A follow up interview with Bassmaster Classic qualifier Wil Dieffenbauch after the 2023 Bassmaster Classic held in Knoxville, Tennessee.
DockTalkWV: How was practice?
Wil: Our practice was pretty rough. The bad weather conditions made it difficult, from freezing cold and windy in the practice period to warm and sunny during the tournament. This made the conditions really hard to adapt too.
DockTalkWV: How did the actual event go?
Wil: Day 1- take-off was amazing, and there were over 6500 people there at Volunteer landing watching us take off, so that was an amazing moment. The rest of day one definitely did not go as planned. About three miles down the river, I threw an ear of my prop. Despite these problems, I still managed to get some fish, but they just weren’t the right size.
DockTalkWV: What was it like to meet all of the other pros?
Wil: It was pretty neat; they were all laid back, and they were just normal people that loved to fish. You could tell that these guys fish a lot, one thing that sticks out is speaking to John Cox. John Cox told me that he was catching all of his fish on one lay down and he would let it reload, but he knew the fish were back on it when the turtles climbed back up on the trees to get sun. You can tell these guys fished a lot because of little things like that.
DockTalkWV: What were your first thoughts when you stepped foot on the stage to weigh in at the Classic?
Wil: It was weird because all week long, I was focused on winning the tournament. Once I got onto the stage, it was surreal. I flashed back to being a kid in the stands watching the weigh-in, and it was a feeling that I cannot put into words.
DockTalkWV: What is your favorite memory of the Classic?
Wil: This one is tough; it is either seeing the crowd at takeoff or coming through the curtain to get on stage.
DockTalkWV: Can you look back and pinpoint the most important part of your journey to the classic?
Wil: During the regional at Lewis Smith Lake, I was 4th in our state and knew I would need a big bag that day. I knew I had it fairly figured out. On the final day, I scrapped the game plan that I had and fished new water closer to the main channel because I knew that was where the bigger fish were. I had four fish by 10:30 with one good one, and without having a big limit, I scrapped my game plan again and went to a place I knew had big ones. I ended up catching one over five pounds on a popper. That was the moment I look back on now and realize it was what put me in a position to make the Classic.
Wil represented West Virginia well and ended up in 50th place with a two-day total of 8lbs 5oz.
For sponsorship inquiries, Wil can be reached at wildieffenbauch@outlook.com
