THE WALKER CHRONICLES

Story by Dave Rush - Photos courtesy of David Walker

Sevierville, TN- This is part one of a two part feature Q&A with Bassmaster Elite Series Pro David Walker.  Fresh off a trip to Japan and China, Walker went one-on-one with The BASS ZONE fielding questions ranging from his world travels, to competing in his first Bassmaster Classic since 2006.

In today’s feature, Walker recounts some of his favorite moments from his trip to Asia, and fills us in on his overall experience in Japan and China.

In Wednesday’s feature, Walker looks back on the 2011 season, gives us his thoughts on the upcoming Classic, talks about his 2012 schedule and some of the hottest topics in the world of bass fishing.

The BZ: You just got back from Japan and China, can you tell us how that opportunity came about and what the purpose of your visit was?

Walker:  I’ve wanted to make the trip for a long time but it has really never worked out.  This year everything lined up right and I was able to make it happen.  There is a lot that goes into a trip like that, you have to have your passport and also a visa to get into China, plus you have to get your shots before you are cleared to travel. 

The visit was definitely more business, than it was a vacation.  I went to help with some product development for Live Target which is one of my sponsors.  We ended up going to both Japan and China and got to visit a lot of lure manufacturing factories while we were there.  For me, it was really interesting to see the lure manufacturing process up close.  To see the entire process and how much effort goes into filling in the gaps between a prototype and a finished product was really amazing.

The BZ:  Bass fishing is very popular in Japan, did you get a sense of just how big the sport has become while you were there and also were you able to check out some of the unique baits and tackle that are available in Japan?

Walker:  Fishing in general is huge in Japan.  It seemed like almost everyone we met was either a bass fisherman or a saltwater fisherman.  It was surprising how many people knew who I was, they really keep up with the American bass fishing tournament scene over there.  One of the guys I met on our trip actually gave me the February edition of Basser magazine, which is one of the Japanese bass fishing publications and there was actually a full two page story with pictures about me that I had no idea had been written.  It was really cool to see how closely they follow what we do in tournaments in the US over in Japan.  Their enthusiasm for the sport was second to none.

We got a chance to go to a great tackle store while we were in Japan.  I have been to hundreds of tackle stores over the years, but this place was incredible.  To walk into a place and really only be familiar with maybe 5 to 10% of what they had in stock was really an eye opening experience.  It just shows you how many techniques that they apply in their area that we aren’t familiar with in the states.  That was really fun to do, and I was able to pick up a few things that I hope will help me out with my fishing moving forward.

The BZ:  Since we are on the subject of tackle, I guess I have to ask the question.  Has the Alabama Rig made it to Japan?

Walker:  Although I couldn’t read the magazines, the pictures and the layouts of the Japanese publications do such a great job in showing the newest and most popular lures out.  I saw several versions of the Alabama Rig that are being produced in Japan already.

The BZ:  It seems like the visual aspect of lures and even the packaging of the baits is extremely important in Japan.  Can you talk a little about that, and if you think that is something that could catch on here in the states?

Walker:  The detail in not only the baits, but the packaging is incredible.  You can pick up a lure and read its entire story, because even there a lot of it is in English.  It tells you who the lure comes from, how you use it, what you use it for, there is just so much more involvement in the packaging in Japan.  Here in the states we are just used to a cardboard backing and a plastic bubble over the front.  In Japan every time you open a lure it is like you are opening a gift because it is just so elaborate.  Even the rods are packaged in Japan, I think it is something that could be helpful to selling more products here in the United States.

The BZ:  We never hear much about bass fishing in China, did you find that is was actually also popular there as well?

Walker:  From what I could gather there is definitely a popularity to it.  It doesn’t seem as organized as it is here or in Japan, but people do bass fish.  At first I didn’t even know if they had largemouth in China, but we went to a fish market filled with several different types of fish and we came upon a whole tank full of largemouth.  They farm raise these largemouth in China for people to eat, and most of the fish they sell alive including the bass.  To see those largemouth alive in the tank, along with all the other fish, and turtles, and eels that they sell for food was pretty amazing.

The BZ:  Was the trip to China also to aid in product development for Live Target?

Walker:  Yes.  Pretty much all of the lures that we get from overseas here in the states are actually made in China.  Even a lot of the Japanese lures we buy are made in China.  They are just a large producer of goods of all types for consumers around the world.

The BZ:  On a personal note, what were some of the coolest things you saw and experienced on your trip?

Walker:  To me the most memorable part of my trip was just the sheer overwhelming number of people.  You are always around a lot of people, from the time you land until you get back on your plane to head home.  Whether you’re on the train, in a car, or walking down the street just the immense scale of everything and the crowds are hard to comprehend until you have actually witnessed it.  China’s population is 1.3 billion and our population is 300 million, so just imagine every time you are around people to multiply that times four.  We did a lot of traveling, and you could never tell where one city ended and another one began, it was just endless high rises and concrete forever. 

So to get back home and just realize the freedoms that we enjoy here on a daily basis, and the space that we are able to enjoy was just a really humbling experience.  To be able to make a living bass fishing and travel around the United States to the people of China was like one of them being an astronaut.  It was just so incomprehensible to them that you could actually do that for a living.  It just really made me appreciate my family and what I get to do for a living even that much more than I did before.

The BZ:  Do you think any of the eastern philosophies rubbed off on you while you were in Japan and China, and if so do you think it will help you become a better angler?

Walker:  I think the biggest thing I took away from the trip philosophy wise was that whatever the people do they give it 100%.  It seems like nowadays in our society people don’t put that much effort into anything, so that really stood out to me as a way that our cultures really differed.  No matter what profession the people we met were involved in they were all in, you don’t find many hobbies there.  It is either all or nothing, so that really reinforced my thinking on how I have approached my fishing for years.  I give it everything I have every time I enter a tournament.

The BZ:  How was the food, and what was the one meal you just had to have when you got back home?

Walker:  The food was great.  I enjoy trying new things and really liked a lot of the food we had in Japan and China.  The best thing I had while I was there was a beef dish in China that was similar to Kobe beef.  It was amazing and would definitely be something I would have to have if I went back. The first thing I had to have when I got back to the US that I couldn’t get while I was there was pizza.  We saw McDonalds and KFC as well as several other American restaurants, but never saw any pizza.