Brent Chapman never dreamed he would one day become an ambassador for his home country, but he served that role in October when he helped bring big-time tournament bass fishing to China.
When one of his sponsors, the China-based KastKing, asked him to travel halfway around the world to participate in an international Major League Fishing bass tournament it sponsored, Chapman jumped at the chance. And so did two other Major League Fishing (MLF) pros, James Elam and Matt Becker.
What followed was an experience Chapman will never forget. Over the course of a week, he received countless reminders that he wasn’t in America anymore.
Chapman says he’s never traveled so far to fish in a professional bass tournament. He logged 18 hours of flight time from his home in Kansas — that’s about 6,700 miles.
The Location, the Boats, and the Tourney Rules
MLF is no stranger to hosting tournaments outside the U.S., but China hasn’t been one of those destinations until now.
Wilson Li, the vice president of operations for MLF China, said Chinese bass fishing has surged in popularity over the past two to three years.
“This first-of-its-kind tournament, with pros traveling in from other countries to compete, is meant both to continue to expand the sport in China as well as promote the recreational opportunities around Tiantai Lake,” MLF said in a release announcing the tournament. “A newly built resort called the Tiantai Lake Fishing Base will serve as the tournament hub. It features a 1,490-meter floating dock with 171 fishing spots designated as a ‘leisure fishing area’ as well as a fishing pier with 52 boat slips that serves as a ‘lure bass fishing zone.’ Li hopes the tournament — which will be broadcast on CCTV, China’s national television network — will drive more tourism to the rural region.”
Chapman and Elam, who teamed up in the buddy tournament, are accustomed to fishing in well-equipped bass boats in America. No such comforts in this tournament, which took place on Tiantai Lake in Zanhuang, China — about a four-hour drive southwest of Beijing, from Oct. 12 to 13.
They were assigned a 17-foot aluminum bass boat with an outboard motor so small that it barely got the boat on plane. It was equipped with a trolling motor, but no electronics.
Additionally, the tournament format was unlike anything the American anglers had ever seen before. It was one of those “every-bass-counts” deals. A scorable bass had to measure 20 centimeters (7.87 inches). Fishermen could catch 10 bass per session, then they had to rush their catch to shore and run up a steep hill to have them weighed. Then they would race back to their boats, and try to catch another 10.
The American pros definitely had to rely on first impressions, since they had no practice time or “test fishing” as the Chinese call it.
The tournament was a major spectacle with live TV coverage and drones buzzing overhead to capture the action. The opening ceremony featured a stunning fireworks display, and spectators crowded the banks and weigh-in site. Local kids, many of whom had never seen an American fisherman before, clamored for autographs and photos of their new heroes.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Chapman, who hails from Lenexa, Kansas. “Just to see the differences in culture was fascinating.”
But there was one common denominator: a passion for bass fishing.
The tournament was MLF China’s showcase event to stoke interest in bass fishing in the country, and from all accounts, it was a big success.
When Chapman and Elam first launched, they were fishing blind. So they began using American tactics, casting to cover that looked like it would hold bass with their favorite tackle. It didn’t take long for them to determine Chinese bass like American lures.
“We put the trolling motor down in this cove, and 30 minutes later, we had 10 scorable bass,” Chapman said. “The bass were very agreeable. If one of us missed a hit on a Chatterbait, we could flip a soft-plastic bait in there and catch that fish.”
While many of the local anglers were working finesse-type baits, probably influenced by the Japanese, Chapman and Elam stuck with power fishing, casting Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and soft-plastic creature baits.
The fish weren’t huge, but they were plentiful. Chapman and Elam caught good numbers of 2- to 3-pound fish on their big baits. By the end of the first-day of the two-day event, they weighed in 72 bass.
The bite got tougher on the second day, but the American team still finished eighth out of the 45-team field.
Taking in the Local Culture
During the trip, the American anglers got to do some sightseeing at famous landmarks such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and break new ground in rural villages.
Becker reflected on visiting a small remote village, Zanhuang, where he was told residents had never received foreign visitors before.
“They asked my girlfriend to pose for pictures because they had never seen a blonde woman before,” said Becker, who teamed with a local fisherman in the event.
Elam also was struck by how the Chinese drive, both on the highways and the water.
“They drive a lot more aggressively, like close to the dock and things like that,” Elam told MLF. “That’s how they drive on the road, and I just saw that mirrored in the way they drive their boats.”
Now that they’re back in the U.S., the three American anglers have nothing but good memories of their experience.
“I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was a lot of fun,” Chapman said. “I would definitely go back if I am asked.”
