BASS photo

 

I attended the Bass University January 23-24 in Nashville with Jason Sealock from Wired2Fish. A good friend from Illinois, James Hurt, also attended with us. Prior to the Bass University, I had attended several Bassmaster University Seminars and have always thought they were organized and well worth attending. I also thought they were a bit vanilla. Most seminars touched on topics of interest to me but never got into the nitty gritty. It was like watching an entire movie but not seeing the end. Something was missing.

 

The "new" Bass University is different. More details, more one-on-one and definitely more interaction with the participants. That was the best part. Any attendee could ask their question and have it answered honestly. I thought it was interesting that several pros requested the other seminar speakers leave the room. They didn't want those they compete against to hear the little things they do, but they did want to share them with the attendees. To me, that was big and clearly a different approach to what had been done previously in other seminars.

 

I served as the MC for this session at Nashville, and even though I have the opportunity on a daily basis to speak to Dave Wolak, Mike Iaconelli, Randy Howell, Gerald Swindle, Pete Gluzsek and John Crews, I learned several things that I had not heard from them before and several things that will help me in my fishing. The details provided were what kept me interested as well as the beauty of this session as it fit both the novice and the die-hard. That can be hard to do, but it worked well in Nashville. 

 

Gluzsek went into detail about depth finders and map reading. One attendee brought a map of his local lake, and Pete used that map to explain how he would approach that body of water. He included seasonal patterns and talked on the importance of paper maps and electronics used in conjunction. He detailed the little things that can make a difference on a channel break or a flat. Good stuff.

 

Dave Wolak's presentation was superb. He used video to illustrate different vegetation types and explained those differences and how each should be fished. The underwater video explained a lot, and Dave detailed both boat position and baits for each type. A step up from holding a rod and talking about a specific tournament.

 

John Crews talked crankbaits. John loves fishing them, and it was apparent, he has a special knowledge about them. He talked about the differences in hooks, line ties, subtle versus loud rattles and what equipment works best by application. He spoke about shallow and deep cranking, and his dry wit was a highlight of the presentation. John knows this topic, and he knows crankbaits.

 

G-Man was G-Man. He touched on the mental approach to fishing. He started with focus, spoke about using a mind coach, and to say he was entertaining would be an understatement. He had us with tears in our eyes one minute and laughing until our sides hurt the other. His 2009 season was a testament to how much the mental game enters into the sport. He started slow, took a positive, focused approach and finished the season strong. This session will be a "can't be missed" one in future Bass Universities.

 

Randy Howell was exceptional. He is one funny guy and knows the little things. He spoke about swimming a jig Alabama style, and many of his tips surprised the crowd. He spoke about different styles of jigs used for this technique and gave intimate details of weights, cover where they are effective and trailer considerations.   

 

Iaconelli knows finesse, and he shared the little things anglers need to do when the bite is tough. He too is one funny dude, and his love for fishing runs deep. From line, heads, equipment and baits, he covered the little things that make finesse a go-to tactic at the pro level. He spoke in detail about drop shots, the wet noodle, and shaky heads. This session was one that anglers walked away from saying "I didn't know that" or "that is something I can use". He spoke, power-walked, and got down and dirty on the little things. That was huge to those who attended.

 

The round table question and answer sessions were lively and precise. Attendee's asked questions ranging from bait selection by season to hook and line details. Round tables were done twice a day and were the glue to the presentations.

 

The Bass University is a fine tuned machine, and I was honored to be a part of it. Funny, detail oriented, focused and very well run. Those who we spoke to would not hesitate to return.

 

The next session is in Dallas February 6 and 7 and I recommend those in the Dallas area to attend. You can sign up by clicking here.