Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pros who fail to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic typically work for their sponsors at the Bassmaster Outdoors Expo during the tournament. I was one of them at the most recent Classic.
While it stung to sit on the sidelines, I loved meeting the fans, especially the kids. But no Elite angler dreams of working at the Expo. We all want to be on the water competing.
I heard a story about former Elite Series pro Scott Rook. Whenever he failed to make the Classic and worked at the Expo, he would cut a piece of carpet from the Expo and keep it in his boat over the next Elite season. That gave him extra motivation to make the next year’s Classic.
Every Elite pro longs to win the Classic and hold that big trophy over their head. You claim a substantial cash prize and being a Bassmaster Classic champion can invigorate your career for years to come.
Then again, it does so much for your career just to be fishing in the Classic. You have to regularly punch your ticket to bass fishing’s biggest show to survive in this sport. It’s not enough to do scads of social media and work hard for your sponsors.
Sponsors want to have their guys in the hunt with a chance to win the Classic. Any time you qualify for the Classic, it’s a huge boost to your resume.
I’m especially disappointed about missing this year’s Classic because the Tennessee River in Knoxville has similarities to fishing around the house in Arkansas. It reminds me of Lake Hamilton, which has shallow docks, power swing banks and dirtier water, as well as opportunities to score big with forward-facing sonar.
A wonderful upside to working at the Expo is sitting back and hanging with our fans. The fans at Knoxville were unbelievable. When the Expo’s gates opened, throngs of them rushed in. It looked like Black Friday.
I spent all three days of the Classic running from one display to another at the Expo, meeting fans, signing autographs and burning through Sharpies. I truly enjoyed it.
Several of my sponsors displayed at the Exoi, including Ranger, Bass Pro Shops, Z-Man, FXR, Power-Pole, Yamaha and Garmin. I set a schedule so I could spend one or two hours a day with each sponsor.
At most stops, I signed autographs, chatted with fans and took pictures with them. At the Garmin booth, I also did mini seminars. Many of my seminars were about Garmin’s new Spy Pole, which makes forward-facing and 360 sonar more effective and efficient.
When you’re on the road fishing Elite Series tournaments across the country, it’s easy to forget that being a professional angler is more than just catching bass. The fans at the Expo let me know I have a lot more support than I realized.
One fan who stopped by to meet me was from Australia. I don’t know if he lived in Australia or moved to the United States from that country. Either way, I never expected I’d have an Aussie as a fan.
He kept up with my fishing and knew everything about my stats. He was one of many fans who mentioned my rough start last season and said things like, “You’ve got this.” and “You’ll turn it around this season.”
Those comments were heartfelt and humbling. They also lit a fire under me to get after it this season.
