Attending the Incredible 2019 Bassmaster Classic

Bassmaster Live Broadcast with Tommy Sanders, Mark Menendez, & Mark Zona

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2019 Bassmaster Classic
Knoxville, TN

Knoxville Convention Center, Site of the 2019 Bassmaster Classic Expo

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WOW! WHAT A TRIP!

The 2019 Bassmasters Classic took place March 15-17 in Knoxville, TN on the Tennessee River. As several well-known veterans were competing in their final Classic this year, this Classic was expected to have a huge turn-out and be very entertaining. Many of the Elite anglers retired from the series in 2018 and were qualified into this one based on their AOY points from the previous season. Some of these big names include Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Mike Iaconelli, Gerald "G-Man" Swindle and many more long-time veterans that have won millions in the Bassmasters over the past few decades. Being from Wisconsin I was pretty excited when they announced a Classic was going to be held somewhat close, not in the Deep South states. This made for a short travel for what was going to be my first ever Bassmaster Classic that I would attend. During the Bassmaster Classic practice period, many anglers reported huge catches of large smallmouth bass, but in this river system they had a minimum size limit of 18" where the largemouth only needed to be 14". This made it very interesting as the quality smallmouth to win were there but would be very hard to complete a limit every day. At the same time the anglers targeting only largemouth bass would also be taking a risk as a 5-fish limit would not have near as high of a weight at weigh in. Local angler Ott DeFoe told the Bassmaster Live crew before the tournament that he felt a mixed bag of legal largemouth and a few giant smallmouth combined would be the way an angler would find himself a victory. As I monitored all of the Classic media hype all week, and the practice reports, I grew more and more excited for the upcoming flight down to Tennessee to watch my heroes weigh in at the world championship of professional bass fishing.

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Saturday March 16, 2019

Taking off from MSP International Airport traveling to Nashville BNA at sunset

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FLIGHT TIME

In the first week in December I was monitoring flight prices to Knoxville. Before I was able to book a flight, all of the rental cars in Knoxville we spoken for, as the Classic was drawing in a huge crowd this year. I checked around and my only other option was a flight to Nashville instead, 2.5 hours away from Knoxville. But at a $238 round-trip price, it was hard to complain about. The rental car at Alamo was very cheap, as well as the hotels in Knoxville about 15 miles from the Bassmaster event area. Just for fun, I re-checked flight prices on Wednesday of the Classic week, it rose to $498 round-trip. And by Friday it was at $1008!!! My flight was on time, and 1 hour and 50 minutes later, I was in Nashville, TN at the airport and ready to drive late at night to Knoxville!

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BNA International Airport (Nashville, TN)

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DRIVING TO KNOXVILLE, THEN OFF TO BED!

The drive to Knoxville went quite well, the traffic in Nashville was great and the late night arrival helped keep the traffic down a lot on I-40 heading East. As I headed that way, I noticed signs to several famous lakes on the way, Percy Priest Dam, Dale Hollow, Watt's Bar, etc. I knew I was in the middle of bass fishing country where legends like Bill Dance and Billy Westmorland rocked the fishing world when I was a kid. As I got closer and closer to Knoxville, I was getting more and more excited. The day that I was attending was the FINAL DAY of the world championship! Also our favorite angler Mike Iaconelli, who happens to also sponsor my son Alex with THE IKE FOUNDATION, was in and out of the lead all day on Saturday. He was in position to win his 2nd world championship going into the final day and I couldn't believe I would be there to watch the weigh-in if it happened. I arrived at my hotel and was in bed at 2:45 am. The morning launch was at 7:30am and at that point I would try and rest up so I would feel great for the expo and the weigh-in. I really wanted to see the launch but I knew that the lack of sleep would be very hard on me. I went to bed with intentions of sleeping in. Then at 5 am I woke up WIDE AWAKE and knew what I needed to do........

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SUNDAY MARCH 17, 2019

BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL LAUNCH AT VOLUNTEER LANDING IN KNOXVILLE, TN

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BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL LAUNCH 

The Launch or "Blast-off" at the Bassmasters is always a fun deal. The fans show up super early, similar to an NFL tail-gating party, to get fired up and cheer for their favorite anglers. What's really cool is that Dave Mercer (does this guy ever sleep?) shows up and emcees the early morning take-off, even though he works all day with ESPN2 updates and the long and energetic weigh-in! Its really neat to show up at the launch and have Mercer there getting the crowd fired up. I arrived at the scene hours early as I was so excited for this event, and there was already a large group of fans present. I heard that there were estimated 5500+ fans a day at the launch alone! The bridges in Knoxville looked incredible in the dark as the fast current rolled on by. The anglers families were there to cheer for their guy and give them good luck hugs as they started their day. ESPN2 was there interviewing Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam, Jacob Wheeler, Chris Zaldain, and of course Ott DeFoe as they were all fan favorites and in contention to win this thing. I was very fortunate to receive an invite to support Team Mercury on the Caliente Team fishing boat. We had a blast on the water watching the opening ceromony as sponsored anglers in our boat were wearing outfits that looked like Mercury Outboards. 

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BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL "BLAST-OFF" AT VOLUNTEER LANDING
IACONELLI, AVENA, LANE, FEIDER, VANDAM, & PALANIUK HEAD OUT

EARLY MORNING RISERS ARE READY FOR THE ANGLERS TO SHOW UP

OTT DEFOE IS INTRODUCED AND BEGINS HIS QUEST FOR A CLASSIC TROPHY

TEAM MERCURY PROFESSIONAL GUIDE DALE STROSCHEIN ON THE SPONSOR BOAT

JACOB WHEELER & MIKE IACONELLI HEAD OUT TO TRY AND BEAT THE FIELD

The 39' MERCURY TEAM BOAT THINKS NOTHING OF THE 250 HP BASSMASTER BOATS- INTRODUCING 1600 HORSEPOWER (4x400!!!)

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CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY BEGINS, SO DOES THE EXPO....

THE DOORS TO THE EXPO OPENED AT 10 AM AT THE KCC BUILDING

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As the anglers put in their first few hours of fishing, the doors opened up the the Bassmaster Classic Expo to the fans, a free admission trade show event with three levels of booths sponsors and products, as well as a huge remote show in the World's Fair Park. This event drew in the biggest names in all of bass fishing, as legends and current TV personalities make it to this show on an annual basis. People like Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker make it to this expo. Well known people such as the inspiring Clay Dyer, top FLW pros and MLF pros also show up as they work for their sponsors and promote their products. Unfortunately the Bassmaster Classic competitors that failed to make the final top-25 cut are also at this show which is a tough thing to do when they know they were there to compete and win. But for the fans its great to meet this people and interact with them. And of course, during the expo there is live filming by ESPN2 and Bassmaster LIVE streaming going on. A few rows over, Bass University and Ike Live are filming with guests all weekend long. And also The Ike Foundation has a booth with kids activities and charity work getting kids involved in fishing and the outdoors. The Bassmaster Live set is very neat, as Tommy Sanders, Davy Hite, and Mark Zona interview anglers and analyze the event live while watching their live stream on the water. Also Ronnie Moore and Mike Suchan fill in the crew with important information such as Bass Trakk updates on recent catches relayed from the on-boat marshal and recent video that the videographers captured on the water. Not to mention, the ACTUAL Bassmaster Classic trophy is there for all the fans to look at in person!

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TOMMY SANDERS & DAVY HITE BRING MARK MENENDEZ ON TO ANALYZE THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE WATER

MARK ZONA, HOST OF BASSMASTERS & ZONA'S AWESOME FISHING SHOW, IS THE REAL LIFE BILL "DOOGIE" 
​Just Kidding Z-Train

THE IKE LIVE CREW AT THE EXPO, BRIAN "THE CARPENTER" PETE "THE DEAN" GLUSZEK of BASSUTV, & ERIC "THE INTERN LEWINSKY" GUARINO

(TOP ROW) JOSH BERTRAND, THE JOHNSTON BROS, MATT LEE
(BOTTOM ROW) ANTHONY GAGLIARDI, SCOTT SUGGS, CLAY DYER, MATT HERREN, BASSMASTER NATION FEMALE ANGLER SAMANTHA GAY

FLW SUPERSTAR ANDY MORGAN, BASSMASTER ELITE HUNTER SHRYOCK, BASSMASTER LEGEND HANK PARKER

MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING SUPERSTAR AND FUNNYMAN JAMES "JMFW" WATSON (WORLDWIDE)

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2019 BASSMASTER CLASSIC FINAL WEIGH-IN

20,000 BASSMASTER FANS WAIT TO ENTER THE FINAL WEIGH-IN

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The big moment has arrived. Being so busy at the Expo meeting people and chatting, I never had much of a chance to see what was happening live on the water. The few times I was curious I just went over by the Bassmaster Live filming and saw that Ott DeFoe, Jesse Wiggins, and Mike Iaconelli all were fishing very well, with Ott & Ike catching big bass at the end. It appeared that Ott may have pulled off the victory but its never official until the bass are weighed on the scales, as most fish weights are estimated when the marshals enter them on BASSTRAKK. All 3 of these anglers are great people off the water, and I am so happy that Iaconelli finished off this event so strong. I picked my seat and was fortunate to be able to sit anywhere I wanted, so I chose a front row seat at an angle that I could see the stage very well. Also I wanted access to get up to the fence and shake hands with the winner during their victory lap. Before the Classic final weigh in, Bassmasters weighed in the College Series Championship as well for a bonus!

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THE BASSMASTER COLLEGE SERIES WEIGH IN ALSO TOOK PLACE

One by one, angler after angler were hauled to the stage in their boats. It seemed like almost all of them had a giant bass or two to lift out of the livewell for the crowd to see. As it got down the the Super Six, Jesse Wiggins was running with the lead. Mike Iaconelli came onstage with some great fish but fell short of Wiggins by a small amount. Ike had an awesome tournament and a great positive attitude on stage. And like always, no one gets the crowd fired up like him. He broke the tournament rules by throwing his jersey into the crowd then going for a stage-dive onto the fans crowd-surfing. It was a great moment for a fan to be there and see. The crowd went nuts for Iaconelli and he brought the entertainment that he is always known for. Jacob Wheeler weighed in after a fantastic weekend, and took the lead as he knocked Wiggins down to 3rd. The final angler was Ott DeFoe, and as he held up his two big fish, it looked pretty clear who the champion would be. Wheeler and DeFoe stood side by side as Ott beat Wheeler by nearly 4 pounds. The crowd went wild as the local boy Ott DeFoe became the world champion of bass fishing! His prize is $300,000 and a 37 lb trophy. His daughter went on the microphone and told the crowd that she wanted him to win because "he is the best daddy in the world" as she, Ott and pretty much the whole crowd started crying. Watching the trophy presentation live was a great sight to see as the confetti fell on Ott while he was hoisting up his classic trophy. 

AWESOME PHOTO BY JAMES OVERSTREET OF BASSMASTER MEDIA

PHOTO BY: ERIC "the intern" GUARINA OF IKE LIVE

PHOTOS BY: JAMES OVERSTREET BASSMASTER MEDIA/BASSMASTER.COM

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TIME TO CELEBRATE!!

MIKE IACONELLI HOSTED THE IKE LIVE AFTER PARTY FOLLOWING OTT DEFOE'S VICTORY

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When the show was over, Mike & Becky Iaconelli & the entire IKE LIVE crew hosted a Bassmaster Classic "After Party" to celebrate Ott DeFoe's Championship and so the fans could interact with the pro anglers off the water. This party was really cool, as all kinds of famous anglers showed up. Even Ott came through the party for a few minutes with his family, bear hugging his trophy, as we all cheered and gave him a standing ovation. It was awesome seeing his huge grin as we cheered him on in the hotel lounge area. There were so many awesome people there that showed up, including Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, James Watson, Scott Martin, Brent Ehrler, Aaron Martens, Chad Pipkens, Brandon Palaniuk, Wesley Strader, Brett Hite, Dave Mercer, and many more. We had a blast joking around together and everyone seemed to have a good time. I thanked Mike & Becky for all that they do for the fans and for the Ike Foundation and of course Mike had to give out a "man hug" in return. Here are a few pictures of the Ike Live After Party with the guys before I went back to the hotel to venture my way towards Nashville for my return flight:

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AND WHEN YOU PARTY "WORLDWIDE" IT GETS SERIOUS

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RETURN TRIP TO NASHVILLE

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Well, since I had to fly out of Nashville Monday evening, I figured I better leave Knoxville at 6 am and enjoy some sights of Music City. The first stop I made was at the Grand Ole Opry. I bought a backstage daytime tour pass to see the behind the scenes and learn some history about this place. It was a really neat 50 minute tour of a place where many famous events took place. We looked at where the artists enter, their dressing rooms, the "Green Room," behind the stage, the sound studio in which "HEE HAW" was filmed, and then we got to stand on the stage and be photoed by a professional. Being solo on this trip made me look a little ridiculous on stage in a photo, but whatever. At least I stood on the wooden circle that Elvis played on.

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ON STAGE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY

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A LITTLE NASHVILLE FREE TIME BEFORE THE FLIGHT HOME.......

OPRY MILLS BASS PRO SHOPS IN NASHVILLE, TN

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When I knew I had a few hours to burn in the area of Nashville, TN, I thought of three things that I must do. The first thing I HAD to do was find an excellent blackened catfish plate for lunch. That was done by going to Scoreboard Bar & Grill in Nashville. It was the best catfish I ever had and the wait staff was awesome, as expected being in the southern half of the country where people seem to show a little more respect and hospitality. 

BLACKENED CATFISH, CORN BREAD, AND BAKED BEANS
SCOREBOARD BAR & GRILL, NASHVILLE

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Number 2 must have accomplishment in Nashville. This one is obvious: climb into the General Lee and take some pictures!

COOTER'S PLACE HAS CARS FROM THE SHOW AND A MUSEUM/GIFT SHOP
NASHVILLE, TN

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I WONDER WHAT #3 WOULD BE???? HMMMMMMMM????

J. PERCY PRIEST DAM, TENNESSEE

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When you live in Wisconsin, where you have 2 feet of ice and 2 more feet of snow on top of the ice, you would have to be CRAZY to not throw a few casts from the bank TROY LINDNER style in beautiful 58 degree sunny weather. This is the first open water I have seen since November, so I was not going to pass up on this chance. Percy Priest Lake and Dam have several free access shoreline opportunities. The lake is beautiful, with chunk rock shores, decent structure drops near the shore, and pretty clear water. The word on the busy shoreline is that the crappies are the deal there. Only one bass angler was looking for stripers, smallmouth, or largemouth around the banks. But there were about 19 other anglers, all in pursuit of crappies. They all stated that the fishing was red hot pre-frontal last week and shut right down with this post-frontal beautiful weather we were currently having. That didn't stop me from buying a 3-day non-resident license and the goods I needed from Bass Pro Shops to build some Alex Piontek-designed James Gang BABY SQUID baits and a LOVERTAIL 2 right on the bank. I built my lures and hiked around for a few hours covering a lot of great looking water. I discussed my plans the previous night at the Ike Live party with Pete Gluszek, and he told me to focus on the current edges under the dam. I spent quite a while on the lake, then committed to Pete's idea under the dam in the current. Unfortunately I didn't find anything to bite, but I managed to spend a few hours in the perfect weather and enjoyed my final hours in Tennessee. I gave away my lures to a cool guy from Mississippi as TSA won't allow them to pass through security. It was a great trip that I will never forget, and I am so appreciative of the professional bass fishing world. Thank you Zona, Watson, Swindles, Iaconellis, Ehrler, The Ike Live Crew, Dale & Karyn, KVD, Scruggs, Matt Lee, Snowden, Scott Martin, Aaron Martens, John Murray, The Johnston Bros, Bertrand, Hunter Shryock, & Andy Morgan for being so awesome to me this weekend!

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J. PERCY PRIEST LAKE, TN