A Tale of Two Knoxville Classics

We’ve now had two Bassmaster Classics on the Tennessee River in Knoxville. 

Both took place in March. Both were tough tournaments where a pre-tournament favorite ended up winning, albeit in very different ways. Both had huge crowds. 

Beyond that, there were some major differences. Most notable was the fact that the 2019 iteration was the last “pre-split” championship, and as a result the fields were quite different. The first was won with largemouths, the second was won with smallmouths (plus a bonus “meanmouth” hybrid). 

But for me, the biggest change is summed up by the two photographs below. 

In this one, I’m standing next to 2019 Champ Ott DeFoe, with the trophy. 

In this one, both Hanna and I are standing next to 2023 Champ Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson, with the trophy. 

Yes, the world has changed since that first shot. As noted above, many of the former Elites left to form the Bass Pro Tour. The COVID pandemic arrived, lingered, and has since dissipated. But for our little family, it’s all about this business that we started in March of 2020. Ott’s win was the last one when Half Past First Cast did not exist. It was the last one before Hanna “officially” joined the fishing industry. Yes, before then she’d sold some trips to Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos, but 2020 was the line of demarcation as to when she became a full and equal partner in “my” fishing career. It was when our fishing retirement dreams really took shape.

Of course, before then, even though she was not writing or worrying about content, she was effectively a partner in any success than I enjoyed. It was her attention to detail around the house, and willingness to help me chase my dreams, that enabled me to take this ride. After the site was created, however, she became a frontline participant.

Our skills are complementary – I think we’d both agree that I’m still a faster and better writer (of course, I have a long head start on her), but she brings certain “soft” skills to the enterprise. She’s better at dealing with people, more patient and more tolerant of their perceived shortcomings. She’s willing to make all of the annoying phone calls that drive me nuts. She’s better with design.

For a long time, I’ve sung the praises of the Elite Series wives like Shelby Gustafson who give up some of their dreams in order to help their husbands achieve success. They stand behind the stage, they worry over Bass Trakk, and they take care of the non-glorified errands and tasks. They’re typically unsung heroes.  

It just took me this long to realize that I benefit every bit as much from Hanna’s support and efforts. I feel like I’m hoisting a Classic trophy every day.