Go to the Classic!

Fans walk the floor at the 2016 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo.

I have mixed feeling about our upcoming GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. On the one hand I’m disappointed, and on the other hand I’m excited.

My disappointment comes from the fact that I’m not going to be fishing it. After qualifying for six in a row it’s killing me not to be there. I can assure you that I’ll be thinking about it the whole time I’m in Houston.

On the fishing level it’s like going to the dentist for a root canal — painful but unavoidable.

Despite that, I’m really excited about the opportunities that I’ll have without the pressure of competing. There will be plenty of time to meet and greet our fans, meet some of the legends of our sport, talk fishing, hear stories about my baits and see all the new equipment and tackle that’ll be displayed for the first time.

I’ve been told that the square footage of the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods this year is the most ever. That means there’ll be more of everything I just mentioned. That’s important, I think. The Classic is the showcase of professional bass fishing. It should be big.

The meet, greet and talk part of it is especially enjoyable to me. I’m a professional in the industry. I fish, and I make lures. That doesn’t leave much time for small talk, something I like to do at times. 

The thing about the Expo is that almost everyone there has an interest in, and some knowledge about, fishing. That makes the conversations informative as well as fun. None of us knows everything about how to catch a bass. We all learn from those conversations.

And how much fun is it to meet one of the legends and take a selfie with him?

The equipment and tackle displays are pretty neat, too. No matter how long we’ve been doing this we don’t really know everything that’s happening, not even with our sponsors. There’ll be stuff there that no one ever thought about, not even in their wildest dreams. Some of it will be useful and some of it just plain crazy. Either way it’ll all be interesting.

I really want to see the two new models of Bass Cat Boats. I know they’re working furiously to get them finished so they can put them on display. Even though they’re one of my sponsors, I don’t really know all the details about what the new ones will look like and what changes they’ll make on them. In truth, I’m dying to see what I’ll very likely be driving next year. 

In addition to the boats — all the major makers will be on display — there will be lots of other awesome new items on display like the brand new Raymarine Axiom depth finders, the new Missile Baits 48, the latest SPRO cranks, my signature line of Cashion Rods, the new Jack Hammer ChatterBait by Z-Man, the General Tires that a bunch of pros run and much, much more.

I know you’ve heard this a thousand times, but I’m going to say it anyway: Go to the Classic! It doesn’t cost much if you get a couple of your friends together, split the gas and motel and walk around for a day or two. And remember, there’s no fee to get in so that’s a plus. You can’t say that about very many big sporting events. Seriously, take advantage of the Classic this year.