The bass fishing industry converges on Tulsa, Okla., this week for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro. Oh, yeah, it’s Classic week.
Here’s a little rundown of what’s up in Oklahoma – basically, how the week will go down.
The off-limits that began at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve ended Friday morning. The Classic qualifiers have been on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees searching for the winning pockets of fish from dawn Friday to dusk Sunday. Monday is an off day except for a group of anglers will visit St. Francis Children’s Hospital.
On Tuesday, the anglers will go to the Hyatt Regency in downtown Tulsa for registration and the angler meeting. After showing their documentation, such as Oklahoma fishing licenses and boat insurance, the 55 men will go around a room full of sponsors and pick up an enormous haul of SWAG (I was always told that acronym stands for “stuff we all get,” but I sure don’t get the goodies those anglers do – of course I didn’t qualify for a Classic, either).
As some point, the JM TV crew will take photos and conduct interviews for both the weigh-in shows in the BOK Center and the Classic shows on ESPN2. Bassmaster.com will document the arrivals with various content, starting with entries in the Classic LIVE Blog.
Then tournament director Trip Weldon will discuss rules everyone is expected to follow during the derby and answer questions. The last time at Grand, strictly enforced no-wake zones were a hot topic. Then local officials spoke to the anglers, including one asking them to keep an eye out for a boater missing for more than a month.
That’s sad, but true. Same thing happened last year at Lake Hartwell, only that time it was a kayaker missing. And in 2015 during Sunday’s practice, David Walker pulled a man from the frigid waters and took him to awaiting emergency personnel at a nearby launch ramp. Brandon Ardister, whose boat had sunk, recovered from early stages of hypothermia in about a half hour and went home. He later attended the Classic weigh-in where he met Walker, who received a commendation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Dramatic, but everyone hopes there’s no repeat of any of that stuff.
Wednesday’s final practice serves as somewhat of a dress rehearsal. B.A.S.S. officials put the anglers through their paces of leaving and returning at their allotted time, then making the trip back to Tulsa.
Later that night, Aaron Martens will be feted as 2015 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. Called Night of Champions, but often referred to as Classic Night, it’s a red carpet banquet in Martens’ honor at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, another sponsor of the Classic along with Visit Tulsa.
While the high-tech Classic stage, with all its bells, whistles and fireworks, is being constructed all week, Thursday is Media Day, and the anglers will do a walkthrough at the BOK Center so they know the ropes of weighing in at the arena. Then they’ll head over to meet media, which numbered around 300 last year, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Expo Square.
Thursday night brings another fete, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction at the DoubleTree. President George H.W. Bush, a lifetime member of B.A.S.S. who had a great impact on sport fishing, will be inducted with Billy Murray, founder of the Bass Fishing Institute and twin to two-time Classic winner Bobby Murray, and Gary Yamamoto, founder of an innovative lure company.
Friday morning begins Day 1 of the competition, which launches from Wolf Creek Park. The 55 anglers start amassing at the Hard Rock Dock around 6 a.m. and blast off in two flights starts at 7 a.m. They are scheduled to return at 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
Fans are invited to watch the Classic anglers’ comings and goings free of charge at Wolf Creek. For those who venture out onto the water to watch, and we expect plenty, please be considerate. The lake is public water but those in the sport, as well as savvy fans, frown upon behavior that would compromise one’s efforts. Those include approaching too close, not turning off electronics, running over an angler’s spot, marking the waypoint then fishing it before the event is over.
There are free shuttles each morning from the Grove Civic Center to the park, where thousands came last time. In the afternoon, the anglers go through the B.A.S.S. bump station, where Max Leatherwood checks all the fish and forwards the report to Tulsa’s weigh-in stage. Among the best fan chances to get up close with anglers is along that bump station line.
Another good chance to meet anglers — although not those competing this week — is the Classic Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. It opens on noon Friday at the Cox Business Center, where nearly 150 vendors show their stuff in 150,000 square feet. The Expo hours are 12-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Concerned about parking downtown? Dick’s Sporting Goods has you covered with free shuttle service to the venues from its three outlets in Tulsa.
As always, fans will line up to get inside the BOK Center for each weigh-in, which are also free of charge to all. The doors open at 3 p.m. for Lifetime and B.A.S.S. Nation members, and at 3:15 for the general public. The first fish is expected to hit the scales at 4:30.
The details for Saturday’s launch and weigh-in are the same as Friday, although the launch order of the anglers will be reversed. The field will be cut to the final 25 anglers for Sunday’s final day, when somewhere between 6 and 6:30 p.m., one angler will lift the big trophy over his head with fireworks and confetti flying.
At 8 p.m., there will be a Champion’s Toast.
Stay with Bassmaster.com to keep abreast of all the happenings. The newest way to follow the tournament is Bassmaster Classic LIVE, which airs each day of competition from 7:30 a.m. CT to 1:30 p.m. CT.
ANGLERS GRAND STANDING
Chris Zaldain arrived at Wolf Creek Park on Thursday and above shows the calm before the storm.
“There’s an eerie feeling down here,” he wrote. “This is probably the largest boating facility I’ve ever been to and there’s not a trailer, truck, boat, banner, logo, crew member, or fan in sight.
“In just a few days, the Bassmaster Classic will be hosted here and it will bring the most traffic this launch ramp will ever see.”
That’s certainly true, and he’s one of 55 who hope to send a long shadow over the proceedings there.
MARTENS’ MADNESS
The Natural, harrumph. Sure, Aaron Martens might be that, but he’s showing more and more the hours and hours of work he puts in.
Last year, in reeling off his third Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, Martens often reported getting only around four hours of sleep each night during tournament weeks. His wife, Leslie, even said the one thing she really pushes on him is to get more shuteye.
Now, he details his extensive pre-season tackle prep, where he’s going 12 hours a day. Check out the lengths he takes in his column, where he calls his efforts necessary madness.
Y’all think this could be his year? Seems like he’s put in the time.
LANES SWING FOR GROVE ECONOMY
Chris Lane, the 2012 Classic champ, and his older brother, “Big Fish” Bobby Lane, who was runner-up in last year’s Classic, got to Grove early, had some free time Thursday and used it to swing for Grove’s economy.
They did their part in helping the Classic’s estimated $27 million boost to the region by spending the day golfing at Patricia Island. Doesn’t look like they rented clubs, but winter green fees with cart go around $33 each, and they probably had a meal or two, bought some tees, golf balls. So, could the Lanes’ one-day expenditures total $400 in economic benefit?
No, probably not on face value, but an economist might say $400 is about right. They might not have spent a little more than $100 total, but their money will recirculate in that community, passing from local worker to local worker.
Good job, guys.
GETTING THERE PART OF FUN
The excitement of going to the Classic turned hairy for several anglers who had to drive through the white stuff. Of course, the bass guys are usually OK; it’s the other guys they have to look out for.
For his first Classic, Brent Erhler didn’t fight snow, but he did have one of the longer drives, a three-day trek from Redlands, Calif. While monotonous, he also called the 1,400-mile ride “sort of therapeutic.” Want to see why? Check out “The calm before the storm.” The photo below looking back toward where he was is rather striking.
CULLING
- A number of Elites stopped off at JM’s offices on their way to Tulsa to conduct interviews. James Overstreet got into the action and took some cool impromptu shots of the guys.
- Kevin VanDam, whose absence from last year’s Classic was his first in a quarter century, is back this year and among the favorites. He reported he’s in pretty good shape physically and mentally after a trip to the Amazon had him helping portage boats and equipment nearly a mile into backwaters where the big peacock bass live.