Over The Edge

Barbecue, football...and oh yeah, some fishing

Traveling around the country shooting shows for Bass Edge allows some very special insights into various regions. Of course for me personally, local cuisine is of special interest. Every area seems to have some particular fare that I feel must be engaged to really get the most of my visit.

Last year -- being the consummate team member that I am -- I jumped up and volunteered to plan the next season’s schedule. I was of course immediately sorry. I had no real notion of Aaron’s promotional schedule, not to mention the crazy calendars our potential co-hosts maintained. It is something of am impossible puzzle to solve. I did find solace that first year at putting a shoot in southern Louisiana where seafood feasts would be inevitable. Now planning makes me a little hungry.

Our most recent trip to South Carolina and Alabama pretty much featured barbecue. We had a great evening devouring ribs from Alabama’s well known Dreamland. I’ll have to say, it’s the only restaurant I have ever been in that had a stated “No Farting” policy (on a large neon sign.) Though in principle, I am certainly onboard with such a directive, but it seemed a tall order considering some of the side dishes they were serving. You’ll be proud to know that the Bass Edge crew and their guest remained compliant throughout the evening.

Aaron and I were joined by Sammy Lee, a nationally syndicated radio host who has to be about as fun a dinner companion as you might find. He has a ton of great stories about his decades around the fishing industry and is a fantastic storyteller. And he played basketball for the University of Alabama.

And there in lies the essence of a trip to the southeast. Southeast Conference sports are a cornerstone of the culture, and football is king. And of course we were there during football season. In Columbia, home of the University of South Carolina, when we suggested a Saturday meeting, we were told simply: “There’s a game.”

LSU was in town to play the Gamecocks. I love LSU fans; every weekend is Mardi Gras when the Tigers play. The good folks at Capital City-Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board were kind enough to put us up at the very nice Hyatt. The LSU fans that filled the hotel the night before the game were … let’s say more mature. The posh hotel was likely beyond the allowance of most college kids, and there was none of the Saturday night mayhem that likely took place at other venues after what turned out to be a Tiger victory.

I actually get all of this. I myself am a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan. And of course I was excited to head from South Carolina to Birmingham. Beyond being sort of the epicenter for bass fishing America – and birthplace to yours truly -- Birmingham is just an hour or so drive from Tuscaloosa, home of my beloved Tide. And of course the fact that they were playing Ole Miss while I was so close was a form of torture. But I had Bass Edge duties to attend to … again, the consummate team guy.

Aaron and the guys didn’t quite come to grips with all of this. Aaron is more of an NFL fan, the Rams being his team of choice. I offer my condolences on a consistent basis, but he has yet to exhibit any appreciation for my exemplary sportsmanship. Kurt Warner (not the former Rams quarterback) and Jeremy Drowne, our talented camera crew, are from New York and didn’t quite get some of the hoopla. But it rubs off. Before the trip was over, they were signing off on the radios we use with, “Roll Tide.” I felt like a proud papa.

Football takes precedence over almost everything in Alabama. We were there during the weeks just prior to the presidential elections, and somehow football was even being integrated into that conversation. It was suggested that Obama would do well in Northern Alabama because of the similarity of his name to the ubiquitous “Go Bama” bumper stickers. But in the end, the Crimson Tide folks kept Alabama a red state.

Well, we’re heading back out to the southeast next week. Our first stop will be at Palatka, on Florida’s St. John’s River. That’s Florida Gators country, and it’s quite likely that Alabama will meet the Gators in the Southeast Conference Championship game in December. I’ll have to be on my best behavior. And then it’s on to Alabama again to fish Lake Martin. That will be the week before the Auburn game.

In that part of the country, you have to choose. The babies in Alabama are not dressed in pink or blue, but rather crimson and white or blue and orange. It should be fun, and again, I’ll behavior myself.

I figure some fresh seafood in Florida, and more good barbecue in Alabama.

Roll Tide!