Forrest Wood Cup

[M_Taylor]

I went down on Saturday morning fi watch the final 20 anglers duke it out on Ouachita. I took my own Ranger since I couldn't just watch em the while day. 

You would think that finding a pro on a 40,000 acre lake would be tough, but as luck would have it we launched right where Ramie Colson Jr. was fishing. I was surprised at how far back people were staying, but we followed suit and watched from afar. Too far away to pick up any nuances. 

Ended up watching a few more pros, but it got monotonous after a bit. These guys were fishing for 4-5 bites after they got a few smaller keepers in the boat. We did watch Blaylock fish offshore structure and that was interesting since you had no idea what he was fishing. Probably a brush pile. 

Sunday morning the FLW greeted spectators with coffee and donuts while they conducted interviews. It was neat to the 10 pros up close and personal while they prepared for the day. Not one boat had rods out on the deck that were attached to baits. Not by coincidence I'm sure. 

I had the opportunity to ride along for a quick drive with pro James Watson out of Springfield. He wasn't in the tournament but was there on behalf of Mercury. We hit 70mph and I think we passed a pro fishing but I was too busy holding on for dear life. 

The convention was really fun. Much better than Beaver Lake's tournament expo of course. I got to talk with Matt Arey for quite some time. Having won the last two years, I picked his brain a little and he was incredibly gracious and genuine. A really good guy from what I could tell. 

All in all it was a great event. I'd do it again, it was worth the drive time in my opinion. I have some better photos on my "real" camera, but included are some snapshots from the weekend. 

 

[J-Doc]

The classic will be on Grand this winter.  We need to go.  Official "Man Day". LOL!

[M_Taylor]

I'd love to Jason. I have yet to go on Grand. 

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

That sounds like a blast wish i could have went. Ive known Watson for a while, he is a fun dude. Ive never been on a ride in a Bass boat with him. But i thought he was gonna kill me when he took  a "shortcut" in his Humvee one night....fun times haha

 

[Quillback]

Best day to go to the Classic Expo is the first day, if you can get off from work.  I went last time it was at Grand (Expo is in Tulsa), if you wait until the weekend the place is packed shoulder to shoulder and you can hardly move.  Also on the first day the exhibitors aren't that busy and the staff has time to talk.  I talked to Gary Loomis, one of the Dobyns brothers and several pros.  Got some free stuff also, best one was a book from ODFG that had topo maps of the major lakes in OK.

[J-Doc]

Very true. I went on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Lol!  I also went to one of the launches early on a Saturday morning.  It was massive.  Thousands of people there watching the pros launch.  Brandon Palahniuk was walking through the crowd looking for his Dad and someone said..."hey, don't you need to be over there on the ramp?" And people were chuckling and he was shushing them not wanting to get noticed.  Said he was looming for his family.   I also heard conversations about passing the pros on the way to the launch and one guy said he was going pretty fast and Vandam passed him like he was in the slow lane.  Lol!  It's the little things that make the event so much fun. 

[Quillback]

I remember watching the coverage and they showed Palaniuk fishing a point and lined up along the shore was about 10 of his family members watching.

Should be pretty cool next year with the live coverage also.  That's probably what I'll do Saturday and Sunday, watch the live coverage.  Pretty cool to watch how they fish a local lake that I am somewhat familiar with.

[Champ188]

Be sure and order yourself a jersey before you go, complete with dozens of "sponsor" logos and you last name in big block letters on the back. Then, even though you're just a regular Joe who buys all of his equipment at retail price, people will think you're a big dog ... while you're sitting in the general admission nosebleed seats during the weigh-in.

[Quillback]

Be sure and order yourself a jersey before you go, complete with dozens of "sponsor" logos and you last name in big block letters on the back. Then, even though you're just a regular Joe who buys all of his equipment at retail price, people will think you're a big dog ... while you're sitting in the general admission nosebleed seats during the weigh-in.

I already have that jersey, and 10 others hanging in my closet.  Hardest thing is deciding which one to wear to the Expo.

[J-Doc]

Be sure and order yourself a jersey before you go, complete with dozens of "sponsor" logos and you last name in big block letters on the back. Then, even though you're just a regular Joe who buys all of his equipment at retail price, people will think you're a big dog ... while you're sitting in the general admission nosebleed seats during the weigh-in.

I bet you have one I can borrow right?