200 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic Presented by HUK

In the summer of 1990 I was home on summer break from college and while I’d subscribed to Bassmaster for several years, I’d never attended a professional tournament – or any tournament for that matter. When I read in the newspaper about the Bassmaster Classic in Richmond, Virginia, I decided to drive a couple of hours down the highway on my day off from work. At the event, I experienced the thrill of watching Rick Clunn weigh in a massive Day Three bag to claim his fourth Classic title.

While I became heavily involved in tournament fishing a few years later, I didn’t attend another Classic until 2004, when I obtained a media credential and had my mind absolutely blown by Aaron Martens. I’ve now attended a total of five Classics as a member of the independent media, and 11 working for the mothership at B.A.S.S. themselves. Including the Richmond jaunt, that’s a total of 17.

Of course, my view of the Classic is atypical – I rarely get to visit the Expo, which is open to the public, while I always “get” to go to Media Day, which is not. I’ve had the thrill of being the person closest to the winner when he caught the winning fish on several occasions, and I’ve also frozen my ass off in single digit temperatures. The pros greatly outweigh the cons.

I do believe that every red-blooded fan of the sport should attend at least one Classic. It’s our Super Bowl and Woodstock rolled into one. For one snapshot in time, a (usually) mid-sized city becomes entirely consumed by the relatively fringe sport of bass fishing. If you’re going to go, here are a few things to consider:

Where to Stay

Much about your decision of where to stay depends not only on your budget, but on which city is hosting the event. In some venues, like New Orleans, all three elements – the blast-off, the weigh-in and the Expo – are fairly close together. In others, they’re spread out. In my opinion, it pays to stay closest to the portion of the event where you’ll spend the most time. If you want to be on the water, stay on the water. If you want to go to the Expo for the longest periods of time, stay as close as you can to that building. Ideally the Expo and Weigh-In are close enough together that if you stay between them you can walk to both. To me that’s worth the extra bucks.

Of course, if you’re bringing a boat to watch from the water, that alters your options – the high-rise right next to the weigh-in or expo center will likely not be conducive to storing your fiberglass beauty, let alone charging the batteries.

Other Tips for L-I-V-I-N

If you’re staying close to any of the tournament venues, particularly in a cluster of hotels, and you want to eat somewhere in particular (BASS usually publishes a pretty good rundown of the host city’s options), make a reservation. Not unlike the Final Four, the best places are going to be packed with fishing fans, and unless you’re willing to wait a long time or get shut out, get your name in early (especially if you have a large group).

If you don’t already have the Uber app on your phone, put it on and familiarize yourself with it before you get to town. If your vehicle is parked at the hotel or in a pay lot, sometimes it’s just easier to leave it there and hop from attraction to attraction for a few bucks.

The Expo

Because I so infrequently get to visit the Expo, it’s kind of my dream, a perceived Candyland of new bassing gear and exceptional deals. Based on what I have seen and heard, I know that it tends to get really crowded, really fast. If you are at the first day of the Classic, I’d recommend going then. No matter which day you go, get there early, so you have time to get through the booths before they’re jam-packed with fishing freaks. If you’re really smart about it, consult the floor plan (usually on the Bassmaster website) before going, so you can hit your most critical booths first.

If you see Classic deals advertised on social media, or see something that you MUST have at the show, don’t wait on it too long. There likely won’t be any better deals on the final day – if anything, they’re more likely to be out of stock. Most booths will take credit cards, but it never hurts to have some cash, too.

If you’re going to be shopping for a bass boat in the near future, this may be the absolute best time to check out the different models, as you can expect all of the major manufacturers to be there.

One final note: On Sunday most if not all of the anglers who missed the cut to Day Three will be working for their sponsors at the show. Be sure not to ask them questions like, “Why aren’t you fishing today?”

Hanna Robbins at the Bassmaster Classic expo with St. Croix Rods and Anglers Inn International

The Weigh-In

Like the Expo, entrance to the Bassmaster Classic weigh-in is free.

The weigh-in is a well-orchestrated show, although it can sometimes seem to drag on for a while. That’s only fair – these guys have worked hard to get to the Big Show and deserve some stage time. For many of them, it is the highlight of their fishing career. The show itself is usually preceded by some musical acts and occasionally by gimmicks like t-shirt cannons and the like. Those by themselves aren’t really compelling to me, but I would stress that it’s important to get to the event early. Not only does that ensure that you will get a seat (especially on Day Three) but also that you’re likely to get a good seat. Watching from the nosebleeds is still exciting, but it’s not quite as good as being up close and personal.

Going to Blast Off

Watching the anglers blast off is easier in a place like New Orleans or Greenville than someplace like Grand Lake or Conroe or Guntersville where the ramp is over an hour from the weigh-in. Usually there is not much parking nearby, but there will be shuttles from dedicated lots. Like everything else, get there early. More importantly, wear seasonally-appropriate clothing and shoes that you can walk in easily on all types of terrain. At Grand in 2013 and Hartwell in 2015, temperatures were in the teens or lower, yet plenty of fans still showed up in the morning. I’m sure some of them were miserable because of poor wardrobe choices.

Also, while it’s cool to wave a sign or loudly cheer on your favorite angler or anglers, try not to distract the pros. This is their workplace, on what is possibly the biggest day of their career. If they head back to the truck or to the Porta-Potty, it’s ok to wish them well (not while they’re in the Porta-Potty) but leave it at that.

Observing from the Water

As someone who has watched a whole bunch of Classics from the water, it’s a bit hypocritical of me to say this, but I’d recommend that you avoid it at all costs. You can get more from BASS Live than you can from watching one angler. In fairness, I will admit that you can now watch BASS Live from the water so it’s not an either-or proposition.

I understand the desire of fishing fanatics and especially locals to get out there to watch the pros and learn. If that’s what you’re going to do, it’s a simple matter of the golden rule – treat them the way you’d want to be treated if you were fishing for immortality.

That starts with launching away from the action. If you suspect that one of the best areas is 20 miles up the lake, launch there and wait for them to trickle in. That way not only do you avoid the clusterfuck around the take-off, making yourself and others safer, but you save gas, wear-and-tear. You also don’t have to try to follow a 75mph rocket in freezing cold temperatures.

Once you’re on the pros, most spectators have learned to be self-policing. I believe that the few who continue to violate the basic unwritten rules simply don’t know them. Start by staying a fair distance away from the angler. Of course, a “fair distance” is situational. What that means on the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh might be different than at Guntersville. Try to anticipate all of the different ways the angler will fish – in/out of a cove, down a grass line, under a bridge, etc. – and stay out of those zones. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. Furthermore, turn off your electronics to keep them from pinging. Power Pole down if you can. It’s ok to yell words of encouragement, but nothing more: don’t break their concentration or otherwise distract them. Perhaps most importantly, don’t yell out any fishing information or advice, and certainly don’t tell them what Bass Trakk is showing.

When the angler you’re watching goes to leave, give them ample space to idle or run out of the crowd, as appropriate. If you want to follow them, take your time. I know that you want to show that you have the fastest boat on the lake, but you don’t need to get in their propwash to do it. You’ll likely be able to tell where they are from a mile behind.

I hope this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Once an angler leaves the area it’s not cool to fish there. In fact, it’s not cool to drive over and graph it and possibly disrupt the fish, either. Save that for another day.

Finally, bring plenty of drinks and snacks and more-than-adequate clothing, along with charging cords for your electronics. The days out there can go on a long time, and they seem longer when sitting than when you’re actually fishing.