One of the many things I like to do during the offseason is hang with friends, and when hunting is involved, it doesn’t get much better.
I recently spent a few days in the Illinois countryside with Bass Fishing Hall of Famers Kevin VanDam and Mark Zona in a hunting camp hosted by Strike King/Rather Outdoors folks Ken Eubanks, Rocky Kalsow and Jason McKee.
Man, what an experience. Given our hectic schedules – me with the tournaments and sponsor obligations and VanDam and Zona with their TV shows and sponsor promotions – it was an opportunity to kick back and just have fun away from the jobs we do. We each went home with a deer, but more importantly, it was a trip full of laughs – mostly thanks to Zona – and some good old-fashioned rekindling of friendships.
When I began my career as a tournament pro, VanDam was building a path to becoming the Greatest Angler of All Time. I remembered reading about him, how dominating he was and I got to see it first-hand.
When I was younger, I would have never dreamed we would become good friends and would someday be enjoying some laughs at deer camp.
It’s interesting to see how he’s made the difficult transition from becoming the most feared tournament angler of all time to semiretired and a host of his own TV show, The VanDam Experience.
He is pursuing his new career with the same vengeance he did when piling up checks and big trophies. And, like he did as a touring pro, he works hard to do a good job for his fans, followers and sponsors.
He’s a true professional and that part hasn’t changed. There was never any doubt he’d become a Hall of Famer and continue to conduct himself like one.
Zona was Zona – a good dude who likes to keep things light and has us holding our ribs laughing. As most people know, his Zona’s Awesome Fishing Show is one of the most highly rated and lively fishing shows on TV. He’s been successful because he is a naturally gifted TV personality who works incredibly hard and is a true student of the sport.
We really didn’t talk fishing much, nor did we discuss business. It was fun to bond with the Rather Outdoors people who are one of our biggest sponsors and good people. You really get to know someone better when you’re in that kind of environment, and they helped make the trip a lot of fun.
We hunted hard each day, then spent the evenings eating good food and swapping stories.
Zona was the first to tag out with a deer, so he managed the camp, cleaned and kept the farmhouse in good shape. He also handled the red meat cooking while VanDam took on the seafood dinner chores, and I handled the sides and whatever they needed me to do.
It’s not every day you have two Hall of Famers cooking for you at deer camp who also happen to be good friends who earned their iconic places in the sport of bass fishing.
