Bill Dance Outdoors Blog

I just returned from a new Bass Pro shops opening in Prattville, Alabama with my good friend BPS owner and founder, Johnny Morris. We got to fish near there late one afternoon and the following morning with one of the all time car racing greats, Red Farmer. What a great and funny guy! The heat was horrid as it has been all over the ought lately, but in spite of it, fishing was good. Later that day we drove in to Prattville where we joined B.A.S.S. founder, Ray Scott, and Alabama’s football great, Kenny “ the snake” Stabler. Kenny kidded me about my T cap until I finally told him it really stood for “Tuscaloosa” (but you and I both know it ain’t true!) Jimmy “Giggles” Houston was there doing his thing, and also Martin Truex, who drives BPS car # 1. After telling a jillion fish stories, and participating in the opening ceremonies, the doors opened to over 10,000 eager hunters and fishermen. I thought it was a great grand opening of a terrific new facility for the sportsmen of the Montgomery area.

The last two months have been busy busy busy  for Bill Dance but still fun. My regular fishing buddy James Big Cat Patterson and I recently competed in Bass Pro Shops Big Cat Quest held here in Memphis on the Mississippi River. No, we didn’t win it this year like we did last year. We were 4 pounds shy of the top spot, so finished in 2nd place. 

Our limit of 5 fish weighed 118 lbs. The winning string had 5 weighing 122lbs. Because of Tennessee’s trophy cat fish law, we could only weigh in two fish over 34 inches and three as close to 34 inches as we could catch.  It was definitely a game of inches and pounds. Our two biggest fish weighed  30 and 40 pounds,  but we had to threw back several fish in the mid 20 pound range because they were over 34 inches!