(Editor's note: Industry rep Alan McGuckin filed this Q&A from Texas this morning as he's on the ground at the Toyota Texas Fest Elite Series at Lake Travis.)
Casey Ashley caught a solid limit amid Thursday’s sweltering heat to sit near the top of the leaderboard after day 1 of the Lake Travis Texas Fest Elite Series. The always easy-going 2015 Bassmaster Classic champion took a minute prior to the day-2 launch to talk about Lake Travis, Toyota Trucks, swimbaits, and even a mention of Texas native Willie Nelson.
Alan McGuckin: What was the biggest surprise amid day 1 of competition here at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest?
Casey Ashley: The biggest surprise was that I actually caught a decent limit, because while you may catch 100 fish a day here, the randomness of catching a big one is truly an unknown.
AM: Your biggest fish yesterday was a 4-pound, 5-ounce largemouth. How did you catch it?
CA: I caught it on one of my absolute all time favorite lures – a green-pumpkin Zoom trick worm rigged on a Casey Ashley Shakyhead from Greenfish Tackle.
AM: This week’s tournament is title sponsored by Toyota, and you’ve bought a bunch of Tundras. How many Toyota Tundras have you owned throughout your Elite Series career?
CA: I’ve bought five Tundras, and my daddy has bought two as well – so seven Tundras total between the two of us.
AM: You’re a music man. You recorded a demo CD in Nashville a few years back, and you’ve sang the National Anthem on a handful of occasions before blast-off at an Elite Series tournament. What song is stuck in your head this morning?
CA: Kenny Chesney’s “Lucky Old Sun” – which is pretty fitting for the hot weather we’re having here, and the fact it features Texas native Willie Nelson singing along with Kenny.
AM: Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest helps raise money that Texas Parks and Wildlife uses to fund urban youth fishing initiatives. You have a youth angler of your own – a 5-year-old son named Troy. Tell us about fishing with him?
CA: I’ve learned from taking Troy fishing that size and species don’t matter. It’s all about getting a bite. And still there are times when I can be catching one crappie after another, and he’ll still lose interest. So when they tell you they’re done, don’t make them stay, or you’ll ruin the experience.I will say here at Lake Travis would be a great place to take a kid fishing, because there’s so many fish in here. I’d just tie on a little 3-inch swimbait for him, and let him cast and wind. And as many little 12- to 13-inch bass that swim here – I’ll promise ya he’d have a real good chance of catching one.
