Feeling good about the future

No matter where you went at BASSfest, where the grounds at Paris Landing included over 150 vendor tents, there was something that made you feel encouraged about the future of fishing, particularly bass fishing.

PARIS, Tenn. — In one tent, Jason Christie gave tips on how to catch fish in moving water, like at Kentucky Lake. Hint: Christie always keeps a spinning rod with a drop-shot bait on the boat deck to help get a school fired up.

In another tent, Ott DeFoe was explaining how he became a late convert in understanding the effectiveness of a swim jig. Hint: “It blew my mind how many fish I could catch in going back through an area I’d fished with a crankbait.”

On the Bassmaster Elite Series stage, Justin Lucas moderated a question-and-answer session with Kevin VanDam and Timmy Horton. The father of a high school bass angler asked them about the future of the sport, if the pinnacle had already been reached.

“The explosion of high school and college teams is by far the single greatest growth factor we’ve seen in the sport,” VanDam said. “I’ve been fishing for 25 years. To say we’re at the pinnacle? It’s just getting started.”

Horton echoed that, saying, “When you look at that age demographic – 16 to 25 – we’ve never had that. That’s what’s attracting non-endemic sponsors, like GoPro.”

No matter where you went at BASSfest, where the grounds at Paris Landing included over 150 vendor tents, there was something that made you feel encouraged about the future of fishing, particularly bass fishing. Friday marked the mid-point of this five-day event. With the top 50 pros in the two-day standings getting the day off, all were available for autographs, photos and answers to any fishing question imaginable.

“BASSfest to me is like a mini Bassmaster Classic,” said Dave Ittner, the tournament and pro staff director for Yamaha. “This event opens doors to many more people than we would reach at a normal Elite Series event. We bring extra boats. Our demo rides are up 26 percent over a regular tournament. We’ve sold two boats today. With this format, I’ve had 12 pros in the booth today that usually wouldn’t have a day off in a tournament.

“It’s all plusses for me. I wish we could do BASSfest at every event.”

Mark Copley of Strike King Lures had similar feelings. This location ­– at Kentucky Lake – was a particular attraction for his company headquartered nearby in Collierville, Tenn.

“We’ve probably sold more XD Series crankbaits here than any other place in the country,” said Mark Copley, the marketing relations manager for Strike King. “A lot of that is because this is such a ledge-fishing lake. Our football-head jig and structure jig are popular here, too.”

Like Ittner, Copley appreciated the chance to let the Strike King pro staff conduct seminars and mingle with the crowd at BASSfest. It’s just not an opportunity that presents itself in the middle of a normal Elite Series four-day tournament format. Six Strike King pro staff members made the top 50 at Kentucky Lake – Kevin VanDam, Andy Montgomery, Keith Combs, Matt and Jordan Lee and Jonathon VanDam. All stayed busy Friday, visiting with bass fishing fans.

“Our pros have been so instrumental in helping us design the baits we need to have and fine-tuning them,” Copley said. “We have a vested interest in B.A.S.S. This is an opportunity we couldn’t miss.”

So how does Jason Christie use a spinning rod with a drop-shot bait to fire up a school of bass? Well, you should have attended his seminar.