Recently, I had the opportunity to serve as a Bassmaster Marshal for the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier. It was an opportunity unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in bass fishing. Whether you’re a B.A.S.S. member that wants to experience the Bassmaster Elite Series up close and personal or a tournament angler that wants to fine-tune your craft by observing the best anglers in the world, I highly recommend taking advantage of this unique opportunity to serve as a Marshal for an Elite Series event.
Think about it… What other professional sport can you have a front row seat to an athlete on the job working his/her craft and you get to closely observe and play an important role in the action?
The idea
I have enjoyed fishing my entire life. I grew up fishing with my grandfather, my father and my friends; however, I have never had the desire to tournament fish although I am more passionate about bass fishing now than at any point in my life. I am a B.A.S.S. Life Member and faithfully read Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times when they arrive at home. I make an effort to schedule my work around Bassmaster LIVE during Elite Series events, and I am still trying to “beat Ronnie Moore” in Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing. I’d probably fit your standard definition of a B.A.S.S. nerd, and yet I thirst for even more.
During the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Season, I remember watching Bassmaster LIVE during a late-season event. I heard the team of Ronnie Moore, Mike Suchan, Mark Zona and Tommy Sanders discussing in studio that not every Elite Series angler on the water that particular day had a Marshal with him. Therefore, the BASSTrakk numbers online were not accurate.
What? Not enough Marshals? I was floored. I figured a front row seat to the Bassmaster Elite Series would have included a waiting list much like Green Bay Packer football tickets. I remember thinking right then and there, “I am going to serve as a Marshal for the Bassmaster Elite Series.”
Sometime back in late October/early November, just before Marshal Registration opened, I looked at the Elite Series schedule, compared it to my work schedule and factored in the logistics of travel. I was able to determine that my best opportunity to Marshal would be the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier. I went online and submitted my information and officially registered to be a Bassmaster Elite Series Marshal. I was pumped.
My wife was supportive from the beginning. I explained to her what the role of the Marshal was on the Elite Series, and she looked at me and said, “Oh, you’ll be perfect for that job! You have lots of experience being in a boat and not being able to catch fish.” I was happy to oblige her attempt at humor, particularly since the Elite Series at Lake Lanier took place over Valentine’s Day, and she gave me her blessing to be away from home.
Nervous excitement
The great folks at B.A.S.S. make sure you are well informed and prepared for the process of being a Marshal. The communication in preparation of the event was thorough and well organized. You have a waiver to sign as well as a form to sign stating that you have read and understand the rules of the Bassmaster Elite Series. You receive an email in advance regarding the BASSTrakk app which you are asked to load onto your mobile device prior to the meeting. Reading and understanding the Elite Series rules are a fairly simple process, but it does place a responsibility on you as a Marshal that you feel a sense of: “I don’t want to let anyone down or make any mistakes that would negatively affect the outcome of the event or an angler’s livelihood.”
They even send you a checklist of essentials to pack and bring with you. I certainly didn’t need the recommended sunscreen, but I did make sure to pack my Carhartt “Storm Defender” rainsuits and Costa sunglasses. Please note that the great folks at Carhartt make something for every element and condition, but you need to pack them in order to experience their high level performance. I somehow managed to leave my gloves at home which proved to be a rookie mistake. On the other hand, I did manage to pick up a face shield and made sure that I had a portable battery pack – fully charged – to have with me in the boat to ensure that I maintained a fully charged cellular device at all times.
Friendly welcome
When I arrived at the registration and meeting venue on Wednesday and walked inside, the reception was very welcoming. I was greeted by the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament Staff. I turned in my signed waiver and rules sheet, received my Marshal shirt and hat and each member of the staff expressed their appreciation for my willingness to serve as a Marshal for the event. The prized possession of the week, the coveted blue trophy, was placed at the end of the table for everyone to see, touch and take pictures of as they passed by. Next, I was greeted by Trip Weldon, Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament Director. That was really cool because Trip Weldon has handled more bass than anyone currently on the planet.
The room was filling up fast when I arrived and took my seat for the Marshal meeting. There we sat, young and old, rookies and veterans, all ready to receive our marching orders for the tournament. It was easy to spot the veterans in the room because they were trading stories of past experiences and renewing friendships and acquaintances. Once the meeting started, we were taught how to use the BASSTrakk app. If you’re still using a flip phone, the folks at B.A.S.S. have a limited number of BASSTrakk phones available for you to use. In addition to BASSTrakk, we were briefed on the process of Skyping, communicating with the folks at Bassmaster LIVE and taking photos and submitting content for Bassmaster.com.
The one negative in serving as a Marshal is that you’re not allowed to follow BASSTrakk, watch Bassmaster LIVE or keep up with your Fantasy Fishing lineup from the boat while serving as a Marshal. I did experience some minor withdrawal symptoms but nothing too severe.
In closing, we were told that the first 15 Marshal registrants were guaranteed the opportunity to Marshal for three days (Thursday-Saturday). The rest of us were only guaranteed Thursday and Friday; however, we could earn our way into Saturday as a Super Marshal. The media team at B.A.S.S. would identify 10 people to serve as a Super Marshal based on their photo submissions and content submissions during the first two days of the event. I decided at that very moment that my goal was to serve as a Super Marshal and go out on Saturday. “I packed for three days, why not make the most of the opportunity?” I thought.
Rick Clunn, flashbulbs and the text
Once we were dismissed from the Marshal meeting, we were given the opportunity to join the Elite Series anglers in their meeting with Trip Weldon. A feeling of “this just got real” came over me as I entered the room and saw all of the Elite Series anglers seated and receiving their instructions from the tournament staff. Rick Clunn, fresh off of his win at the St. Johns River just days earlier, was recognized among his peers for sacking up nearly 100 pounds of St. Johns River bass at the experienced age of 72. It was super cool to see the four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion up close and personal and rather humbling to realize, that at age 72, Rick Clunn has forgotten more about fishing than I’ll ever know.
The Bassmaster media team was actively moving about the room snapping pictures that would soon become galleries on Bassmaster.com. It was pretty cool to get to my hotel room later in the evening and see myself in the registration gallery on Bassmaster.com.
Moments after the conclusion of the meeting, there was a collective buzz around the room as each phone sounded the arrival of a text that told them of their pairing for Day 1. With a bit of nervous anticipation, I checked my phone to reveal a text that paired me with the runner-up finisher from the St. Johns River, Chris Johnston.
The Canadian, a Classic champion and an Open qualifier
Note: Out of respect for the three anglers that I served as Marshal, I will not be recounting any key baits or techniques or specific details of our day out, rather I will share a unique experience from our day that is only available to you if you serve as an Elite Series Marshal.
As I mentioned above, I drew out Chris Johnston on Thursday of the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier. I spoke briefly with Johnston prior to leaving the registration meeting only to introduce myself and find out where he wanted me to meet him on Thursday morning. He was very kind and assured me that we’d have a great time together the next day, and we did. A 15-pound sack on Thursday laid the foundation for what would become a Top-10 finish for the Canadian Pro that is the current leader in Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points after two events.
One cool story from Thursday. At one point early in the day, we idled into a pocket on Lake Lanier and noticed another Elite Series pro in the back of the pocket fishing docks. As we idled towards a particular dock with a pontoon boat parked on it, Johnston killed the engine, unhooked his PFD and took his place on the front deck of the boat. He dropped his Minn Kota Ultrex and with a spinning rod in hand, turned back to me and whispered, “There’s a fish under this pontoon boat that I found in practice. We’re going to get him and get out of here.” With that, he fired his bait towards the boat, banged it into the side of the pontoon, set the hook and put another fish in the boat before I could take my place on the back deck and take out my phone. I frantically logged the fish on BASSTrakk, took my seat and back out to the main lake we went. I looked at this 24-year-old fishing sensation and said to myself, “He just called his shot. That’s why Elite Series anglers are among the best in the world.”
“Do you want the truck or the boat?” I felt a case of the nerves come over me on Friday morning looking across the Skeeter/Yamaha office of 2002 Bassmaster Classic Champion and fishing legend Jay Yelas. I figured I had a better shot to shine in the wrapped Toyota Tundra than I did playing bumper boats around the dock with a group of anglers that had way more seat time in a bass boat than I did. I took the truck and Yelas tossed me his keys. Now get this, imagine yourself driving the Toyota Tundra of a former Classic Champion and Angler of the Year, and he’s riding shotgun in his own truck and you have to back him down the ramp between the likes of Stetson Blaylock and Jamie Hartman. I am thankful that the Tundra has big side mirrors, a large screen and backup camera and a back window that allows you to see forever. I backed that truck down the ramp among the Elite Series pros like I had done it on many occasions when the truth was, I had never done that in such a high-pressure situation. It’s no wonder why the Toyota Tundra, the official truck of B.A.S.S., is such a popular choice among anglers everywhere.
I had done a little homework on Yelas the night before in my hotel room and knew that he was going out in 60th place on Friday and needed a big bag to be in contention to make the 35 cut. We never could find the big bites on Friday, but I made sure to submit content on every catch and included notes on Yelas from his career as a Bassmaster pro. I wanted to make sure that anyone that tuned into the Marshal gallery at Bassmaster.com was able to learn a little something about the career of an angler that covers more than 30 years.
One last story on the day with Yelas. We pulled up on one of the many islands in Lake Lanier and began fishing down one side. The fishing was slow as we made our way down the bank, and I took a minute to allow myself to soak in the fact that I was watching a Bassmaster Classic champion at work. As we made our way to the end of the island, another boat appeared around the corner on the point just ahead of us. It was the crankbait legend himself, David Fritts. I smiled to myself and thought, “Where else could you be in the boat with a Classic champion and be sharing a point with another Classic champion?”
As we trolled towards the point, Yelas yelled over to Fritts, “You catching anything David?”
Fritts chimed back, “No, not yet. You?”
As we eased by, the two legends traded a couple of Lake Lanier tournament stories from 1990-something and then they fired up the engines and away we went. Where else could you have experienced such a moment than serving as a Marshal in the Bassmaster Elite Series?
I was very excited to find out that I had been selected as a Super Marshal for Saturday and was paired with Todd Auten. I knew a little bit about Auten because he’s a South Carolina angler (Lake Wylie) and I followed him in his previous stint at B.A.S.S. and his time with FLW. In a season that brought so much change to the Elite Series, Auten earned his way back to the Elites by qualifying through the Bassmaster Opens. Auten had worked himself into 16th place heading into the weekend and with 17-plus pounds on both Saturday and Sunday, left Lake Lanier with a sixth-place finish. When an angler is having a 17-plus pound day on the lake, the conversation in the boat is pretty good, and Auten treated me to a clinic on a variety of ways to catch bass.
Final thoughts – Jake Owen
I left the Toyota Bassmaster Elite at Lake Lanier and returned home having experienced three of the best days of my life in bass fishing, and I never picked up a rod and made a cast. The Bassmaster Marshal experience provided me the opportunity to experience professional bass fishing from a perspective that I had never seen and you cannot see unless you serve as a Marshal. I brought home invaluable information and insight that has already made me a better angler. I made new friends, lasting memories and have a connection with three professional anglers that I will carry with me forever.
I’m already looking at the schedule for my next opportunity. To become a Bassmaster Marshal, check out www.bassmaster.com/marshal.
“…And hold on tight cause it’s gonna be wilder than any eight second ride!”
‘Eight Second Ride’ by Jake Owen – 2006
