Bass Fishing is Cool
“All I wanted was for those three bullies to understand that bass fishing’s cool.” — Mark Zona
Some people giggle when I tell them Pete and I are attending the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction banquet. They’re ignorant about the sport and don’t understand its important in our lives. Think of it like this, I tell them: Imagine attending Michael Jordan’s, Derek Jeter’s or Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. They are the best of the best in the sport you love, just like the inductees of the BFHOF. Now, isn’t that the COOLEST?!
The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization led by a volunteer board of directors and is dedicated to celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing. So cool and so much more.
This year I came a day early and helped prepare for the gala. I set up things for the silent auction, organized and even helped make a Rick Clunn lure shadow box that went for just under one thousand dollars in the online auction. Kudos to Steve Bowman, Todd Ceisner, me and Rick Clunn. How cool is that?!?!
Before getting to a short video of the evening, let me tell you who was inducted and a little about them.
Fred Arbogast – One of the most creative innovators of fishing lures in the history of sport fishing. If you fish for bass, there’s a good chance you started with one of his lures. How cool is that?!
Mike McKinnis – Played a key role in development and production of live streaming bass fishing programs. Now we can see the action instead of waiting for the written summaries. Really cool.
Skeet Reese – 8-time B.A.S.S. winner, 2009 Bassmaster Classic champion and 2007 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. I know him for his yellow rods that I’ve caught the majority of all my fish on. So cool.
Alfred Williams – First African American to qualify for the Classic and to be inducted into the BFHOF. He fished his first local bass tournament in 1975 in Mississippi in the beginning of the post-civil rights movement era. Cool is an understatement.
Mark Zona – Grew up being bullied about fishing until the bullies watched the COOLEST hookset of Mark’s life. He then went on, in his career, to teach the world that bass fishing is COOL!
Everyone at the Bass Fishing Hall dinner is smiling and happy. There is no competition, just camaraderie, and it really is the coolest event of the year.
