Not sure why he mentioned it but on stage. Avoiding excuses I guess. But both days he fished without a coat while all of us were freezing.
Northerners!!!

This was posted by a marshal on here who spent 3 days with the actuall classic contenders.





I just got back home from the classic in Tulsa where I had the chance to be a Marshall for the all three days of the event. I will try to put into words how awesome of an experience this was. So many people were bashing the fact that the cost was $350 but honestly it was worth every penny!!
On Thursday we were invited to the Expo Center for lunch and where able to be around the Pro's while they rigged up for the first day of the Classic. Was incredible the way these guys would answer any questions you asked them (FYI if you want a good laugh walk up to GMAN and ask him about Taylor Swift). At the Marshall briefing that afternoon we where treated to some sweet SWAG from Carhart, Mercury, Mustang Survival, Humminbird, Lowrance, Dicks Sporting Goods, Tulsa Chamber, Berkley and BASS. Then BASSTRAKK meeting, man every forum was going nuts over the whole BASSTRAKK issue but what was crazy the Pro's didnt care, they could careless about it. They had qualified for the BASS MASTER CLASSIC and their focused was on fishing, not caring about where this guy was fishing or that guy (they already knew where most of the guys where fishing from all the practice days not the mention these guys travel together and share information like no other with each other).

I beleive that about sums it up.

I really hate to hear what everyone is saying about Cliff and his stage presence after being handed the Classic trophy. I understand why some folks might feel like that and their perception is warranted.

I still don't like it, though.

I have known Cliff for several years now from a business perspective and a personal one...he is a good friend and one of the guys I respect the most in this industry. If I was stuck in a jail in Mexico, he'd be the guy I would want to call.

In this world of instant gratification and web broadcasts, so much gets lost. Someone made a comment about Cliff's wife not cheering for him earlier...did anyone hear Dave say that he had never seen a Classic winner's wife shake so much during the trophy presentation? Tens of thousands of people were screaming in that place and her husband just became a millionaire and leading angler in the entire sport. I'm pretty sure Brena was a little overwhelmed...stuff like this doesn't happen in Petal, Mississippi every day.

Someone else said something about Cliff not selling the sport. First of all, that's not his job...he went there to be the best angler in the world and did it. Mostly, though, I watched him sell the sport to HUNDREDS of people (mostly kids) before he walked onto that stage. It will never make TV, but Cliff was out of his boat and walking around the stadium signing autographs and talking to fans while waiting his turn in the Super 6. He was the ONLY one in the Super 6 that did that. The others signed stuff, but only if they could reach it from their boat.

It's not my place to talk about Cliff's personal life or pontificate his enthusiasm. I do want folks to give him a chance, though, and see what a truly class act he is. Don't believe me? Go read Gary Klein's interview on bassmaster.com this morning...no one knows Cliff better than Gary. Read Tim Horton's post on Facebook today...praising Cliff for his class and not wanting to rub his victory in Brandon's face and discourage him from kicking [censored] next year.

Time will tell the true story of who Cliff really is and what he can do for this sport. Ike certainly brought in a new, hipper generation. Perhaps Cliff will entice those that were turned off by the antics of others. One thing is for sure...if you want to learn about bass, why they do what they do and how you should fish for them, then you will definitely want to hear what Cliff has to say! He loves to talk about fishing and I'm willing to bet that he's already thinking about what he needs to do to catch 'em on Sabine in a few weeks!

Not sure what your point is. The anglers complained when bass announced they would be able to view basstrakk during competition, BASS changed the rule so then there was nothing to complain about. If the marshall was sitting in the bottom of the boat telling them what everyone else was catching then that guys experience would have been a little different..

I enjoyed what I saw! Proud that our HydroWave logo is part of his jersey!

I'm sure you jumped up and down and yelled like a clown when you got your 10th place participation ribbon at the last RHBC tourney...

Congrats to Cliff on the win your the man/champ of the year.

Internet fishermen. Hard crowd to please.
Congratulations to Cliff Pace. You are the Bassmaster Classic Champion.

this is cool. Gerald Swindle Classic Day 2 timelapse.

Cliff Pace is a "class act", and a tremendous asset to his sponsors and the sport of bass fishing. I only wish more anglers had his integrity, class and professionalism.

Congratulations Cliff on becoming a true champion.

My point is you were wrong and got schooled. That is my point. You were not at the meeting, this guy was. He proved my point. you lose. You people who get on here acting like you know it all. You also prove my point that you will argue when proven wrong. Thanks.

Also, you showed me and everyone else that instead of figuring your own patterns out, you just wait to see what everyone else does.

Best in the world? Come on

Wow.. This seems hard for you to understand, so let me try one more time. The anglers spoke up and so BASS changed their decision to allow competitors to view basstrakk during the tournament! Therefore, there was absolutely nothing for them to complain about because BASS made it right! In case you think I am making this up, here's a link.. http://www.bassmaster.com/blogs/2013-bas...roversy-anglers

Hey since I linked to the official BASS website and an article written by someone who was there I guess I'll just go ahead and use your comment. Couldn't have said it better myself

Whatever bro, stick to your weekend, amateur way of thinking. Clearly the guy who spent 3 whole days with classic contenders has no idea what he is talking about.