MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — You’d think a university chancellor would be doing a number of things other than checking on campus parking.
But then there’s Dr. Robin Myers, the chancellor of Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH). When the Elites were arriving for Wednesday’s angler registration, he was checking outside on workers overseeing the Elites parking their rigs. That was all fine.
So, he was asked how his campus came to host the Bassmaster Elite at Bull Shoals/Norfork, which kicked off Thursday with students still attending classes. He worked with chamber of commerce folks and B.A.S.S. and said the school, its beautiful buildings and grounds, were a great fit.
“I think they wanted to try to fish both lakes and this is the midpoint,” Myers said. “Bull Shoals is about 12 miles that way, and Norfolk is about 8, 9 miles that way.
“It just was a midpoint and a place where they can have the kind of production they’re going to see here. We really don’t have adequate spaces lakeside to do the big concert and community festival.”
There is ample room at ASUMH for a concert, and they booked a dandy in local singer/songwriter Trey O’Dell, who was on Blake Shelton’s team on “The Voice.” He opens Saturday night’s event for Backroad Anthem, another Fayetteville, Ark.-based act.
Myers said O’Dell is originally from Harrison, about 40 miles down the road, and his mother works in Mountain Home.
MATH NOT AMONG STRONG SUITS
Photographer James Overstreet has what most would call good relationships with the Elites — some are even brotherly.
Maybe that’s why he’ll bust them out when they mess up. JO’s mission Wednesday was to get the pros to guess the weights, starting with the total for the event winner then dividing it between the two lakes.
Example: 64 pounds total, and 36 (18 a day) came from Bulls Shoals, then 28 (14 a day) would be caught at Norfork. Simple, right? (I double checked those, so don’t bother).
Overstreet was ranting a bit on how the 30-second task took “way too long” for nearly everyone. JO wouldn’t bust any one particular angler out, but he ended up telling a number that they might be able to catch fish, but they sure do stink at math.
‘BULL HOLE, NO FOLKS,’ WHAAT?
As usual, Gerald Swindle had a funny take on the dual-lake event, describing it thusly in a video he took while riding around on a practice day.
“I’m on the lake Bull Hole,” he started out. “Fished over at Lake No Folks yesterday … Going to be an interesting derby. Fishing one lake one day, next lake two days, last day on another lake.
“I got confused. I might even go to Table Rock. I might even go to the Arkansas River just to keep practicing all up and down through the big ole mountains.”
Yes, the new format has caused anglers some confusion, but most have figured out logistics, if not the fish.
WHAT’S WITH THE FLOODING
Seems just every other time B.A.S.S. announces a tournament, that place gets flooded.
It happened with Grand Lake and the 2016 Classic, then it hit Winyah Bay and now Houston, where the 2017 Classic will be held on Lake Conroe, has experienced horrible high waters.
MITCHELL FLIES INTO PICTURE
Photo of the Day (above) usually goes to one of our guys on the water. How about over the water? Chris Mitchell did helicopter duty Thursday and provides a birds-eye view of Lake Norfork.
From experience, it’s cool duty, but not the easiest. Actually kinda stressful since you feel you better come up with some awesome shots. With the camera bouncing, maybe one of every five shows motion or is bumped out of frame. And not many are that fortunate to capture a fish catch, but Mitchell had some miraculous timing with Davy Hite. Nice.