Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic

Description

In Bass Madness, fishing authority Ken Schultz goes behind the scenes of the so-called “Super Bowl of bass fishing” to uncover what turned an unassuming sport into a full-blown sporting spectacle complete with athletes, spectators, TV cameras, and intense drama. This is an entertaining and enlightening guide to the history, legends, and lore of bass fishing’s greatest championship.

WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:
If anyone can do justice to the weird and wonderful world of professional bass fishing, it's veteran fishing journalist and longtime Field & Stream columnist Schultz. Although he tends to think of fishing as a contemplative avocation, he realizes that many see it as a competitive sport and a lucrative business. Focusing on back-to-back Bassmaster Classics, but also laying out the modern history of competitive fishing, the book features icons and wannabes, fans and fanatics, and a surprising amount of politicking: venues for the big bass tournaments are usually chosen on the basis of who pays the organizers the most money, and the quality of the fishing in the area seems to be distinctly irrelevant. (The 2005 Bassmaster Classic was held, of all places, in Pittsburgh, as part of the city's expensive push to increase its appeal as a tourist destination.) Schultz avoids almost every opportunity to poke fun at the sport and its splashy characters, and the book should appeal to both pro--fishing fans and readers whose minds boggle at the whole idea. - David Pitt

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
KEN SCHULTZ, member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and former holder of seven world fishing records, is the award-winning author of Ken Schultz's Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide, as well as more than a dozen other books. He was a commentator for the weekly show BassCenter on ESPN2 and, for three decades, was fishing editor and a staff writer at Field & Stream. He is currently the Fishing Editor and a featured columnist for ESPNOutdoors.com. Schultz has been a guest on countless radio and television shows. His Web site is www.kenschultz.com.