Photos provided by Lynn Long 

For the six Federation Nation representatives who are able to navigate through the gauntlet and earn their way into the Classic, they are rewarded with the chance to go head-to-head with the hungriest, most focused, and most talented professional tournament anglers in the sport. 

The excitement of blastoff on the first morning at the Classic is truly a once in a lifetime experience for each Federation Nation qualifier…unless, that is, you can qualify for two Classics. 

North Carolina angler, Brent Long, is one of three 2010 Classic qualifiers through the Federation Nation who falls into this category. After qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic through the Federation Nation in 2007, Long will once again be feeling the first morning Classic jitters when he returns to Lay Lake in February after qualifying through the Federation Nation Southern Division. 

Twice as Nice 
This year’s Classic is not only the second of his career but also the second Classic he will fish on Lay Lake. In his first go around, Lay Lake wasn’t very kind to Long as he finished in 49th place. However, just reaching the Classic was a dream come true. 

“In ’07, I had a decent practice and I really thought that I could catch some fish but when the weather warmed up, the pattern changed and I didn’t have anything to fall back on because I put all my eggs in one basket,” recounted Long. 

“I know that I finished at the bottom of the pack but I was satisfied. After fishing in that tournament, if I had never caught another bass my whole life, I would have been satisfied because it was my dream to make it there, walk across the stage, and weight my fish in at the Bassmaster Classic and I did that.” 

That being said, achievement is accompanied by new goals, and Long has his sights set higher for the 2010 Classic. “I’m just excited in knowing that I’m going to fish in the Bassmaster Classic two times in four years,” he said. “I was satisfied with making it the first time but now that it’s over with, my biggest goal is to win. I’m looking at the Classic a little differently the second time around.” 

Long said that one of the noticeable differences between the 2007 and the 2010 Classic is the way he has been able to physically prepare for the event. When he qualified in 2007, Lay Lake was already off limits for Classic competitors. As a result, he was unable to take a scouting trip to the lake and was forced to rely strictly on his three days of official practice. 

This year, with the Federation Nationals falling in 2009, Long was able to take a four day scouting trip to Lay, which is a seven hour drive from his North Carolina home, prior to the cut off period. “I had a great practice and it gave me a lot of confidence so I’m really looking for a better performance this time,” said Long. 

While many of the Classic competitors who have scouted Lay said that they barely wet a line during their scouting trips, Long said that he did his fair share of graphing but also took the time to fish several areas thoroughly. “I like to catch fish when I’m practicing for a tournament that far in advance,” he explained. “When I found what I thought could be a key spot, I fished it. I actually used a heavier weight so that I could locate different things on the bottom. I have confidence that I can catch them a lot of different ways under different conditions.” 

One advantage that Long will take with him to the 2010 Classic is the fact that he is no longer a Classic rookie. He knows about the media, he knows about the pressure, he knows about the nerves. That being said, he’s really not changing anything in his approach. 

“I don’t let the media and the hype surrounding the Classic bother me,” he explained. “In 2007, I was excited but I was never really nervous. I try to approach every tournament like just another day on the water. I work hard, I practice hard, and I try to do well. When I qualified for my first Classic, I didn’t have any time to pre-practice so that’s my excuse for the finish that I had,” Long said with a laugh. 

The Rest of the Schedule 
Part of the reason why Long is so believable when he says this is because, in reality, he’s not an amateur looking to capture lightning in a bottle. He’s a tested tournament veteran with tour level experience. In 2007 and 2008, Long fished as a professional on the FLW Tour. After taking the year off in 2009, he will again fish the FLW Tour for the 2010 season. 

“Actually, I leave home next Thursday to go to the Red River for the start of the FLW Tour season and then I’ll drive straight to Alabama and start practicing for the Classic,” Long explained. “After the Classic, I’ll be home for four days and then it’s off to Table Rock for the next Tour event.” 

In addition to the Bassmaster Classic and FLW Tour regular season on his schedule for the upcoming year, Long has also qualified to fish in the 2010 BFL All-American on Arkansas’ DeGray Lake in May. “Someone told me that I am the only angler to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic and the All-American in the same year so that’s something that I’m kind of proud of,” he said. 

He has also qualified for the State Federation Team and will compete in the South Carolina Federation Southern Division championship in May. 

Long is a self professed power fisherman who loves fishing shallow with a jig. “I normally catch them shallow or I don’t catch them at all,” he explained. “I don’t go looking for fish in deep water because my weakness is definitely deep finesse fishing.” 

While he is fishing the Classic, FLW Tour, BFL All-American, and State Federation events in 2010, he still holds down a full time job as a general contractor. The work has helped keep his mind off of what lies ahead in the coming months. “I’ve been so busy building houses that I really haven’t had the chance to sit down and think about it,” he admitted. “Right now, I just try and watch the weather and try to keep up with the water conditions.” 

For the 2010 season, Long will run a Ranger boat wrapped with the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, Great Outdoors (a local bait and tackle store), and Anglers Channel. The 39-year-old is also sponsored by Ranger Boats, Denver Marine, Yamaha, Zoom, G-Loomis, Lowrance, and Minn Kota. 

“I feel like I have the ability and the experience to do well,” Long said speaking about the Classic. “I think that tournament fishing is 90% decisions and all you have to do is make the right decisions for three days in a row. That’s the difference between winning and losing.”