Bass Madness: Bigmouths, Big Money, and Big Dreams at the Bassmaster Classic
If anyone can do justice to the weird and wonderful world of professional bass fishing, it's veteran fishing journalist and longtimeField & Streamcolumnist 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 PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved