Having been a first-hand participant in the cheek-to-jowl crowds at this year’s Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, South Carolina, several positives that can be inferred by the enthusiastic reception local residents brought to event participants.

The most obvious is that Greenville loves this event. Capacity crowds crammed the TD Event Center (the Expo location) despite the fact that access to that very nice facility may be the worst of the many convention center’s I’ve ever visited. That’s covering a variety of industry events along with minor league hockey, baseball and AAU basketball. 

 

The crowds inside the TD Event Center (above) mirrored the traffic backups outside the Bassmaster Expo. The crowds inside the Bon Secours Wellness Center for weigh-ins (below) were loud, enthusiastic and into the spirit of the raucous daily weigh-ins. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photos.

 

But Greenville residents are apparently accustomed to the traffic, and seemed pretty unimpressed with the complaints of visitors. And the facilities, despite the difficulties accessing them, are first-class.

But there are things that augur well for the overall outdoor industry from the enthusiastic event. It’s obvious consumer confidence is up. Shoppers were leaving with bags full of lures, arms full of rods and assorted tackle and boating gear -that’s a change from recent years when consumers were doing a lot of shopping at these kinds of events, but not much buying.

It’s also obvious that there’s a youth movement afoot. Among the throngs of enthusiastic visitors were hundreds of high school and college fishing team members, along with hundreds of kids, all enthusiastically taking part in the many contests and fun events. 

Whatever fishing is doing to attract a younger demographic is obviously working. “It’s awesome to see so many kids here,” one rod manufacturer told me, “they’re serious about their fishing and their parents are coming along to make certain they get the best gear they can afford.”

It’s good  for any sport to see entire families voluntarily attending a niche event like the Classic. It means they’ve bought into the idea - and family involvement is what’s lacking in many other areas.

 

There were plenty of amusement-park style contests for kids in attendance. But the Rodeo Bass attracted lots of kids who mounted up (above) in considerably better form than they dismounted (below). Jim Shepherd OWDN photos.

 

Another positive was the turnout at the many seminars and instructional demonstrations that have always been central to these types of events. It’s also encouraging to see families lined up to meet the legendary figures in the sport. 

One item that actually surprised me was the lack of comment from attendees about the major role Dick’s Sporting Goods played in the Classic. After angering hunting and shooting enthusiasts with their decision to remove AR-style rifles and accessories from their stores, there were quiet preparations in place to deal with any sort of protest or disturbance around the large Dick’s presence in the Expo.

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods may have irritated shooters with a decidedly anti-gun management decision lately, but the bargain hunting fishing enthusiasts didn’t seem to mind. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photo.

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Turns out the concern was largely unwarranted. While some harrumphed about an “anti-gun store” playing so dominant a role, it didn’t deter Expo shoppers looking for the many bargains offered as “Bassmaster Classic Specials” by the retailer.

In short, the takeaways from the 2018 Bassmaster Classic were all positive. And despite the lack of attention given to good news, I certainly don’t mind something positive for a change.

--Jim Shepherd