I can't tell you how excited I am about the opportunity Bassmaster.com has given me with this column. My wife Bobbi and I — along with our son Mason and daughter Makayla — are excited about sharing our experiences on the road with all the great fans of our sport.
With this column I’ll not only be sharing some great tips to help you catch more fish, but also a behind-the-scenes look at life on the Tournament Trail as we camp our way through the 2013 Elite Series.
There’s only one problem. I don't know what to name the column. So, I’m going to leave that up to you.
Give me your best name for our column, and if it’s selected you’ll win a prize pack loaded with good fishing stuff, including a Wright and McGill Victory reel, several bags of Tight Lines UV plastics, some Trokar Hooks, some Gamma line and a Chapmaniac T-shirt. Just post a comment to this blog with your suggested name, and I'll pick a winner before next week’s entry.
I could write a book after the 2012 season and last week’s experiences, but I'll keep it short and sweet.
First, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our family, friends and fans. All of your texts, emails and Facebook messages mean the world to me, and I hope to get the chance to thank each of you individually.
We had a great homecoming in Lake Quivira, Kan., from our neighbors and friends and a couple of television crews. It’s something my family and I will never forget.
The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of Year title is just starting to set in. As I sit here typing this, I’m looking at the Bassmaster Open, Elite Series and Angler of the Year trophies, and I’d be remiss if I didn't say it's been an incredible year for the Chapman family. What's funny is we wrapped up the season on Sunday last week, and on Monday we were already scouting next year’s schedule.
We headed up to the St. Lawrence River and checked it out. It's a huge place, and that tournament should be a lot of fun for us fish and for fans to watch.
I'll get a lot more in-depth in future columns, but I wanted to introduce the column to you right away and find a good name for it.
So, what should be the name of the column?