Waking up on the morning of your first Bassmaster Classic must be a mind-boggling experience – especially if you were the last person to get into the world championship event.
Texas pro Ben Matsubu, however, seemed calm. He sat cordially with Bassmaster Senior Writer Steve Price and discussed his day job as a store manager for Gary Yammamoto's Yammamoto Custom Baits.
"Man," Matsubu exclaimed, as he took a bite of his country ham. "Is this ham salty to you? I can't eat this."
Matsubu made the 34th Classic by finishing high enough in the Tour points, after the Elite 50 series crossover qualifiers were eliminated from the Tour list.
"I'm ready," he said. "I really am ready."
"Yesterday was probably the longest day of the week." Matsubu added. "It was good, but with the family day and the media day and then the Expo, I was really tired. I was at the Expo until the end, about 9 o'clock. It was a long day."
The long day didn't affect him as much as he thought it might. But depending on his performance on Day 1, he may not be as rested for Saturday.
"It's like any other tournament," he said. "If you do well, you can't sleep the next day; if you don't you'll have no problem. I hope I don't sleep as well tonight."
Fifty-two other anglers were hoping for the same as they took to the water on Day 1 of the Classic.
Launch is daily at 6 a.m. and takes place at the Buster Boyd Access Area off of Highway 49. Weigh-ins begin at 2:30 at Charlotte Coliseum. Shuttles to the Coliseum are available at the Charlotte Convention Center, from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.