An Early Christmas Present

Just before the Christmas break, I went to Missouri and Arkansas on some business. As is often the case in the fishing biz, business is often a pleasure. Not only did this trip adhere to that rule, it went far beyond it – which is why I'm telling you about it here.

The BPS Mother Ship

Everyone knows that if you ever fly or drive through Springfield, Mo., you have to stop at the giant Bass Pro Shops (BPS) store there. But maybe "store" isn't the right word. I can't prove it, but I think the store is bigger than the Springfield airport. At least it feels that way.

Maybe I felt that way because we all hurry to get out of an airport, and it's the opposite with that Bass Pro Shops store. Holy cow. I'd been there about 10 years ago or so, but it seemed even bigger this time.

I gave myself a couple of hours to go through it, but seriously should've allocated a couple of days. What an awesome place. Sure it had stuff to buy, and that's why BPS wants you in there, but there's also a ton of stuff to look at and experience.

Some random observations:

• Checked out the bass fishing DVDs. The only guy whose DVDs were sold out: Mike Iaconelli.

• A little disappointed that I didn't see huge pics of Clunn, VanDam, Stacey King, Edwin Evers and other top BPS-sponsored pros. Maybe they were there and I missed them.

• I really wanted to put some coins (dollars?) in the shoot 'em up target game, but didn't have any kids with me to make it look like I was doing it for them, if you know what I mean.

• The "Fine Gun Room" – Oh so tempting to go in there, but I had to fall back on my governing philosophy for "GAS" (gear acquisition syndrome): Don't test-drive it if you can't afford it.

• Camouflaged longjohns? Who needs those? Do people hunt in their underwear?

• Do bass just look bigger in those huge fish tanks or are they really that big?

• The fish and wildlife museum – or whatever it's called – in the "store" is awesome. If you've ever been to any other museum (other than the Smithsonian ones in Washington, D.C.), you've probably experienced this: Part of it might interest you, but then your eyes get glassy. Not at the BPS museum. It's all about hunting, fishing and trapping, and even has a Fred Bear (the famous bowhunting pioneer) section. I want to go back again just to spend more time in the museum.

• I never knew a walrus was so huge. That's a big animal.

• It was weird – in an eerie sense – walking through the mounted African animals in the semi-dark and listening to African night sounds. I guess it's not surprising that it doesn't sound like North America, and that a bunch of the animals there could kill you no problem. Can't wait to go there someday.

• Next to the BPS is Wonders of Wildlife, a walk-through aquarium/terrarium where you get to stare at freshwater and saltwater fish, and watch pheasants, turkeys, eagles and ducks run around (or mostly sit there). There's also some interactive stuff there. I had a staredown with a gar and a couple of bass, and definitely felt that they would swallow me if they could.

I don't know if those random observations make much of an impact on you, but the bottom line is I can't wait to go back, hopefully with my kids. I also can't wait to go to the Cabela's mother ship store in Nebraska sometime. I hear that's awesome too.

Visiting Ranger

From Springfield I wound through the hills of Missouri and Arkansas, on the way to visit Ranger Boats HQ in Flippin, Ark.

On the way I passed through Theodosia, Mo., which sits on Bull Shoals and bills itself as the "Record Bass Capital of Missouri." Okay, but:

• I could swear that the Sportsman's Lodge in town had a big jumping orca over its sign. Not a bass, but a killer whale.

• Down the road apiece I passed Cotter, Ark., which bills itself as "Trout Capital USA."

Anyhow, for a kid from New Jersey who avidly read Bassmaster magazine cover to cover multiple times, I still can't get enough of being in the Missouri-Arkansas region of the country, and specifically in Arkansas. Flippin, Bee Branch, Bull Shoals, the Arkansas River – all those things that people who live there take for granted are things I and probably some of you stare wide-eyed at when they're there. (Every time I see those words I can hear Ray Scott or Bob Cobb saying them in my head. Maybe it's an illness I have.)

For me, Arkansas is the home of bass fishing, and I guess the best way to say it is I "feel it" when I'm there.

After the good folks at Ranger baptized the Yankee by giving me directions that required 90 minutes of driving to go about 20 miles (I'm surprised a snipe hunt wasn't next), I got to the Ranger factory and took the tour.

I'm not going to do a commercial for Ranger here, and I'm not discounting other bass boat manufacturers at all, but do want to say I left there feeling that:

• It's really good that people who build boats care that much about your safety when you're on the water;

• A Ranger is worth every penny if you can afford it.

It was also cool to see what a guy named Forrest Wood was responsible for. Ranger is a serious operation.

The Forrest L. Wood Outdoor Sports Gallery is right next to the factory, and we stopped in there after the tour. If you're a fan of bass fishing, you have to go there. HAVE TO.

I can't remember, let alone list, all the memorabilia in the gallery (strangely, I am haunted by a photo of Zona that was there), but it was a lot of fun to go through – especially since Forrest gave an impromptu guided tour of some of it. His wife, Nina, too, for a time.

I'm not good at concealing what I feel, so I guess I was like a little kid. Wide-eyed, listening to stories (Forrest has a story, lots of them funny, for every piece in there) and learning about what Forrest did before starting Ranger (trout guide, worked on the Bull Shoals dam).

I'd met and talked to Forrest several times over the years, but this was a whole 'nother experience. I could go on, but you get my drift.

A Heck of a Present

What a great time for an outdoorsman and bass fisherman. I considered it a heck of a Christmas present, and I appreciate and thank everyone who made it so. If you haven't already, I hope you get to enjoy the same present one day.

Notable

> The Forrest L. Wood Outdoor Sports Gallery has a web site here.

> If the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is still looking for a home, either of the places above seems like a good fit for it.