Classic Action Begins This Morning

Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

Hardly a newsflash that the Bassmaster Classic begins this morning, I know. If you're a bass fishing fan at all, your social media news feeds are likely full of posts from outdoor media sorts, companies and anglers who are in Tulsa right, and that might even include posts from Classic competitors, who are only a few hours from blasting off on day one!

I mention the Classic not in an attempt to deliver news but simply because it's on my mind this morning. I often attend the Classic in some media capacity, and if I was in Tulsa I'd likely be getting ready to drive out to the launch or even on the way. Many of my friends are there this week, either covering the event for some media outlet or working the show for some company. I've been in the boat with about 40 percent of the competitors at some point, so that familiarity certainly adds interest.

I'm content to not be there. Tulsa is a long ways from here, and I travel plenty. Also, while I certainly am a fan of professional bass fishing and enjoy being in the middle of a big event, given the choice, I'd rather spend my days away from home fishing than covering tournaments. Nevertheless, there are aspects I miss, and you can be that I'll be peeking at blogs and will track the results, and while I'll be driving to Florida on Sunday, I may end ups stopping somewhere with internet along the way to watch the final weigh-in on the computer.

If you want to track the action, visit bassmaster.com and you'll find a host of options for following everything going on. Or you could make a last-minute call and drive to Tulsa this weekend!

Great Crowd for First Classic Blast-Off

Cold was obviously no deterrent to Oklahoma bass fishing fans as hundreds came out at first light to watch Bassmaster Classic competitors blast off despite temperatures hovering right around 20 degrees. We arrived an hour before blast-off and folks were already there in big numbers, watching boats launch and positioning themselves for the blast off. Headed back to Tulsa now.

Make a Guess; Win a Boat

 

Any guess how many lures are in the aquarium pictured above? If you're Classic bound this weekend, be sure to stop by the Gene Larew booth to study the tank and submit your guess. If you're still wavering about Tulsa travel, this is just one more argument in favor of making the trip. You see, on Sunday afternoon, some contest participant is going to become the new owner of a Legend Bass Boat.

 

The contest, sponsored by Gene Larew Lures, Legend Boats, Honda Marine and Tulsa radio station 98.5 KVOO, actually will give away as many as 98 prize packets on Sunday, with the top prize being the boat but others including weekend fishing trips with pros and guides to places like Lake Fork and Grand Lake itself. The way it works is that you submit a guess on Friday or Saturday during the Bassmaster Classic Expo at the Gene Larew, Legend or Honda booth. On Saturday night all the entries will be combined, 98 names will be randomly drawn and those 98 will be informed by phone. If you get picked, you have to be at the Larew booth at 12:30 on Sunday, when prizes will be awarded to each of the 98 in attendance. The would-be winner who is there on Sunday and whose submitted guess was closest to the actual number of baits in the tank takes home the boat, a Legend 186 bass boat matched with 150 horsepower Honda motor.

 

Making the guessing game extra interesting, lures stuffed into the 10-gallon aquarium range from small profile crappie baits like the Bobby Garland Baby Shad to Gene Larew El Salto Worms, which are a full foot long. You can bet that a lot of folks are going to spend a lot of time studying that aquarium and doing some serious thinking this weekend.

 

For more about Gene Larews Lures' special Classic activities, visit www.genelarew.com



Gene Larew Baits: See How They are Made

Have you ever wondered how a lure company makes plastic worms, crappie grubs or other kinds of lures? If you'll be at the Bassmaster Classic next weekend, you need not wonder anymore. Gene Larew, which is based in Tulsa, is opening the doors of its 22,000-square foot manufacturing facility and warehouse on the mornings of Thursday, Feb. 21 and Friday, Feb. 22 from 7-10 a.m. for an open house that will include tours every half hour. See for yourself how Larew bass baits and Bobby Garland crappie baits begin their lives in Tulsa.

The open house events, which also will include a "Bass Talk Coffee Shop," visits by bass pros and crappie pros and a live radio remote Tulsa's own  KVOO, help celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the Larew Salt Craw. Visitors will be treated to Daylight Donuts and will leave with a complementary packet of Salt Craws.

For more information, visit www.genelarew.com.

Classic Fun for the Whole Family

Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.

If you've been pondering whether Tulsa and the Bassmaster Classic might be within range for a day trip or weekend excursion, it's probably time to get more serious about those thoughts. The competition begins a week from today, and the pros are actually on the water right now for their first official practice day!

Only you know your schedule and how travel costs work, but the cost of the actual events are pretty tough to beat (Classic Outdoors Expo and Weigh-ins are free), and if you're even somewhat of a fan of fishing, the Bassmaster Classic is a mighty cool place to be. Cool enough from my experience that I'm hopping in my truck and driving about 700 miles to Tulsa next week!

Looking past the grand championship event itself and the chance to watch anglers compete for half a million dollars and the sport's biggest title, the Classic Outdoors Expo offers big-time fun for the whole family. One hundred eighty exhibitors will be showing all that's cool and new in fishing inside the Tulsa Convention Center, with everything from the newest lures to bass boats to big trucks on display. Lots of stuff is interactive, and many companies feature give-aways.

There's also no better place in the world to meet bass pros, including many of the biggest names in the sport, than on the expo floor. You'll find pros in virtually every booth and see others just walking the floor. Virtually without exception, from my observation, pros on the Classic floor are eager to talk with fans, sign autographs and join fans in photos. Of course, there are 53 guys who hope you won't get to meet them on Sunday, after the field gets cut for the final day of competition.

This year's expo will also feature the Outdoor Games Village, which will include the Shakespeare Kids Outdoors Challenge. The challenge, which is aimed at youngsters, offers a series of hands-on activities like casting games and a fishing skills course that combine learning and fun.

For details on the Bassmaster Classic and Classic Outdoors Expo, visit the attend page at Bassmaster.com.

Converging on Tulsa

The migration has begun. Big Show, Ike and college champion Matt Lee are among the Bassmaster Classic Competitors who posted about Tulsa travel plans yesterday. I trust several others will move that way today and that  by tomorrow, most (if not all) of the field will be in Tulsa or at least en route. I'm not sure when they have to arrive or when official Classic practice begins, but the real thing starts a week from Friday, so you can trust it's all seeming very real to all the anglers who are headed to the dance.

Meanwhile, media folks, pro anglers, fans and the host of folks from companies that will take part in the show that accompanies the Classic are scrambling to get things done at home and to prepare for the main event, with their own travel plans not that terribly far away. I know I am. I leave a week from today, and by this time next Wednesday I'll most likely be in Alabama. When I look at stuff I'd like to accomplish before then, a week doesn't seem very long.

Making things ever more real, the first day of competition is now on the Tulsa 10-day forecast. High of 54. Low of 31. Big variances in the highest highs and the lowest lows between now an then though, with conditions ranging from warm sunshine to snow. We'll see soon!

Classic Attire

As I look toward the Bassmaster Classic travels, I'm not sure whether I'll need short sleeves and a ballcap or a parka and a beanie. Recent days' Tulsa temps have ranged from the low teens to the mid-70s, so there's really no saying what the weather will bring. I'm driving and can tote all the junk I want, so I'll be prepared either way.

I can't imagine trying to figure out whether the fish will be in a winter or spring pattern and knowing that what happens during practice could be completely different from what happens during competition days. Fish move a lot based on weather this time of year, and their behavior changes dramatically with passing fronts. Most pros I've talked with are going with a mindset of expecting cold and sort of planning for that, figuring they can more easily adjust to familiar and comfortable spring conditions than to expect spring and have to adjust the other way.

It's currently 48 in Tulsa. Lowest low in the 10-day is 26. Highest high is 64. The competition begins two weeks from today, so the 10-day brings us to the very beginning of Classic week, when official practice begins. I'm guessing most competitors are watching the Oklahoma weather every day, and with a lot more on their minds than what clothes to bring!