On Thursday, I woke up at an hour when I typically go to sleep. I dressed in four layers of clothing, comfortable shoes, gloves and a scarf. Trucks emblazoned with brand names pulling boat trailers passed in a convoy.
The Bassmasters Elite Series bass tournament kicked off at dawn on Clear Lake. The tournament is part of an eight-event series that”s spread around the country.
The tournament winds up on Sunday. The winner takes home $100,000.
Mark Lassagne, owner of the periodical, Bass Angler”s Guide, was kind enough to answer a myriad of questions that only a novice would ask and give me a close-up of the blast-off. The Star Spangled Banner played to fishermen and marshals who stood on the boats silently with hands over hearts. As the sun rose, blast-off began and 93 boats took to the lake. The announcer made statements describing the competitor on each departing vessel, such as “70 years young and still having fun.” One boat had Proverb 3:56 in addition to its sponsor logos. Curious ducks weaved between the boats under an orange sky. Approximately 100 spectators lined the shoreline. I counted how many times the announcer mentioned the quagga mussel program. I quit counting at 20, and that was before the sun came up. I was impressed with the social and environmental responsibility that all of those involved in the tournament presented regarding the serious ramifications of quagga infestations. Lassagne told me he had seen the fallout at Lake Havasu in Arizona and it was devastating.
Learning something new every day is one aspect of my work that I treasure. I learned that a great deal of those fishing the tournament, are from the south.
“East of Texas, about every third house has a bass boat in the driveway,” Lassagne told me.
Bassmasters Elite Series features the best professional bass fishermen in the world and will be televised on ESPN2. Big names in fishing, including Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli, Gerald Swindle, Shaw Grigsby and Skeet Reese of Auburn, who won last year”s Bassmasters Classic, are all competing.
Terry Knight, Record-Bee outdoors writer told me the warm weather means the big female bass should begin moving onto the spawning beds and that the water is clearer-than-normal.
This tournament is a real pro show with fisherman paying an entry fee of $5,000 per tournament entire amount $40,000 up front before competing. Aside from the expense, the pros also have to qualify. The Bassmasters Elite Series competing are full-time professional fishermen. From my vantage point professional etiquette was observed and understood.
I am fascinated by the language and jargon that accompanies familiarity of any specialty sport, hobby or occupation. I welcomed the opportunity to get a bird”s-eye-view of the culture of professional bass fishing.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee news editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 Ext. 32.
