I’ve had some time off the past two or three weeks. It’s given me time to relax my mind and my body. Now it’s time to pay the piper, big time. I’m on my way to Texas for a Toyota event. After that I’ll spend a few days with my friend Dave Mansue and then it’s off to a Kyle Busch charity fishing tournament.
Over the past few years, I’ve become more interested in, and involved with, Toyota Racing. This stuff is really great. The racing is fantastic and it’s helping us all drive better cars. The other thing it’s doing — thanks largely to Toyota’s sponsoring both racing and bass fishing — is taking advantage of the natural overlap of the fan base. It’s good for both sports.
From there I’ll fish another charity event in Dallas, then on to a Dick’s Sporting Goods opening, back to Texas for another tournament and finally home. But, on the way, I’ll be stopping at the Red River for a couple of days to look around and see what I can see.
That might sound strange to some of you who are familiar with my career. I’ve been fishing the Red River since my Federation days back in the 1990s. The thing is, though, the Red River is a river. It’s an always changing venue that can make you look pretty bad if you aren’t on top of things.
Places that were deep the last time might be dry this time. Or, a favorite sandbar might have moved, sometimes a 100 yards or more. You never really know a river unless you fish it every day, and even then it’ll change after especially high or low water. It’s best to stay informed.
When that’s behind me, I’ll head home. I should get there about a week before Thanksgiving and be able to stay home until well after Christmas. I’m really looking forward to that. Spending time with your family is a real treasure in this business of heavy travel and high-pressure bass fishing tournaments.
Of course, the lack of travel doesn’t mean I’ll be sitting around on the recliner taking naps. Becky and I will be working on sponsor responsibilities and negotiating new contracts as well as making reservations around the country for next year’s schedule. It’s always busy.
That’s not all I want to talk about, though. I want to remind you that the upcoming season of The Bass University is just around the corner. And let me say that we’ve got some really neat things planned for next year — dynamite speakers and an improved format that you’re really going to like. (We’ll talk more about that later.)
And between now and midnight on October 31 we’re offering a 15 percent discount on registrations. It’s available for any of our 2012 seminar locations — Shreveport, La., Worchester, Mass., Oaks, Pa., and Suffern, N.Y. You can register and take advantage of your discount at TheBassUniversity.com.
Next week…
