BIRMINGHAM, AL (February 22, 2007) We arrived in time to pick up our media kits and visit with some of the top names in bass fishing today like Rick Clunn, Lee Bailey Jr., Randy Howell and Mike McClelland. They are all very excited about the upcoming days of competition. With the warming weather trend, they believe that the local competitors have lost some of their advantage and putting them on a more level playing field. Clunn and Howell both believe that there will be a variety of patterns that will improve over the competition days.
When Rick Clunn was asked about the warming trend that ends Sunday pending severe weather, he had two things to say. "Fishing will explode", said Clunn. He also said that he wished that the whole tournament had severe weather because it cuts down on the spectator boats. The boats that are left are those that are passionate about following their Pro Anglers through this competition, and tend to remain at a safe distance and out of the way of the pro. Mike asked Rick what his thoughts were on controlling the spectators, Clunn replied "education". Although they have become less intrusive over the years, there is no replacement for educating the spectators in on the water etiquette.
All of the anglers are keeping a tight lip on their trade secrets and that is to be expected but, if you listen closely, you will hear a little more as you travel on the elevator with the likes of Mike Iaconelli, Denny Brauer, and Kev VanDam. They expect to have heavy weights and look forward to an exciting tournament.
This year the Classic Floor is filled with almost every company and product that you can imagine. The goal tomorrow will be to take an up-close look at some of the companies that are at the Classic this year to bring you a little closer to the Classic. We saw a variety of product lines. Present were Legend Boats, Vicious Fishing, MegaStrike, Lee Sisson Lures, Tru-Tungsten and many more. We are looking forward to talking with many of them tomorrow.
Be sure to check back through out the weekend as we will be adding live updates from the heart of the Bassmaster Classic as often as possible.
