Bass Fishing

For those of you who don't know, this weekend is the Bassmaster Classic, taking place on the Red River in Shreveport, La. For those of you haven't tuned in, there are plenty of reasons to tune your television sets to the 2012 event, and get in on the action.

Maybe bass fishing isn't your thing, but there are plenty of reasons to tune your television sets to the 2012 event and get in on the action.

This weekend is packed with many sporting events, including the NFL combine, NBA All-Star Weekend and the Daytona 500. The Bassmaster Classic may sit behind all of those in most people's minds, but for the following reasons you should tune in and check out the action.

1. Big Surprises

Fishing is pretty impressive, as it is all about where you get your boat at, as well as a little luck of the draw. You can watch any other sporting event and pretty much everything is in control of factors that are within reach.

As for bass fishing, these fishermen have no real say in what is going to bite or not. They do have their approaches, and obviously each is good at what they do, but at the end of the day it is pretty hard to be skilled in bringing in the biggest fish.

2. The Other Events Get Old

If you are watching the NFL combine or NASCAR's Daytona 500, it can get a little boring watching the same thing over and over again. With the Bassmaster, you get to see different angles, storylines and the ability to learn a thing or two about fishing.

It is really entertaining to watch, as these fishermen get pretty crazy on their boats. While sometimes it looks as if it is going to slip from right under their feet, somehow they all make it back to the dock without losing a thing.

3. We Could Have Our First Ever Three-Peat

Winning three titles in a row in any sport is tough, so things are no different with the Bassmaster Classic. Kevin VanDam is going for his third straight title, and that will certainly put him in his own elite spot in the sport of fishing.

He has already won the tournament four times over his career, which ties him with Rick Clunn. A victory this year will make him the only five-time winner, as well completing the first three-peat in the history of the classic.

The 2012 Bassmaster Classic is this weekend. For bass-fishing enthusiasts, this is like the Super Bowl, the World Series and a random day out on the lake all rolled into one.

For non-bass fishing enthusiasts (i.e. most people), the Bassmaster Classic is just another thing on the outskirts of television. Most people have probably heard about it, but they have no idea where to watch it or when, and they sure as heck don't have reasons to watch it.

The first two concerns are easy to answer. Everything you need to know about the Bassmaster Classic's TV schedule can be found in our full preview.

As for reasons to watch, I've got four of them.

It's an Actual Competition

There are some pretty big sporting events going on this weekend. The Daytona 500 is on Sunday, and sports nuts can also delight in watching the NFL scouting combine and the NBA All-Star festivities if they so choose.

The Daytona 500 is fine, but there's one fundamental problem with both the combine and the NBA All-Star festivities: There's no actual competition.

The combine consists of a bunch of jocks doing, well, nothing at all, really. All-Star Weekend features a whole lot of activity, but none of it means anything. The rookie-sophomore game is a joke, the skills challenge and the dunk contest are not as exciting as they should be and the All-Star Game itself is a tired joke.

There's a lot at stake in the Bassmaster Classic. Whoever wins is the basically the best bass fisherman in the world, a designation that is desired by many and pursued only by the best of the best.

Before you think it's all luck, I assure you it's not. There are several fisherman who have won the event multiple times. You don't do that with luck; you do that with skill.

Make no mistake, these guys are legit, and they want to win.

Good for the Kids

All kids do these days is sit inside and play video games and code HTML. My understanding is that outdoor activities just don't appeal to kids anymore.

If your kids are averse to going outdoors, try sitting them down and subjecting them to the Bassmaster Classic. This is a particularly good idea if you have a son, as you can point out to him that bass-fishing is a real hobby for real men. None of the guys on the tube know what it's like to score an epic kill streak in Modern Warfare, but they've caught enough fish in their lifetimes to feed cities.

With a bit of luck, your son will then want to go fishing. And let's face it, all sons should want to go fishing.

If they don't, they just need a little convincing. That's what the Bassmaster Classic is for.

Perfect Way to Spend a Relaxing Day on the Couch

OK, let's say your efforts to get your kids into fishing fail. Or maybe you just don't have kids. Either way.

In this case, you should still sit yourself down and and watch the Bassmaster Classic for a few hours. It will be a nice, relaxing experience. You can enhance it with beer and potato chips, just like you would a football game, a basketball game, a baseball game and so on.

You'll be at risk of unintentionally slipping into a nap, but that's not such a bad thing. Studies have shown that naps are awesome and that they do the body good.

I conducted these studies on my own, for the record.

Bass Fishing is Awesome

If you've never been bass fishing before, you don't need further justification of this point. There's nothing like shoving off early in the morning, chilling in a boat all day and occasionally hooking a few bass. They taste good too, especially if you fry 'em up in a bit of lard and bacon grease.

Hey, don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

If you haven't tried fishing yet, what you need is a little motivation to get out there. Just like watching a football game will make you feel like tossing a football around, watching the Bassmaster Classic will make you feel like busting out rod and reel and hitting the lake.

In fact, if you feel like doing that now, I won't stop you. Just make sure you hang a "Gone Fishin'" sign outside your cubicle. Such things are required.

If you feel like exchanging fishing stories, hit me up on Twitter.

The Super Bowl of bass fishing is trolling up on us. This is fishing's marquee and most hyped event, and it will hit the Red River on February 24th. 

This is the 42nd Bassmaster Classic. 100 professional anglers will be competing for the top prize. Last year, the top prize came with a $500,000 check.  

Where:  Red River in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana 

The launch site is the Red River South Marina. The Weigh-in site is the Century-Link center. 

When: February 24-26

Watch: ESPN 2 and the Outdoor Channel

Opening day Friday's coverage will be on the Outdoor Channel. Weekend coverage will be picked up by ESPN 2 (check here for the dates and times of coverage).

When it comes to fishing, it doesn't get any bigger than this. The event is filled with drama, excitement and theatrics. 

In case you aren't with familiar with this event, or you just want to relive some of last year's action, these highlights should do the trick.

The Bassmaster site tells us this is one of the largest events in the region. And they aren't just talking about fishing. 

Fans will flock to the Red River and the CenturLink center to get close to the action, and they will also be drawn to the The 2012 Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo. 

In 2009, these events drew more than 137,000 and the website thinks this site will be even bigger. 

One of the newest sensations to hit the world of bass fishing is the Alabama rig.

It made its mark at the FLW Tour this past October and may do so again at the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. This amazing rig has changed the way lure fishing is done.

The Alabama rig was developed by Andy Poss. He started with the concept of the old umbrella rig that has been used for trolling for many years. The umbrella rig has been quite effective for trolling, but it was too bulky and heavy to cast. 

After more than a year of experimenting and modifications, Poss arrived at what he now calls the Alabama rig.

The beauty of the rig is its simplicity. The rig itself is five metal rods all connected to one end of a sixth short rod.  On the other end of this short rod is the eye to attach the lure to the fishing line. On the other end of each of the five longer rods is a heavy duty swivel clip.

The total weight of the rig alone is about 3/8 oz.

From this point on, every angler can create their own customized lure by placing commercial swim baits, crank baits, spoons or blade baits.

If five Jackal Giron jointed Panfish swim baits are attached, then it should look like a small school of bait fish swimming through the water. It would also have ten treble fish hooks just waiting for a monster bass.

One of the interesting habits of monster bass is they would rather ambush a school of fish rather than a single fish. They know they are almost guaranteed one fish and may be able to get two fish from a single sorting. This makes the Alabama rig a monster magnet.

In fact, it is so much of a monster magnet that may people wonder if it should be legal. After all, what lure has ten treble hooks?

There is also the concern of foul hooking fish.