Lots of things happen at Bassmaster Classics. You run into people, you hear things, you see things, well beyond just the weigh-in. Maybe, at age 40, I've officially moved into the "old-school" realm, but I really like taking the time to listen to the guys who've been around this sport for a long time.

Not that I don't like listening to Quinn, Ike and those guys because I do. But if I can score a few minutes with the legends – anyone from people in the tournament like Gary Klein and Zell Rowland, to Forrest Wood and Ray Scott – well, that makes my day.

Today my day was made by Jerry McKinnis. He took a few minutes to address the fishing media about what we all know – that after more than 44 years, the Fishin' Hole is going off the air.

I won't replay what was in Jon Storm's excellent profile of McKinnis, which ran recently on BassFan.com, but here are a couple of stories from what Jerry said, stuff I didn't know but maybe you do.

  • Forrest Wood (in pre-Ranger days) inspired Jerry to become a guide, which led to his TV show.

  • McKinnis was first exposed to ESPN in "the little town of Auburn, N.Y.," where he was filming a show on one of the Finger Lakes "around 1978-ish," he said. "A little hotel there had something I'd never seen before: cable television. It had more than two stations you could watch, and I was just taken by that. I was taken by this cable, and especially this one thing called SportsCenter. These guys told me the ball scores. I watched (ESPN), and they had rugby and Australian football, and I said, 'Gosh, bass fishing's as good as that. I'm going to go up there and talk to them about being on ESPN.'" He met with them in a house trailer and went on the air in 1980.

  • Steve Bowman, who works for McKinnis' company JM Associates, recounted the story of McKinnis' heart attack a couple years back. "He had a heart attack on the racquetball court, but that didn't stop him from finishing the game. He was in ICU (intensive care) all weekend, and was the first one in the office Monday morning. That's how completely dedicated to the sport and the craft he is." McKinnis chimed in: "I won the racquetball game (laughs)."

Retiring?

"Retiring isn't the right word," McKinnis said. "I feel like if I was a baseball player retiring from the Braves and had like six other teams I was still playing for, it's not really retiring. That's kind of how I feel because I have so many other things to work on.

"But if I turned around and looked and saw the Braves weren't there anymore, that's where it would get you – and that's how I feel. It's like losing a really special friend."

He said someone asked him recently how he's handling his last year. "I said, 'Fine, fine – what do you mean?' He said, 'I mean how're you handling it emotionally?' I thought it was an interesting question. I looked at him for a few seconds, and said, 'Not real good.'

"I've handled it really good for 44 years and 10 months, and the last 2 months have been really strange. It's very emotional for me."

A Real Job

Someone else had asked him how long he was doing his show before he started making some money. "How about 25 years (laughs)? I quit 15 times probably in the first 10 years. I thought, This just isn't going to work. That's the gosh honest truth.

"I'm sure at those times I would've quit in a heartbeat if someone would've offered me a real job."

He said: "I've been introduced several times as a guy who never had a real job. All I've ever done is played (minor league) baseball and fished."

Growing Up With Jerry

McKinnis also said he was "amazed at how many people have grown up with the Fishin' Hole." Count three out of four kids in my family among those.

I've never been fishing with Jerry, though it's on my wish list. But I do have some memories thanks to his show. Maybe it's just one. Me, my brother and one of my sisters (15 and 14 years younger than me, respectively), sitting in my parents' old den watching the Fishin' Hole on Saturday mornings.

Many Saturday mornings, although it's sort of merged into one memory. A lot of smiling, having fun, a lot of pointing at big fish caught and of course looking for Norman, Jerry's "wiener dog" at the time.

It's been a heck of a run, one that may not be equaled. But this isn't about records. It's not about competition. To me, anyway, it's about saying thanks to a guy that has done a ton for fishing, starting with the Fishin' Hole.

That show alone has opened lots of doors for people who might not even know it. Along with people like Ray Scott, Bob Cobb, the Lindners and a select few others, McKinnis is one the pioneers of fishing in this country.

He'll still be around and I'll still see him around, but from one guy anyway: Jerry, thanks for the show. It's been great, and I'll miss it.

Who's Next?

McKinnis' Fishin' Hole retirement begs an interesting and important question: Who's next?

There's no shortage of one-man-in-a-boat fishing shows, but how many multi-species shows are there that reach across generations? Bill Dance, maybe Hank Parker – but who's next? Who's coming along?

Maybe I'm drawing a blank here because I'm forgetting someone. If so, apologies. But if not, who do we have? I'm thinking it's an important hole to fill, for the sport and the industry.

For now, my money's on Mark Zona. I hope "The World's Greatest Fishing Show" is just that. If Z has anything to say about it, it very well could be.

Trip to Arkansas II

Oh yeah – the Trip to Arkansas II part. You might recall my pre-Christmas trip to Ranger Boats. I forgot to mention somehow that when I opened the door to Ranger HQ, McKinnis was coming out.

I'm pretty sure he was more surprised to see me than vice versa.

Anyhow, if that doesn't hammer home how much Arkansas has contributed, and continues to contribute, to this sport we all love, I don't know what does. I love Arkansas. Bass fishing legends are all over the place there.

Notable

McKinnis
> "I've always treated the show like human being, like it had a heart and soul."
> "So many of the things I've done have been almost accidents. I've tried to do simple things that a lot of people could relate to."

Bowman
> "The Fishin' Hole's been on the air for 44 years. Gunsmoke can't hang with the Fishin' Hole."