PALATKA, Fla. — Never has there been a B.A.S.S. tournament weigh-in like the one that took place here Saturday. The show was backstage. The excitement started building at the weigh-in tanks as word spread that Rick Clunn had 30-plus pounds in his boat, which was parked at the dock.
After they weighed in, almost every Elite Series angler walked down to the dock. They formed a crowd around Clunn’s boat and shot photos and videos of him, just like weigh-in spectators do with them.
Clunn, who will turn 70 on July 24th, had done it again, and no one needed to tell his fellow competitors how special this was. When Clunn finally loaded not one but two weigh-in bags, Skeet Reese carried one of them from the dock to the weigh-in tanks backstage.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Reese said. “He’s the reason I fish. I could cry now.”
And he did cry.
Seeing Clunn, the legend and a four-time Bassmaster Classic champion, have another big day brought out the gamut of emotions.
“I just love it,” said Randy Howell, who was still waiting to weigh-in as Clunn walked up backstage. “We all love Rick Clunn. We were all talking about it back here. Everybody that’s in this line is pulling for him. You’ve got to pull for him because he’s the great American fishing hero to all of us.
“He doesn’t have anything to prove, but he still wants to learn and get better at the sport. That’s what you have to admire about him. He’s the sentimental favorite for sure.”
Ish Monroe was in-line backstage next to Howell and echoed those thoughts, saying, “I love it. I think it’s the most awesome thing. Anytime Rick’s doing good in tournaments, I root for him. Even if I was ahead of him, I’d still be rooting for Rick Clunn. It tells you about our sport.
“I’ve got shakes and chills like I caught that bag. It just makes you feel good.”
Clunn’s five bass weighed 31-7, to be exact. He will enter the final day of Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River presented by Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels with a 6-pound lead over second-place Greg Hackney.
Kevin VanDam is 48. Clunn was the angler upon whom he modeled his fishing style, one that’s led KVD to four Bassmaster Classic crowns and seven B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year titles.
“He’s the original,” VanDam said. “It’s cool to see. Some say Roland Martin created pattern fishing, but I modeled my style of pattern fishing based on things I read about Rick’s style. My style and his style have always been the same. It’s about efficiency and trying to find the most productive lure on that given day under those conditions.
“He used to do this all the time. Obviously he’s still got it in him. You don’t lose that.”
Said Jason Christie, who will be fishing against Clunn in the Top 12 finale Sunday, “I’m happy for him. If anybody was going to catch 30 pounds, I’m glad it’s him because he’s The Man.”
To appreciate how long Clunn has been doing this with legendary success, you have to go to one of the younger guys on the Elite Series, like Justin Lucas, who won’t turn 30 until May 1. Lucas was second in the standings until Clunn knocked him down a notch at the end of the weigh-in.
“It’s awesome,” Lucas said. “I’m not even bummed. That’s really freaking cool.”
As a youngster, Lucas’ bass fishing heroes were guys like Reese and Aaron Martens, not Clunn.
“He was too old when I was looking up to guys,” Lucas said. “Aaron and Skeet were looking up to him, and I was looking up to them. I’m like third generation, so it’s pretty neat.”
When told of Reese’s emotions, Clunn said, “Skeet has always called me his father. I take that as a huge compliment. Way back when Skeet first started, he’s always treated me like I was his dad.
“That’s the kind of thing you can’t put into words. That’s probably more special than catching 31 pounds. The most important thing, whenever you get to the end, is that people respect you and respect what you did.”
If there was any question about the respect his fellow Elite Series anglers have for Rick Clunn, the answer was written on every one of their faces Saturday.