Right now I'm in Destin, Fla., for an educational seminar at Bass Pro Shops. It's for all the Bass Pro managers. We're rolling out the 2010 products and I'm here to tell them how they work. Tonight there is a banquet I get to speak at, so I'm looking forward to that.
Last night was a lot of fun, too. I'm here with Andy Carroll from PRADCO, a gentleman named Ronnie (who is the chief tackle buyer for Bass Pro Shops) and many others. Andy and Ronnie were there for last summer's lunker fest at Falcon Lake where we caught the 50-pound stringer. We're having lots of fun reminiscing about that. On a Falcon note — something sad happened the other day. I went down to Zapata and brought the motor home back to Waco to prepare for the upcoming season. I usually leave it there during the offseason so I have a place to stay when I go down there. Bringing it home always means the fun down there is done until next year. It was especially hard to leave this year because my goal for this offseason was to try and top my heaviest bass ever, and I failed. I was close, though. I know with 100 percent certainty I had it on. Not fulfilling my mission means I will have to pursue it even harder next year.
Right about now is the transition into boat show season, I'm traveling and speaking more and making appearances and getting ready for next year. I got the new Skeeter FX rigged up and the Yamaha SHO broken in. It's slick. It does 77 miles per hour fully loaded with two people and a full tank of gas. Nice. I'm also getting all my tackle ordered and starting to get it organized for the Classic and the whole season. I like to get all my stuff for the entire season all at once so I can go through it and get it all packed. That way I'm most of the way done by the time I hit the road. I may get a thing or two here and there, but the bulk of it comes soon. This is also the time that I get a little stir crazy. I'm ready to get on the road again and hit the water. I'm really excited about the places we're visiting this year; it is a really exciting schedule. My anticipation for the Classic and next season is at an all-time high!