I just attended one of the most exciting competitions I’ve been to with Monster Energy. The event, the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Supercross Final, took place at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Mo., in partnership with Bass Pro Shops.
I don’t know much about dirt bike racing. While watching the race at the side of the track, it was crazy to see how good the riders are and how fast they rip past you.
The YETI Open bass tournament on Table Rock Lake also took place the same weekend. Presented by Explore Branson, it boasted $400,000 in guaranteed prizes and payouts. I wasn’t allowed to fish it. The tournament was for amateur anglers only.
We did our own little Monster tournament just for kicks. I partnered with Hudson Deegan, the younger brother of Hayden Deegan, one of the world’s top dirt bike riders. Hudson does tricks and stunts on electric bikes, and he’s really good at it. He also loves fishing.
Hudson told me he grew up in Florida, and that he used to catch big bass in a pond next to his home. He was fired up to get on the lake with me because his involvement with dirt bike racing has prevented him from fishing much over the past few years.
We landed a bunch of keepers and undersized bass, throwing a minnow and a drop shot. I was on Scope and Hudson was casting around the boat. He went bananas every time he hooked a bass, regardless of its size. He caught his biggest bass, a 2 1/2-pound smallmouth, after I told him where to throw over a brushpile I could see on forward-facing sonar.
I was fishing with someone who’s world is completely different from that of a professional tournament angler. But we both have a passion for fishing. I’m grateful I had an opportunity to share the excitement of fishing with someone who doesn’t get to do it as often as they would like.
I brought my truck and tournament boat and displayed them in front of the Monster booth at Fanfest, which is like the Bassmaster Classic Expo. A lot of people from Branson who stopped by were avid bass anglers. I also talked to other folks who had never seen a bass boat up close and personal. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to those who had different backgrounds and interests.
I had made plans to fish with Levi Kitchen the day after the final race. He’s one of the best riders in supercross. I met him a few years ago when he came to a Bassmaster Classic. He’s a good dude who owns a bass boat and loves bass fishing.
Our fishing trip never happened because Levi was the big winner at the race. He was too overwhelmed the next day doing interviews to get on the water with me.
I’m leaving tomorrow for Edmonton to attend my first UFC fight. Cody Chovancek, one of my fishing buddies I mentioned in a previous column, will be fighting there as a bantamweight.
