MERCER-The Awkwardly Honest Fishing Podcast

This week we kick things off with Clunn Day! The legendary Rick Clunn returns to the show as part of his monthly podcast residency to celebrate his 50th season of Bassmaster Competition. When Rick Clunn speaks, we all learn. But that’s not all, Bassmaster Elite Series rookie & Bassmaster Open winner “The Maine Event” Tyler Williams joins the show hot off his first Bassmaster Classic and his first escalator ride!

Kevin VanDam is the most accomplished angler in the history of professional bass fishing. KVD is a 7-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year, a 4-time Bassmaster Classic Champion with a record 25 Bassmaster Wins, 4 MLF wins & a FLW Angler of the Year title. All of that adds up to over 7 million in earnings & countless records. However now he has officially retired from competitive angling so what’s next? Kevin joins this week’s Mercer podcast & he addresses that as well as many other topics he has on his mind.

Buckle up! It’s the Bassmaster Classic Mega Show. It’s episode 154 and we have Justin Hamner; the winner of the 54th Bassmaster Classic. Yep! We planned that from the start. Well, maybe not, but Justin Hamner did predict his win on this show two weeks ago. Hamner returns with some incredible behind-the-scenes stories. But first we have another edition of Jake’s Take with Bassmaster Videographer Jake Latendresse. This episode is like a good movie- we laugh, we cry and everything in between.

It’s Classic week and what a Bassmaster Classic show we have in store for you! The last two Classic champions join the show together. That’s right - both the 2023 Champion Jeff Gustafson and the 2022 Champion Jason Christie in one episode together. For a very real, raw and honest conversation with the last two anglers to win the Super Bowl of bass fishing!

This week’s Mega show has three guests with a combined 62 Classic appearances, 8 Classic wins, 9 AOYs and 241 Bassmaster Top 10’s. First, we are joined by Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Justin Hamner who recently caught the biggest bass ever caught on Bassmaster LIVE - an 11lb 7oz freak panda. Then it’s Clunn-Day, the legendary Mr. Rick Clunn stops by for his monthly visit with an eye-opening conversation that you won’t want to miss. But that’s not all! To finish out this Mega episode we have a quick visit with Kevin VanDam where he breaks the big news so many people have been waiting for.

Check out KVD’s channel - https://youtube.com/@TheKevinVanDam?si=nzMhGgqT-BH2iyo5

Just imagine being a 19 year old kid & winning your first Bassmaster Elite Series tournament in only your second event. Well, Trey McKinney did just that on Lake Fork this past weekend. He became the youngest Elite Series champion & took over the co-lead in Bassmaster Angler of the Year & Rookie of the Year race along with Ben Milliken. Now he joins the podcast to talk about it. But that’s not all. Jake’s Take - the ultimate behind-the-scenes Bassmaster segment with Bassmaster videographer Jake Latendresse returns & we talk about everything that happened both on and off the water at the Toledo Bend & Lake Fork tournaments. Including never before revealed info from the back deck of Kyoya Fujita , Lee Livesay, Takumi Ito, Kyle Welcher & Ben Milliken’s boat.

If Captain America was a pro angler his name might just be Davy Hite. Hite left a military career to chase his dream of pro angling and what a dream career it has been. Qualifying for 14 Bassmaster Classics, winning 2 Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles and 9 major tournament victories - including the 1998 Forrest Wood Cup and 1999 Bassmaster Classic. In 2017 after a Hall of Fame career Davy Hite retired from competition to join the Bassmaster broadcast team. This week, Davy joins the podcast and opens up like many have never seen. Sharing some never publicly told stories, secrets and tournament truths in an episode we call Red, White & True!

Greg Hackney is a 6 time Bassmaster winner, an 18 time Classic qualifier and the 2014 Bassmaster Angler of the Year. “The Hack Attack” has won almost every title there is to win in professional bass fishing. This week he joins the podcast for a candid conversation that goes EVERYWHERE. Get ready because this one covers Sasquatch hunting, Mardi Gras, tournament tales & the future of forward facing sonar plus just about everything in between.

Matt Robertson is one of the most polarizing pro anglers in professional fishing. He is a 5- time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier and a Bassmaster Open Champion. In a very short time he has built a legion of loyal fans. Known for his signature ON ‘EM hat, his cut-off shirts, fur coats and ferocious personality. His down home thinking and don’t-give-a-crap attitude has taken the fishing world by storm. He prides himself on always telling it like he sees it & this week’s Mercer podcast is no different there Ain’t No Telling” what will come out of his mouth next.

This week’s show is a reunion of friends. First we have the return of Jake’s Take - the ultimate behind-the-scenes Bassmaster segment with Bassmaster videographer Jake Latendresse. Just back from shooting Scott Martin’s record breaking Lake Okeechobee victory, he breaks down what really happened on  and off the water. As if that’s not enough, it’s also Clunn Day! The legendary Rick Clunn returns to the show to start his monthly podcast residency just weeks before kicking off his incredible 50th season of Bassmaster Competition. When Rick Clunn speaks, we all learn and this conversation will have you taking notes.