Packing for a Classic Roadtrip

Well, it is just about time for a big road trip to what has been called the Super Bowl of bass fishing tournaments, the BassMaster Classic.  I’ll be in an old truck.  It worked for Scott Brown.

Okay, my truck does not have 200,000 miles on it but it does have that trademarked early Silverado look of the missing lower front bumper skirt and one daytime running light always out.  I hear Alabama had some recent snows.  My truck is not 4-wheel drive so I’m going to haul some 4-cavity cinderblocks across state lines.

MapQuest says I’m looking at an 11-hour drive from OK to Birmingham.  Yes, I could have flown and picked up a rental at the airport.  But unless I’m on Alaska Air, a significant part of fishing is the road trip.  So not only am I loaded with tunes, but I have a package of several comedy CDs that I have never heard.  This Christmas gift from 2008 has a label warning about strong language, so it has not made it past the Chipmunks on the play-list in the minivan.

Fresh off a nerve-rattling 20 seconds with Coach Bobby Knight, I am still not sure what I’m getting myself into. Media from all over the country will attend and there will be 3 days of coverage on ESPN.  Last year over 100,000 people attended the Classic Expo.  However, since visiting my first bass tournament on Lake Dardanelle in early 2009, I have now met (or e-mailed) some famous pro anglers, editors, and media members. They have been a very approachable, helpful, and friendly group. And they have been very kind to put up with some of my unusual questions.  (You should have seen Skeet’s face when I asked him if he had a crazy aunt who sends him chocolate bobbers.)

A morning media boat ride is scheduled for Day 1 but I have been reading that Lay Lake is cold so I’m packing long johns and Carhartt overalls.  Also hoping to throw in a line from the shore one day so I’m bringing a couple of spinning outfits and a small tackle bag of spinner baits, jigs, and assorted plastics.

Whatever happens at the Classic I will return with stories, a media card full of digital pictures, and some gifts for my wife and kids who have been greatly supportive of my fishing and writing habits. It has also been helpful to have an understanding employer that lets me have a couple of days off when needed.  Thank you!