Dustin Connell awed viewers, made others cry and turned a good number into fans during a segment on Bassmaster LIVE, and it had nothing to do with him actually fishing.
As Connell idled in on Championship Monday of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Elite at Ross Barnett, viewers were given a glimpse into the mind of a young tournament angler on the cusp of victory.
Editor’s note: Watch the video described below here.
Connell, 26, would go on to defeat Kevin VanDam by more than 2 pounds for his second B.A.S.S. title and first in his rookie Elite season. But his stream-of-consciousness soliloquy hit a chord with fans. After making his run back from the Pearl River, where cell coverage was hit and miss, Connell fished the final moments before check-in in the Main Harbour.
He began to talk about his chances to win, and said he was not just fishing for himself but also for everyone back home around Clanton, Ala. — all his family and the “hammers” in that fishing community.
“I want to win for them, too … I think I’m short, man,” he said, displaying self-doubt with his final day catch while wiping a tear from underneath his sunglasses. “I don’t think I have enough.”
It was letting his guard down, wearing his emotion on his sleeve, and he tried to cover up. Like Steve Martin and John Candy in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” Connell quickly changed the subject and got off that topic, but only momentarily.
“How about that sunrise this morning? That was awesome, wasn’t it?” he asked cameraman Wes Miller, who was somewhat complicit in getting Connell to spill his guts.
Miller suggested that the sunrise practically showed Connell where to fish, and Connell nodded his head. After a pause, Connell detailed how fortunate he was to pull his kicker fish from a thick mat, a fish that comes off “99 percent of the time.”
“When I got my hands on it, that’s what I needed right there,” said Connell, who followed with more doubt. “I don’t think I’ve got enough, man.”
Egged on again by Miller, Connell spoke about having kicker fish each day. He was sixth after Day 1 with 19 pounds, 12 ounces, then climbed into first with 16-11 on Friday. Connell’s 15-7 on Saturday gave him a 5-6 lead over his nearest competitor heading into Sunday, which was postponed until Monday by storms.
“I’ve had one or two big fish every day, that size,” Connell said. “We’ll just see how it shakes out, man. I don’t think I got it. I just don’t think so.
“God, I don’t want second place, dude. Ah, I don’t want second.”
About then Connell pulled up to the dock, and Miller told him he enjoyed filming him. Connell again said he was worried he didn’t have enough, and he shed another tear.
“God, I needed one more, dude,” he said. “I needed one more 3-pounder.”
Miller kept his foot on the pedal, saying that it certainly is hard to beat the Elite field, especially with the likes of KVD hot on his heels.
“It’s very hard,” Connell answered. “I don’t think I did it. He’s probably got a giant bag. If he wins, it is what it is … I mean he’s King Kong, there ain’t no doubt, dude.
“I did everything I could do today. I did not change anything, I stayed with it. I caught me a limit. I said if I can catch a limit and one of those big ones, I can win. I don’t know why, I just feel like somebody caught 19 pounds, 18 pounds, 17 pounds and beat me. I don’t know why I feel that way … ”
Connell counted the days since he began practicing on Ross Barnett, basically saying he left his heart out there before concluding that the dust will settle shortly at the weigh-in.
“We’ll see how it shakes out now,” he said. “I don’t know why I’m so shook up, dude.”
Viewers enjoyed the segment immensely. It was like having a front-row seat inside an angler’s mind, hearing things that are rarely uttered. A number of fans were engrossed by Connell’s admission and felt the need to write.
Following are several tweets to #basslive, some of which were edited for style.
“I just became Dustin Connell’s biggest fan,” wrote Jimmy May. “Awesome kid!”
Trent Holloway called it “great and emotional coverage,” while Cookie Twitchell wrote, “He’s going to make me cry.”
David Phoenix, who has watched Bassmaster LIVE from its inception, said “this is the best few minutes of live ever, the raw emotion, the honesty. Incredible.”
Tim Zdrazil agreed with Phoenix. “That last 15 minutes is by far the best moments on #basslive yet!! What a great young man!! I’m tearing up with him! Hope he’s got it!!”
Dan Phillips brought up the first Elite event of the year on Cherokee Lake. After Jacob Wheeler’s boat experienced mechanical issues, Connell let him fish from his boat and Wheeler’ went on to victory.
“Karma is real,” Phillips wrote. “Connell helped Wheeler win and now here he is in position.”
A little more than a month after Jordan Lee became the first Carhartt Bassmaster College Series graduate to win a Bassmaster Classic, Connell became the first college angler to win a blue trophy.
“Pulling hard for Connell,” Carl Evans sent in. “Reminds me of watching JoLee and pulling for him at the Classic! The drive and emotion on point!!!”
While Connell was oblivious, the viewers did see KVD make a run that came up on 2-3 short. He did have Monday’s big bag of 16-4 to total 62-10. Weigh-in emcee Dave Mercer pointed out was the exact weight Connell had on BASSTrakk, the unofficial leaderboard during the day.
Connell came to the stage needing only 10-12 to tie — and he was still worried — but his 12-15 for 64-13 sent many viewers away happy, and Connell with even more fans.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER … DESERVE CONGRATS
Here’s two notes of personal matters. Seth Feider and Dayton Reinke are now engaged. She announced it to the world recently on Facebook, but it just seems funny the photo with it is of Seth holding a dead duck.
Justin Lucas’ wife, BreeAnna, also choose birds to announce the couple is expecting. Her photo was harder to stage, however, as it shows two hands (presumably hers) holding a bird’s nest with four small blue eggs. Sitting atop that is the sonogram of their baby.
Justin was even more low-key on his page, reporting a great birthday fishing with the Berkley team then showing the sonogram with the line, “didn’t see spawners, but there’s one spawning this November for sure. We are having our first little Lucas.”
PRANK AT BPS GETS TEEN IN DEEP WATER
A teen not using his head injured his head after jumping 30 feet into the main aquarium at the Bass Pro Shops in Stapleton, Colo.
Teens have reportedly been pulling similar pranks in Bass Pro Shops across the country — jumping into the huge fish tanks displayed in the destination stories and putting the videos on social media.
Bass Pro Shops are not taking the instances lightly. Chargess are pending and they plan fullest prosecution.
“Yesterday a teenage minor attempted to enter our aquarium as part of an intended prank. Our associates and security team quickly addressed the issue safely and without incident,” a Bass Pro spokesman wrote as a response to Denver’s CBS station. “We also appreciate the assistance of local law enforcement. Such occurrences are extremely rare and highly discouraged. We host more than 120 million visitors every year and provide a safe, fun experience for families who share our respect for wildlife.”
