One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a professional fisherman is the interaction with fans. This could be at a seminar, a trade show or during a tournament’s weigh-ins. All this will come together in a couple weeks when BASSfest comes to Lake Texoma.
This event is part of our Elite Series schedule, but it’s like no other regular-season tournament. It’s more like a mini Bassmaster Classic with more vendors and sponsor booths set up to display products — and more access to the pros.
The BASSfest schedule includes an off day and that’s a great opportunity for fans to learn from Elite Series pros as we conduct fishing lectures and seminars. These educational events are free to the public, so if you want to hear one of your favorite pros teaching specific topics, it’s likely happening.
On the broader scale, I think the geographic location of BASSfest is unique in that it’s been a long time since we’ve had an Elite event in this part of Texas. We’ll be close enough that we’ll give the fans from Dallas, Fort Worth, Wichita Falls and Oklahoma City the opportunity to experience a major bass fishing event.
Even though the Classic was held in Tulsa, Okla., the southern part of the state really hasn’t had access to the pros within a day’s drive of their home location; they’re going to get it here.
BASSfest is also a great opportunity for fans to watch their favorite pros on the water and see how they attack a lake that they fish regularly. That’s a particularly relevant point because Texoma is virtually an unknown to most of the Elite Series pros.
I only live three hours from Texoma, and I’ve only fished two tournaments ever on this lake and both were more than 20 years ago. There are a few pros like Edwin Evers and Jeff Kriet who live not too far away and have vast history on the lake, but for most of the pros, that’s not the case.
I think this will be enlightening for fans to see how a fresh mind analyzes your home lake, breaks down each of its parts and attacks it.
Now getting back to that off day, I want to stress what a great opportunity this is, not only for the fans to learn, but for us to enjoy talking with people who are as passionate about our sport as we are.
That’s the great thing about bass fishing — the pros are more accessible than in any other sport, so if you don’t get your question answered, it’s your fault! But seriously, we enjoy talking fishing with our great fans, so BASSfest is a great week all the way around.
One thing I can say is that, while the pros are generally open to discussing whatever fans want to discuss, a handful of topics tend to come up on a repetitive basis. I think that’s good because it tells us what elements of the sport most interests fans.
Here are a few of the questions that fans most often ask me:
1. What knot do you use to connect braid to fluorocarbon?
I probably fish braided line more than anyone on tour, so I can tell you that I use the double-uni knot a lot, I use the Albright knot quite a bit, and I use the surgeon’s knot. But if you come to BASSfest with a piece of braided line and a piece of fluorocarbon, we’ll sit down and we’ll tie those knots together.
2. How do you approach an unfamiliar body of water?
This is a broad topic, but my plain and simple answer is this: I look for the biggest flats in the lake that are 10 feet deep or less and then I try to find the pathways, the creek channels, the ditches and the edges of contours that lead in and out of that flat. I also look for isolated cover and other irregular features.
On any lake, those giant flats will hold the most vegetation and the most life. Small life attracts big life, so this is where you want to start. This is a formula I’ve used all over the country when I’m fishing a fishery I’ve never visited before, and it has served me well.
3. How do you fish a YUM Dinger?
Most people know how to fish these soft plastic stick baits in the spring time — you rig it weightless and fish it in the shallows. But sometimes, it’s not as easy when you’re fishing it in deeper water.
My simplest advice is that the deeper you fish it, the heavier the weight you need to put on it. In the summer, I’ll commonly use a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce weight with a Texas-rigged 6-inch Dinger. It’s a little bulkier than the worms the fish commonly see out on the ledges, but you’ll often get bit by the biggest fish in the school.
Another trick — something that’s a little out of the ordinary is I’ll take a 4-inch Dinger with an ounce or a 1 1/2-ounce weight and use it as my punching bait. I’ve learned that the Dinger is a good shape that bass like, so if you can figure out how to use it in places the average guy doesn’t throw that shape, it will work to your advantage.
One more point about BASSfest concerns courtesy during competition. On land, I encourage fans to walk right up to the pros and ask their questions. On the water, I’d suggest staying at least 200 yards off any of the competitors.
Remember, this is not like golf, where it doesn’t matter how close spectators get to Phil Mickelson — the hole is still there. In our sport, if fans get too close and too aggressive on the water, the hole that we’re trying to achieve is going to leave.
I hope I get to meet a bunch of fans at BASSfest. Come up and shake my hand and let’s talk fishing.