2023 Bassmaster Classic:
Behind Crowning a New Champion
by Bruce Callis Jr.
The Bassmaster Classic is the pinnacle of bass fishing. It sets the standard for which all anglers strive to be and claim. Few have been able to claim it, few even get to fish it. And still, some of the greatest have never won it. But we dream of lifting that trophy high and forever being known as the champion! And 2023 was no different!
When championship Sunday came, there were 25 anglers who idled out from launch and put their boat on plane. The race was on to the first fishing spot and hopefully to making history. The day wasn’t perfect, but when you have $300,000 on the line, it’s all about making the most of every opportunity and a lot of luck at time!
Jeff Gustafson took the lead on day one, held it after day 2 was complete and was hoping to hold on to it when he took the stage on the hot seat for the top 6 weigh-in. Finally Jeff was knocked off the hot seat and sent him to his boat to await his turn in line. Bryan Schmitt came in and weighed in a bag weighing 11 pounds 1 ounce and took over the lead. And then it came down to just Bryan and Jeff, looking to see who would win and lift the trophy high. And history was made as Jeff became the first Canadian to be crowned as the best bass angler in the world. Forever Jeff Gustafson, or Gussy as we know him, will be able to say he won it!
But what does it take to put on the show that we watch live on the website? What about the show we see live on television. It takes a team to set it up and put it together. Let’s take a look at just the weigh-in at the Classic and what it takes.
Usually, they get the arena on Tuesday morning so they can start getting everything straight. But for this Classic, the University of Tennessee held an NCAA held a Women’s basketball March Madness tournament there, so they could not get the arena until a day late on Wednesday. It takes a huge crew to get everything on stage set up. For 2+ days a team of at least 50 labor to set up all the led electronics that you see on the screen up on stage. No easy task at all. And when you cut the time down, it puts everyone in a rush!
And then there is the TV crew. It is a team of 10-12 individuals who work to secure the lighting correctly, stretch out cables, and connect all of it to the command center that sits behind the scenes. It takes 2+ days for this to come together. And for 3 days, they work hard to provide just the right shots so we get the feel of being there in person. The crowd gets to see up on stage, but they also get to see what we see on our television or online on the big screen above where the court would be.
And then there is the command center, the mobile studio where technicians work there magic, switching to different cameras, led screens, and such to provide us with the best views. Standing there watching the show happen is amazing. So many screens that show every camera shot live, whether it is on our screen or not, plus one screen that shows what is currently being fed to us. Everyone in the command center has a job, including one person that sets in a separate room controlling the audio feed. One day I would love to get there early enough to get to document all of it so you can see what it takes.
And then the champion is crowned. What you see online ends and then it gets crazy. There is the press conference where all the media get to ask the top 6 all their questions. Usually it’s a question for all 6 to answer. And once that ends, it’s off to the media room for individual interviews and we get an opportunity to get a picture with the winner. They we get busy telling you what we learned.
And while this is happening, the real work of tearing everything down starts. All the hours spent running cables now only takes hours to remove. But everything is labeled and put into special boxes, ready to be set up at the next event. The stage is removed and taken back to B.A.S.S. headquarters to be stored for the next Classic, whether at the same venue or at a new facility. It takes a couple of different teams working together to bring everything we see to light. So the next time you tune in, there are a lot of people working behind the scenes we need to thank!
