Cut Day at the Classic:
Who Will Come Out Victorious
by Bruce Callis Jr
And suddenly, day 2 of fishing at the Bassmaster Classic is in the books. A beautiful, warm day with windy conditions. Some anglers sought out areas that were protected from the wind, some braved the conditions. It made for a very interesting day indeed. In the end, it was cut day and only the top 25 anglers would move on to Championship Sunday with an opportunity to be crowned the 2023 Bassmaster Classic Champion.
Jeff Gustafson, your day one leader, brought in another great bag of 5 bass weighing 17 pounds 3 ounces, for a two day total of 35 pounds 11 ounces and retain the lead by 5 pounds 12 ounces over 2nd place John Cox who brought in 15-11 for a total of 29 pounds 15 ounces. Bryan Schmitt came in 3rd with 29 pounds 13 ounces and Drew Benton came in 4th with 28 pounds and 6 ounces. Bryan New rounded out the top 25 with a total of 16 pounds. Keith Poche just missed the opportunity to attempt to win two tournaments in one week, coming in at 26th with 15 pounds 15 ounces.
Championship Sunday should be a very interesting day. Will someone make a charge with a huge bag? Or will Jeff become the first Canadian to win the Classic Championship? Only tomorrow will tell. How will the pressure effect him?
One thing is for sure, so many pictures are taken during the entire event. The Pros that aren’t out fishing, but are working the Expo, they get to see all the fans. They have a schedule to keep of what sponsor booths they need to be in and when. It is difficult for them at times as they want to please their fans as well. And this year, the fans were so lucky to once again have some of the MLF Pros in attendance. An added bonus for the fans of fishing itself. And then there are the pictures that the media take. From being on the water and taking shots from a distance, to when they are waiting in line to enter into the arena to lift their bag out of the livewell. And once they enter, pictures are taken by everyone from fans to media. All trying to get that perfect shot that that no one else has. Finally, it’s on to the media room and more pictures. Thankfully, we are using digital now. Instantly they hit the social media pages!
And what does it take to get the story behind the story? We get to watch the weigh-in live, there is a little how it happened and what baits on the stage, and then off stage they go. But it is our job as media, to get with them in the media room and ask the questions that tell the whole story. Some will do a podcast, while others will do video, and some write about it. Everyone has a way of telling the story and each has questions that fit into what they want to know and tell about. What baits, what pattern, what water conditions, it’s all about finding out something others don’t know about, which is difficult. Everyone wants to talk to certain anglers, the leaders, and the colorful, like GMan or Hackney. And honestly, it is a first come when they enter into the room. It’s a bass eat bass world!
Hopefully you will get a chance to listen to the BassCast Radio podcast and learn a little something new. Maybe it will give you a heads up on something you never thought about, or a new technique with an old bait. And hopefully a laugh along the way as well. And an opportunity to listen to your favorite angler! After all, everything we do is to inform you, to entertain you, and to hopefully teach you all something about fishing.
