Thousands of weekend anglers dream of it, hundreds of professional anglers compete to have a slim chance to be a part of it, and only 36 Bassmaster Elite Series Anglers qualify to fish in it. If you have one bad tournament or an off year, you qualify to work the Bassmaster Classic Expo, attend to Classic weigh-in in the stands, or worst yet end up watching it on ESPN 360. Only 51 professional anglers qualify and got to fish in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic Championship; only 25 anglers make the cut and fish day three. The other 26 anglers watch the event; wondering, if only I would have? Three anglers that did not make the cut but fished in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic were Alton Jones, a past Bassmaster Classic winner, Terry Scroggins, and Terry Butcher.
As we progress through life, we all have life-changing moments, where you know nothing will ever be the same again; moments where you come to discover, realize, learn, or experience something new; moments where you do not know what the outcome will be or how you will react. Terry Butcher from Talala, Oklahoma, is about to have one of these moments, where his life is about to change forever. His moment will happen at the 2010 Bassmaster Classic Championship February 19-21, in Birmingham, Alabama, on Lay Lake. Butcher qualified for the classic by finishing in the top 37 of the Bassmaster Elite Series circuit. It will be his first Classic appearance after only five years of turning pro.
It’s every working man or weekend angler’s dream to fish in the Bassmaster Classic Championship. The odds of winning the American Bass Anglers Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship are almost implausible. Not only does the angler have to compete against some of the best weekend anglers, but continue to work to make a living. The level of competition steps up a notch when you get to the top 10. The pressure is mind boggling, if you have a metal-down, you’re history, and no one will ever remember a top 25 finisher. Only the winner’s name will be forever remembered as the weekend angler who made it to the Bassmaster Classic Championship.
In years past, Louisiana professional angler Cliff Crochet went to the Bassmaster Classic Championship, but only as a spectator. “I was 10 years old when my dad took me to my first Bassmaster Classic. Since then, I have watched three more Classics,” Crochet continued, “but to be an angler in the classic has always been a dream that turned into a goal.” Crochet’s first experience with fishing started when the 3-wheeler they owned broke down and with nothing else to do the young Crochet went to the garage, found a rod and reel; as fate would have it, Crochet lived next to a bayou next to his house and with his rod in hand went there and caught his first fish. “I was so excited that I ran back to the house to show my parents; right then and there I got hooked on it,” said Crochet.
For a number of anglers, it’s their very first time to fishing in the Super Bowl of all bass fishing, the Bassmaster Classic Championship. The rookies are nervous and in a rush, while the veterans are more relaxed and patient. Only time will tell if a rookie or a veteran will win the Bassmaster Classic Championship to be held in Birmingham, Alabama, on Lay Lake. All of the anglers are looking forward to the event scheduled for February 19-21, 2010. One veteran who is taking it all in stride is Bassmaster Elite Series and Early Times Kentucky Whiskey Professional Anger Kevin Wirth from Crestwood, Kentucky. Wirth has been to the Bassmaster Classic eleven times, probably due to his spirited nature. In fact, Wirth maybe the most competitive angler fishing in the Classic and the Bassmaster Elite Series tour, he hates to lose at anything.
They say it’s always easier the second time around. Bassmaster Elite Series Professional Angler and 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion Alton Jones from Waco, Texas, hopes it true. Jones already has quite a Classic Championship resume including: winner of the 2008 Bassmaster Classic Championship and 13-time qualifier with a string of nine in a row at one point. The stage is definitely set for Jones to win the title again.
Tournament News
As we progress through life, we all have life-changing moments, where you know nothing will ever be the same again; moments where you come to discover, realize, learn, or experience something new; moments where you do not know what the outcome will be or how you will react. Terry Butcher from Talala, Oklahoma, is about to have one of these moments, where his life is about to change forever. His moment will happen at the 2010 Bassmaster Classic Championship February 19-21, in Birmingham, Alabama, on Lay Lake. Butcher qualified for the classic by finishing in the top 37 of the Bassmaster Elite Series circuit. It will be his first Classic appearance after only five years of turning pro. 
They say it’s always easier the second time around. Bassmaster Elite Series Professional Angler and 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion Alton Jones from Waco, Texas, hopes it true. Jones already has quite a Classic Championship resume including: winner of the 2008 Bassmaster Classic Championship and 13-time qualifier with a string of nine in a row at one point. The stage is definitely set for Jones to win the title again.