CLASSIC Snowboating

Some of the 53 contestants in the BASS Masters Classic, which begins today, are trying to make themselves believe that this year’s championship in northeastern Oklahoma in February isn’t about the weather.  Yeah, right. It isn’t about the 20 degrees weather or the wind chill factor of near ZERO or the snow or the frozen trolling motor props, frozen fingers, boat compartments frozen shut or the…well, you get it.  Just one look at the boat at the right . . . Trust me — It is about the weather. I have

One of the Classic anglers wrote in the snow in his boat before leaving to go fish….

been blessed to fish as an observer in the BASS Classic 15 separate times and had a chance to do it this year, but boy am I glad I did not. Just seeing the picture made me have to go put on my jacket – and I’m sitting in the house. I can’t imagine flying down Grand Lake in a bass boat at 70 miles an hour just to sit in the boat and watch somebody else fish.  Not any more. Maybe when I was 30….

But back to the tournament. Some of these guys will somehow catch a bunch of fish. They are good. But the weather WILL play a huge part in it. There’s a great quote from H.L. Mencken: When you hear somebody say, ‘This is not about the money,’ then it’s about the money. . .”

So, when some of the anglers say this Classic isn’t about the weather….it is.  The three-day Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees event runs through Sunday. You can keep up with pretty much  EVERYTHING going on at the Classic at this on-line “blog” about the Classic:

http://www.bassmaster.com/blogs/2013-bassmaster-classic-live-blog