BASS and Classic Champion Skeet Reese are enjoying some new limelight of late. BASS said Reese was on the cover of the Sunday, March 14, edition of Parade magazine, the supplement 33 million people receive each week in their Sunday newspapers. Inside was a two-page spread with photos featuring the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Auburn, Calif. The article was written by Harlan Coben, an award-winning author of 16 books in the thriller genre.

The Parade piece was a coup for the sport of bass fishing on two counts: It was the cover story for a mainstream media outlet that claims a readership of 72.775 million people and distribution in 470 newspapers, and it was written by a novelist of international fame.

"Skeet Reese, the West Coast and bass fishing (were) represented very well," said Bassmaster Elite Series emcee Keith Alan as he presented a copy of Parade to Reese on stage in the final moments of the TroKar Duel on the Delta last Sunday in Stockton, Calif.

As Alan spoke, Reese was still a bit stunned from learning he was two ounces short of winning the event. He smiled for photographers while holding up the magazine. The pose was a double image of the 2009 Bassmaster Classic winner in his yellow and black trademark wear.

Interviewing Reese was Coben's introduction to bass fishing. His latest book, Caught, to be released next week, is not about fishing, nor are any of his other thrillers. Many, however, are award winners, including Tell No One, which was made into a movie of the same name.

Parade arranged Coben's onboard interview with Reese. That was in September 2009, during the Bassmaster Elite Series Postseason in Alabama.

"I think they figured Skeet would be a good interview subject with his rather, uh, you know, brash background," Coben said. He was enthusiastic about taking on the piece because his son, Ben, is an avid angler.

"He loves to fish more than life itself, and he has a father who doesn't know anything about fishing," Coben said. "So that's when we came up with the idea, and thought it might be neat to bring Ben down with me. I was a total outsider, a guy who knows nothing about fishing, rather than somebody who is an expert on bass fishing."

While in Alabama, Coben went fishing with Elite pro Greg Vinson. The trip was an exercise to help him understand how tough the sport can be. Ben came along.

"I was ready to give it up in about 10 minutes," Coben laughed. "I only caught a gar, but Ben reeled in four bass. The next day, Skeet and Kevin (VanDam) were making fun of me."

Reese's miss on an Elite win on the same day the Parade piece came out was an odd coincidence. Coben, who has been following Reese's career, drew a parallel to the postseason tournament where he interviewed Reese.

"I'm crushed for him because I know what a competitor he is, and I know how hard he takes it," Coben said. "I was in the boat with him when he didn't win the Angler of the Year, so I know Skeet and that he's taking it hard, but he'll bounce back."

Tennessee's Wild Side added another Emmy award to its growing list of accomplishments during the 24th Annual Mid-South Regional Awards which were held recently in Nashville. This one hits home for me since I've been fortunate enough to be featured on their show on several occasions.

Tennessee's Wild Side won an Emmy in the category of Magazine Series/Special Program. Tennessee's Wild Side is the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's weekly 30-minute television program and is produced in conjunction with the Renaissance Center's Multimedia Department, which is located in Dickson.

The half-hour, magazine format outdoors program airs on Public Broadcasting Service stations across Tennessee and Kentucky. The popular series now has a total of seven Emmy awards since its inception.

"Since Tennessee's Wild Side first hit the air waves 10 years ago, it has continued to help our agency accomplish its mission to educate the public regarding our fabulous resources and wildlife diversity here in our state," said Don King, TWRA Information and Education Division chief. "The program has helped us inspire young and old alike to get outdoors and take advantage of opportunities we have to hunt, fish and watch wildlife here in Tennessee."

Tennessee's Wild Side features segments not only for the avid hunter or angler, but stories on many other types of outdoor activities. Bill Cody and Janet Ivey are featured as co-hosts for the program.

We normally feature major game fish like bass, crappie and catfish in the Outdoor Report, but an accomplishment like this can't go overlooked. Knoxville resident Roy Hawk now has the honor of holding three current state fishing records, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has confirmed.

Hawk caught a quillback carpsucker that weighed 4 lbs., 2 ozs., that measured 19 1/8 inches in length while fishing on the Holston River in Hawkins County on Feb. 18. Hawk had set the standard for the northern hogsucker and the black redhorse on the same day while fishing on the South Holston a year and two days prior to establishing the mark for quillback carpsucker. The northern hogsucker weighed 2 lbs., 9 ozs and the black redhorse 3 lbs., 1 oz.

Hawk's new record for the quillback surpassed the mark of 2 lbs., 9 ozs. Bill Davis, also a Knoxville resident, set the old mark May 20, 2009 while fishing at Bull Creek Run on Melton Reservoir in Anderson County. To land his latest record fish, Hawk used a spinning reel with a Rapala lure on an 8 lb. test line. He made the catch at 8 p.m.

The criteria to be considered for a state record fish along with the new record application and instructions, state records and fishing license information are in the 2010 TWRA Tennessee Fishing Guide. Information is also available on the TWRA Web site at by clicking on "Fishing" located on the left side of the home page.

The TWRA said hunters play a vital role in managing and protecting the natural resources of the state. Not only do hunters provide the funding for wildlife management through the purchase of hunting licenses and equipment, but they also keep a watchful eye on poaching activities that are detrimental to wildlife. One common poaching problem across the state is hunting wild turkeys over corn or other types of bait.

As hunters are scouting prior to and during the hunting season, they should be on the lookout for baited areas or even individuals poaching before the season opens. Be on the lookout for blinds built before the season. Blinds may be constructed from brush, logs, or other natural materials. Inspect the inside of the blind to see if the leaves are scraped away or packed down. This may be an indication that someone is hunting before the season opens.

If you find something that looks suspicious, report it to the TWRA. To report poaching activities, call the appropriate Regional Office: West Tenn. (Region I) 1-800-831-1173, Middle Tenn. (Region II) 1-800-255-8972, Cumberland Plateau (Region III) 1-800-241-0767), East Tenn. (Region IV) 1?800?831?1174 from 7:00 a.m. to midnight (local time) seven days a week.

In addition to a reward offered by the TWRA, the Tennessee State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation also offers a reward of up to $300 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of poachers. Information received is kept in the strictest confidence.

Turkey season is all but upon us. Next weekend, the young guns get the first shot at taking a gobbler and the main season opens the first weekend in April. Get ready, this should be a good one.