On Feb. 23, 2013, at approximately 3:28 p.m., Cliff Pace came through the bump station and the usually reserved angler from Petal, Miss., showed off. And rightfully so.
Most anglers leaving Grand Lake to head to Tulsa for the Day 2 weigh-in of the 2013 Classic just let Max Leatherwood look in their livewells to count their fish. Pace was one of the very few to pull his fish out and show the crowd at Wolf Creek State Park. But then again, Pace’s fish weren’t ordinary.
“I’ve always been one of the guys on the water who’s always been about getting it done,” said Pace, who catches his fish, unhooks them and promptly puts them in his livewell. “Once your time on the water is over, I don’t mind showing them – cater to the fans some. A lot of that goes on at the Classic.”
Yeah, if you’re confident you got ‘em. Paul Mueller did the same at Guntersville in 2014 when he whacked a Classic record 32 pounds, 2 ounces. He took them out to show somebody other than his Marshal. Who wouldn’t? Probably same deal with Pace.
Pace didn’t tally a record – he didn’t even have big bass of the tournament – but the pair of fish he showed were giants for the fishery. Pace pulled 7-2 and 6-13 largemouths from his livewell, garnering oohs and aahs from spectators who started to crowd around his boat.
Those two brutes helped Pace to the heaviest bag of the event, 21-12, and go into the final day with a 7-pound lead. Pace didn’t think he had won it, but he knew at that point he had an awful good shot.
“I was tied for the lead of the tournament after Day 1, and I knew I had a chance to win if things would go right the next two days,” he said. “I felt I had a chance to win after practice, but you never know how that goes. After going out and getting it to work the first day, I felt like I had a pretty legitimate shot.”
While Pace was thankful he tied Mike Iaconelli at 21-8 before jumping way ahead of his closest competitor, finishing the deal still stood between him and the Classic trophy. He had a gut-wrenching Day 3.
“I had a rough third day – I only caught four keepers. You never know if that’s going to be enough,” said Pace, who weighed 11-8. “I wasn’t sure until the final weigh-in.
“Grand Lake was tough. It was tough to get those big bites. I could get more bites fishing for smaller fish, 2-, 2 1/2-pound fish, but catching those really big ones was very difficult. I caught a few of them in practice. It was just a really hard deal to get those bites. And you didn’t know you were going to get them every day.”
They never came on Day 3, but his total of 54-12 topped Brandon Palaniuk by 3-4 and gave him the coveted title of Bassmaster Classic champion.
“It’s something I worked for my whole life to accomplish,” he said. “I guess now, I want to accomplish it again. It’s very frustrating to not be there competing this year.”
Coming off an injury that forced him to miss the 2014 Elite season, Pace suffered his worst season last year. Pace prides himself on consistency, like he’s done in earning checks in 77 of 110 B.A.S.S. events. He’s won three tournaments, been second four times and third once. In 2015, he only cashed in the first event in a season he described as disappointing and “very uncharacteristic of my career.”
While he’ll be in Tulsa for the Classic, much of his time will be spent in sponsors’ booths at the Expo to support the people who support him. And he’ll always be introduced as Classic champion.
“Having that classic title is something that goes with you everywhere you go, everything you do, everything associated with the sport of fishing, and it goes with you for the rest of your life,” he said. “Everyone who has ever won a Classic has obviously reaped some benefits – some more than others in different avenues, depending on their personalities and what they pursue.
“I feel very blessed to have won that title and have that title attached to my name, but at the same time, once you do it, I promise you, it makes you want to do it again.”
WATSON WINS, YOU WIN
If James Watson wins, you could win.
Watson, who won the Bass Pro Shops Central Open on Table Rock Lake to qualify for his first Classic, has teamed with sponsors to offer a contest that could give one fortunate fan $100,000 in cash and prizes.
The Watson4Win.com contest that launched this month simply asks fans to pick his exact three-day weight in the Classic … oh, and he needs to win. It’s kind of like hole-in-one contests in golf tournaments, Watson said.
“That’s the concept,” Watson said. “My buddy, Louie Keen, came up with the idea of it. He said if I get a chance to do well in a big tournament, you ought to do this.”
Ranger boats is Watson’s main sponsor and while they would be on the line to provide the winner a boat, they have acquired insurance in case he does win.
Watson, of Nixa, Mo., does have a shot.
“I love Grand Lake, and I love that my first Classic appearance will be on a lake that I am so familiar with,” he said. “I wouldn’t have a chance to be in this tournament if it wasn’t for great partners.”
While guessing a four-digit number – weight in pounds and ounces – is a 1 in 10,000 shot on the first try, estimating the three-day weight of around 20 pounds a day, which is what probably will be needed to win, knocks out a ton of permutations.
“I feel this gives people out there who haven’t been able to experience the Bassmaster Classic a reason to be a fan; even if it is just for the weekend,” Watson said.
Without much promotion, Watson said the free contest has already had 900 people register.
It might not be likely Watson wins and someone guesses his exact weight, but it is probable. It sure is a fun idea. (I think I guessed 62-4, so don’t price is right me.)
Go to www.watson4win.com to enter and for official rules.
AND THAT’S A WRAP
The past several couple months, anglers have been picking up their boats and having them wrapped. Many have gone on Facebook to show their new boat designs, and most show flair.
Wrapping a boat is a form of art, and Bernie Schultz writes about the rules and guidelines Elite anglers must follow – who knew they had so many requirements.
“Much like NASCAR, the Elite Series rulebook includes templates that tell us where certain logos must be positioned and at what size – both on our boats and jerseys,” Schultz writes. “The guidelines aren’t all that strict, but they are enforced.”
See what he’s talking about in his column, Pro spective, and check out photos in wrapping an Elite boat.
Once again, enlightening stuff, Bernie.
PICK WISELY, YOUNG PADAWAN
The 2016 season opens today – yep, B.A.S.S. Fantasy Fishing is up and running. Sign up, or in, and select your picks for the Classic.
Don’t know who to pick? Don’t worry. There’s a half dozen articles presenting the who, why and how come on picks.
Here’s a bit of advice. If fantasy football taught me anything, it’s to go with who brought you, and that means your big guns … the favorites … guys with good odds … guys who have won.
There’s been too many times, both in football and fishing, that I went out on a limb, chose someone to take the place of my stud, and was left crying when said stud did as advertised while my hunch went limp.
That’s when you kick yourself. “Awww, I knew I shoulda went with KVD.”
Uh-huh, you’ve said that too? Lesson learned.
But there are some outsiders I might … oh no, I’m doing it again.
THINGS DUCKY FOR POWROZNIK
Elite angler Jacob Powroznik spends the off-season doing duck season. He guides waterfowl hunters on Blandfield Plantation in Caret, Va.
Steve Bowman, who knows a thing or two about ducks himself, writes that Powroznik’s Classic preparations are more than just a “wing and a prayer.”
Bowman, who has authored “The Season,” a photographic look at duck hunting, captures a day in the life of Powroznik out chasing waterfowl in a compelling photo gallery.
CULLING
- You want to know from whence Gerald Swindle came? Then go to Locust Fork creek, where the G-Man fell in love with fishing. James Hall captures his roots as a kayak trip takes him back in time.
- Right here on the Internet, you can meet Elites. The 2016 anglers who will compete in the highest level of B.A.S.S. Check out all 111 in this photo gallery.
- C’mon KVD, we want to see pictures. Kevin VanDam writes about his trip on famed peacock bass fishery Rio Negro in the Amazon, but he didn’t offer any photos … yet. He was there with the Busch Amazon Adventure Sweepstakes winner yanking on some 20-pound fish to prep for the Classic.
- The Elites are out in full force. A good number of pro bass anglers are out at Bass Pro Shops for its Spring Fishing Classic, Feb. 12-21. There’s rod and reel trade-ins, free pro seminars, instant rebates and more. Check out Bass Pro Shops to find your store and the list of activities.
- One of the more popular Spring Fishing Classic contests is Smashin’ Smallies with KVD, Zona and Mercer. You can enter to win a fishing trip with Kevin VanDam, Mark Zona and Dave Mercer. The winner and a guest receive a two-day, one-night smallmouth fishing trip in Michigan. Go here to enter.