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The crowd at Shreveport was incredible |
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The last few weeks have been exhausting. I went into the Classic feeling pretty good about my chances of winning. Just didn’t happen. Things didn’t work out and I left Shreveport very disappointed. It’s such a let down coming off the adrenalin rush, but that’s how the Classic is done. It’s all or nothing. I just have to pick it up and head to Lake Amistad. I love fishing at Amistad. Bobbi and I are down at Lake Falcon to get some relaxing fishing in before the tournament. The weather started out great and then a nasty cold front came though. The fishing is a little more work, but still fun. I’m off the do the BassPro shops seminars over the weekend and then back to Falcon.
, Here are some stats from BASS—
The Bassmaster Classic that concluded last Sunday set records on many fronts-----
Among them: * A record on-site crowd of 137,700 fans at daily tournament weigh-ins and surrounding festivities, obliterating the previous record set in New Orleans by more than 55,000.
* On Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPN.com, fans generated more than 12.3 million page views of bass fishing content between Feb. 18 and Feb. 23 - 64% higher than the same period last year.
* Live, streaming video of the daily Classic weigh-ins were presented on ESPN360.com for the first time, and fishing fans watched more than 1 million minutes of weigh-in coverage during the event. The Classic was one of the most watched sporting events of the month on ESPN360.com.
* ESPN's Mike Golic and Erik Kuselias helped kick off the Classic with a live broadcast of ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning from Red River South Marina last Friday. The live broadcast from the Red River South Marina was delivered to the show's 418,000 daily listeners on 220 radio stations nationwide and simulcast on ESPN2 reaching another 232,000 viewers - an increase of 31% vs. 2008.
* The 12 hours of ESPN2 coverage included a 3% increase in the Male 18+ demographic (.36 vs. .35) and in Male 18+ Impressions (337,309)
* From a media perspective, a Classic record, since ESPN purchased BASS in 2001, of more than 320 working media members attended the 2009 Bassmaster Classic. On-site media included publications such as The Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, San Diego Union Tribune, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Arkansas Democrat Gazette and Austin American Statesman. |
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We finally are in Shreveport and start fishing yesterday. I feel ready. After months of preparation and anticipation---It’s time to get to the BASS Master Classic. There are so many things running through my head. I am analyzing everything about the Red River. It would be great to get into some backwater---but I need an aluminum boat. Bummer! I will spend the next few days finding fish, checking water, seeing how much pressure areas are getting. There is so much that goes into making the best decisions for this tournament. I am always excited to qualify fort he Classic…But I really want the win. This is where you swing for the fence. Either it pays off big or t doesn’t. We’ll see how it plays out and I will keep you posted.
Thanks for all the support and well wishes. |
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Well, I got the truck and boat back. They have been at Image Transform getting wrapped with the UltraTech logos. It looks really good and with the times being tough…I am extremely grateful to have such a great company backing me. I think this partnership in a win-win and I look forward to representing them in 2009.
Now the boat is up at Show me campers and boats being rigged. I am getting all the last minute packages from Costa Del Mar, Zoom, Eagle Claw, Normark… pretty much everyone. Serious crunch time!!!!
I have lots to do this week and then off to the Classic. I’m getting psyched. Bobbi and the kids are ready to start travel and I am ready to compete.
We still have to load the camper, break in the boat, finish tons of things around the house…we almost feel more relaxed when we finally start travelling.
I can’t wait until I can actually start to blog about catching fish!! |
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How lucky I am to be living the dream |
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There is always so much to take care of right before we start the BASS Elite Series. It seems that Bobbi and I have way too much work and not enough time to get it all done. Of course we always manage to get it all done.
I dropped the boat and truck at Image Transform to get wrapped and it’s going to look great. My boat and truck with be wrapped by UltraTech Machine Shop. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent this company at the 2009 Classic and Elite Series.
As you all know, many companies are cutting back on their advertising budget. Without the sponsorship dollars…it is nearly impossible to compete in the Elite Series. Thankfully, I still have some great companies supporting me. The best thing I can do for my sponsors is keep my head in the game. My focus will be to catch fish and perform well in my tournaments so that I will generate media coverage. I have devoted much more time to working on tackle this winter and will enter the 2009 season more organized and prepared than previous years.
Let’s face it…most bass anglers are in this sport because we are competitive. We love the game. We love to be out on the water and catch fish. We love the outdoors. I am so grateful to be able to compete in bass tournaments for a living. This year I hope to keep the stress level a little lower and remember how lucky I am to be living the dream!! |
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The Fishing Part of my Job |
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BASS must have been tired of all the complaints. They changed our payout to a more appropriate level. We still have the cut to only 8 events, but the entries and payback are both went up. This is good news. I still plan on this year being challenging in many ways. The economy is down and the sponsorships are way down. That being said…I hope to win the Classic and not have to stress so much on the finances. I love to fish competitively. We leave three weeks from today. I am ready to get to the Red River and go fishing. I have been working on tackle and sponsorships for the last few months. I am ready for the fishing part of my job. |
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