One of the numerous slang terms for a largemouth bass is bucketmouth.
Dave Wolak gave the moniker a new meaning a few years ago when he hooked, played and landed an actual bucket while fishing the Hudson River.
"I actually thought it was a fish because I hooked it by the handle (on a jig) in current," the reigning Rookie of the Year said. "It put up a good fight. I set the hook on it like an animal and played it like it was a big fish in the current. Nobody was watching me, but I embarrassed myself."
The whole episode reminds us of the term buckethead.
PRESTON CLARK
Lost in the Bassmaster Classic buzz is the fact that Preston Clark became the second qualifier for the 2006 BUSCH Shootout - a small-field, specialty event that pays $100,000 to the winner. The Shootout matches the pros with the largest single-day catches during the 2006 season.
Luke Clausen's opening-round salvo weighing 29-6 was the Classic's heaviest, but he opted not to participate in the event.
FIRE STARTER
Fifty of the 51 Bassmaster Classic pros took advantage of the official three-day scouting period on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes the week before the event. Greg Gutierrez was the exception.
A full-time firefighter in Red Bluff, Calif., his station house was undergoing a state recertification process and all of his vacation time had been postponed. Gutierrez was asked if his absence put him at a sizeable disadvantage entering Classic XXXVI.
"Just talking with some of the guys, no, as far as what the fish are doing, but, yes, in the fact that I've only been to these lakes once," he replied. "It would have been nice to see the lakes more and cover a little bit more water, and know where the mats are, so I could go back and re-check them.
"But I went out (during the lone practice round) and located some fish for the tournament."
Gutierrez, 44, who finished 41st, will somehow manage to fish the 11-tournament Elite Series and maintain his job as a fireman.
"I'm just going to fly back and forth," he said. "I made arrangements for my work schedule. I'll work a little extra one or two weeks in a row, and then I'll use those days to go off to fish the tour."
DID YOU KNOW?
With his DQ last week, Michael Iaconelli has the dubious distinction of being the only angler to get disqualified in two Bassmaster Classics (2004 was the other).
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO,
"I would probably still be painting houses and hanging wallpaper. That's where I came from," said Classic competitor and Open Championship winner Mike McClelland.
THEY SAID IT
"The Elite Series is going to be a new professional level. We're past the point of a pro being somebody that can simply hook a boat to a pickup, show up at the ramp and pay an entry fee. We're past the point of sponsor exemptions. You've got to earn the right and all of you guys have earned that right., You need to have the attitude that you're the best in the industry. And this is the best circuit in the industry." - Don Rucks to the Elite Series pros attending a special banquet held during Classic week