head down and keep on going.”
Dillow is considered somewhat of a ringer on the James and Potomac rivers, and there’s even a name for his winning lure – Dillow’s Perfect Jig. He qualified for this Classic by winning the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on the James River, and he’s been enjoying his Classic experience in Oklahoma.
“Oh, it’s been a wonderful time,” he said. “We just got back from where they gave us all these products. They’ve been treating me like royalty. This is special.”
ASHLEY’S WHIRLWIND TURNED TORNADO
His Classic title whirlwind turned into a full blown tornado, and while he was blown away at times, Casey Ashley had a fantastic year as Classic champ and would love to catch a second ride.
A couple weeks after he won the 2015 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell, Ashley said he never realized the dizzying demands. Now that he’s had a full year of being champ, we asked him to reassess.
“It’s been a good one, I can tell you that,” he said. “Everybody who fishes wants to win the Classic, but you have no idea of what winning it means until you do it. It’s not like you just win a tournament and it’s over. There’s a lot that goes with it.
“It kind of puts into perspective what the sport is really about. You’re kind of the face of the sport, so you get to see what it really means to uphold the name of bass fishing.”
He also sees why the Classic winner receives an automatic berth into the next Classic. Ashley said he’s been pulled in so many directions and had so much stuff on his mind, it was difficult trying to concentrate on the task at hand, even for someone as admittedly low-key as he is.
“I’m pretty cool, calm and collected, all the time,” he said. “After the Classic, I was talking on the house phone, answering emails on the computer and texting on my cell phone all at the same time. When you get up in the morning, that’s all day till 10:30, 11 o’clock at night.
“You lay in the bed and you’re thinking of all the stuff you have to do, making sure you don’t forget something. I had a panic attack and that’s not me. Your mind’s just racing all the time. I had a couple (attacks), you just wake up in the middle of the night, your heart racing, your mind racing.”
Ashley said he did get to do a lot of interest things, and among those was visiting parts of the country and with people he would not normally have met.
“Another part is finally meeting people you dealt with only by phone. You get to put a face with a name. That was a real cool part about it,” he said. “The first month is probably the hardest because it’s just something you’re not used to and you have to get adjusted. You’re constantly doing interviews – your obligations as far as appearances and times goes sky high.”
In the past, Ashley said he could remember all of his obligations, the when he had to where, in his head. He said he needed a log book this year.
One cool bonus, which he called the Triton pro staff incentive, was traveling to Triton CEO Earl Bentz’s farm in Tennessee and killing the biggest deer of his life. Another benefit was he launched his Classic winning bait, Casey’s Classic Runner, in August and sales are coming on strong.
Ashley did have some words of wisdom for the next first-time Classic champ.
“The next guy who wins the Classic who’s never done it before, you better hold on,” he said. “You better hold on cause you’re fixing to go into a tornado. But it’s a good thing. To prepare somebody for that, there’s no way to do it. Till you experience it, you never really know what goes on after that guy hoists the trophy it over his head. I had no idea, and I’ve been there and seen it happen.”
While his calendar year as champ is up – he’s getting a couple bonus weeks after the event was moved back this year – he’s not giving up on his shot at adding another year.
“Absolutley … but I’ll be more prepared this time, that’s a fact,” he said, before answering if he found the winning fish in practice. “I seen every one of them. I rode over the top of them – whether I can get them to bite or not is a different story.”
ZONA BANKS ON PROVEN WINNERS
Bassmaster TV host Mark Zona equates the Classic to The Masters in golf, so he’s going with the big guns to win the sport’s biggest event.
“You pick the cream of the crop – the lowest hanging fruit,” he said. “You equate it to the NFL playoffs, you equate it to any other sports’ biggest event.
“This is the venue where you pick the biggest stars that shine in our sport. For the simple fact, they understand how to win events, they understand how to handle media, they understand how to handle the pressure that goes along with the Classic.”
It is so difficult to pull the trigger on picking a dark horse, he said, and that’s why his choices to win this year on Grand Lake are the best and brightest of B.A.S.S. pros.
“You can read this and say, ‘Duh,’ but that’s what the Classic is,” he said. “To me, you pick the best fishermen on … the … planet. (pauses for dramatic affect)
“No. 1, it’s Aaron (Martens). Hands down. Bar none. Period. He’s the best fisherman on earth.
“No. 2 is two individuals. Our Classics have been dominated locally of late, so you pick (Jason) Christie and (Edwin) Evers. You can listen to them, look at them, watch their behavior. They both know the opportunity that’s in front of them. They’re not going to jack it up, or let any outside variables jack it up.
“And my last person … I’ve got to put VanDam on that short list. I think everybody thinks VanDam is eventually going to get No. 5. I think this tournament and the way they’re going to catch them are so in his wheelhouse … like really in his wheelhouse.”
Zona also wanted to clear the air on some misconceptions about the warm weather – there are flowers and leaves on some trees in Oklahoma already. Most thought a mild winter would turn this event into a slugfest, but he doesn’t see that.
“This is going to be one of those rare classics that’s a true case of the haves and the have-nots,” he said. “Many thought because of the all the warmer weather, they’re going to bite the side off of your boat. Nuh-uh. It’s going to a grinder and a change-on-the-fly event.”
And that’s mostly why he picked those four, the top anglers he sees having the experience, desire and versatility to win.
Zona also wanted it known that he’s taken a very serious, pointed tone about this Classic.
“I really don’t know why,” he said. “I hate to say it – I usually do my homework the night before, but I’m ready to get this one going.
“I have watched every second of Grand Lake footage I have in my house for the last 60 days. Like Ron Jaworski on NFL Live, I have studied my tape. And I’ll leave you with this; it will in no way, shape or form look like the 2013 Classic we had.”
CARD HAD BIG SCARE IN S.C.
Brandon Card received a huge scare, along with major setbacks, during his practice trip to Winyah Bay in mid-February.
Card ventured to Georgetown, S.C., to scout for the Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Winyah Bay and was injured in an auto accident with a drunk driver.
“I was going about 40 mph on a four-lane and coming up to an intersection, and out of the corner of my right eye I see this guy not stopping,” Card said. “He went through the red light at about 50, and I hit the brakes. He would have T-boned me.”
Their vehicles collided – both were totaled – and Card’s boat and trailer had about $3,000 damage. The other driver was hurt badly and taken to a hospital. Card believes he was charged.
Card reinjured his arm but said it’s healed now, and he had a major rush to get his boat repaired, buy a new truck and get it wrapped and ready for the Classic.
LIGHTING IT UP INSIDE THE BOK
The lighting and stage setup crew has a little fun as they prepare the BOK Center for the Bassmaster Classic weigh-ins. Not much looks done so far, but the crew is enjoying itself. The stage, lighting and fireworks always get done in time – these guys work around the clock if need be.