WOW !
I don’t know where to start. Wednesday morning around 9:00 am I was sitting in a film studio called the (fish factory) reading my new book called Sowbelly. It’s a book about today’s record fish hunters. I was on a chapter that was telling me the full George Perry story. I wasn’t sitting in just any chair. I was sitting in Jerry Mackenis’s chair, the one he uses on the Bassmasters set. Oh yea baby. Behind me swam those bass we have all been looking at in the background while Tommy Sanders and Jerry do the Bassmaster thing. Sitting next to me was Jerry writing some notes to himself about the day’s set. While over in a corner, in this dark room was Tommy Sanders being filmed for one of his clips in our Bass Saturday morning show. Talk about unreal. Man, I felt like a fly on the wall just checking out every thing. On the other side of the wall was the set for Bass Tech. AOY 2004 Mr. Swindle and Mr. Reese and Mr. Brownie kicking back screwing around and hamming it up. They stashed me back there with Jerry and Tommy so I couldn’t watch them put the final touch’s on my new Bass Tech Kickboat. This boat is bass ass. Lots of Bling Bling. Sorry guys, but IM not allowed to show any pic’s of it until the show is aired.

This show is going to give pro kick boating a major boost. This is the real deal and its not ending here. I can’t say what’s next, but its going to be big, real big. This show will show more then just two minutes of float tubing. This show is going to open the door to the world of kick boating. Regular folks around the globe who watch ESPN will see a few of the best anglers in the world having fun building a bad ass kick boat. This isn’t going to be one of those float tube things with some guy in the water up to his chin fishing for blue gills with one rod on a pond. No way, this is totally focused on real Pro anglers building a real tournament worthy kick boat. I can’t wait to see this show air, as this will take this sport to the next couple of level IM sure. I will post some back stage pic’s soon and when the kick boat show is going to air. I would like to thank all you guys out there whom I have been lucky enough to fish with and be part of. It’s because of all of you guys that I was on the cloud that I was on.

I have been fishing for bass out of an inner tube since I was 13. I would have never have dreamed that what is happening to me would ever be happening. The people that I have met from the northern dudes, Shasta Boys & girls, AKA Rasta’s to Mr. most southerly, the Jakester to all the B-NT guy and Mike in the Sierra’s and all my homies in the SCBBBC past and present. I have sat in the Tony Holman Suit at the Indy 500 and had dinner with Mario Andretti, I have caught a 11 pound + bass while fishing a tourney in a round tube and what just happened to this bass angler in the past three days was pretty close to those up there.

Rich

your so stoked, I can feel it in your typing. we are to, awesome man, were so happy for you. good job, i cant wait to see the show

please dont air on july 9th, please dont air on july 9th, please dont air on july 9th, please dont air on july 9th,

Way to go Rich,it is truly amazing how fast all of this is goin down.I`m glad to have the chance to fish with other kickboatin bass addicts as well as making new friends and learning from all you kickbass sticks. Thanks Rich for all you`ve done and do. See ya at clear lake in july.
Mike Pierce

Tooooo cool Rich! I can't even imagine how you feel. I'm sitting here with one of those grins that's so big it hurts :7 And that's just from what you typed!!!! Great job and I'm sure you've got some more big things coming your way!

sweet rich you get any fishing stuff for the club

Rich sounds ridiculously unreal. Honestly man, there is no better guy to represent us out there than you. Soak it up man, cause it sounds like it's once in a lifetime.

Dave Pham

Rich, your the man, so happy for you. I've been on some big networks as the YO-YO guy years ago, such a great natural high! You certainly earned this and glad to have you representing the other tubers and kick boaters!

Was thinking of you Monday pm knowing you were going Tuesday, then the post and the photos appeared. So cool Rich!

Can not wait to see what else we can get our fingers into. Keep up the good work, and I know they were suposed to let you out on the water. Did you make it and hook anything in your Pimped Ride?

Tight Lines!

John

PS: Please have your agent call me, I would like to see if you might be availble to be a guest speaker at the next SCBBBC meeting to tell us all about it :7

Awesome, Rich, simply awesome. I'd be jealous, but I know there's no one more deserving to be there than yourself (as unreal as you obviously feel it to be!). You're right: who woulda thunk it could reach this point? But you've been there, right from the start. This program really could be a turning point in the world of kickboating!

It seems someone out there has gotten the clue that there's some legitimacy to what we're doing, that we're not just a bunch of know-nothing, cheap-ass weekend anglers soaking a worm -- well, not ALL of us, anyway! :+ Let's just hope the program can help get that point across (and make it stick!). Sounds like a great start, in any case!

I, for one -- and others, too, here, I'm sure -- truly appreciate your efforts as amBASSador for the sport. Geez, dude, you're like, BETTER than nationwide. You're basically *International*, man, like GLOBAL! I guess I'll be happy to be able to say, "I once knew him when..."

Keep up the great work, and let us know ASAP when the show's gonna air, so we can get the TIVO's working!!!!


Right on, Rich!

Awesome! }(

What kind of kickboat did you guys modify?

You can't see a brand-name on the kickboat in the photos in this thread, but my impression is, this is the rig they were tricking out (can't wait to see the final result!):


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=28557&mode=full&page=

So Rich did those guy's give you any ideas for mods on your boat?

The brand was Bucks Bags,( Southfork )as they are my sponcer. You'll have to wait until the show airs before you can see it. They still have to fly my boat and a camera man from ESPN out here to get some shots of me fishing out of it. Im trying to get into some real hot private waters so they can get some real fishing shots of me in my new kickboat. I have a lake in mind, but if any one knows of a hot pond that might be on fire come forward and give me a call soon. Needs to be in Sonoma County. This boat and other props might also be on display at a Bass-Tech Booth at the Classic, Oh yea baby. It just keeps getting better.

Rich

Hey, once it is flown here, no need to send it back right? Looks like your gonna get that free bass boat sooner than later??? Right??

Also, I am sure if you needed some kick boaters in the background at the HOT spot I could find some time to raise my hand!

Once again, great job buddy representing as you seem to always have done!

John

PS: Missed you at Highland Springs!:-(

Well Rich I can't wait to see the show and get some good ideas for my boat.