Ken Christ shows off one of his winning Red River bass.

Ken Christ's hopes and aspirations for the future are probably very similar to that of most bass anglers around the world. He has dreamed of some day fishing in the BASSMASTERS Classic, the world championship of fishing.

For him that's never been an unreasonable dream. It could actually happen. Right?

In Christ's case it did. His reasonable dream of making the BASSMASTERS Classic came true in April when he won the B.A.S.S. Federation National Championship on the Red River in Louisiana. The tournament, which highlights amateur anglers from around the world, sends five amateurs to the Classic, and Christ leads the way.

"The Federation makes it possible for us common guys to actually have that dream of fishing with the big boys," Christ said.

That's why Christ's Classic dream was reasonable. What he could have never dreamed, though, was that the National Championship victory would also send him as the first amateur angler to ever compete in the bass fishing competition of the ESPN Great Outdoor Games.

"I would have never dreamed," Christ said, "simply because the field is so small, so full of the biggest names in fishing. Who would, or could, ever think they would be there as an amateur?

"I'm going, but I'm truly stunned."

Christ, who describes the Great Outdoor Games as the "Olympics of the outdoors," promises that by the time the games begin July 11, he'll be ready.

In search of a clear strategy

It will be a busy July for Christ, whose previous taste of big-time fishing is limited to two Federation National Championships. In one, 1993, he finished 18th, and the last he won. Both of those events have been held on what is regarded as "muddy rivers." In 1993, it was the Arkansas River in Pine Bluff, Ark., that hosted the event, and where the river's dingy water and huge bass still hold the record for the heaviest catch in a BASSMASTERS Classic. This year, it was on the Red River at Shreveport, La., where spring rains filled the river and muddied even the most hidden fishing holes.

	“	I guess now I'll have to see if I can find a video from Lake Placid. ”
		— Ken Christ, referring to the Internet video that helped him win the Federation Championship

Each of those rivers is a stark contrast to the clear, pristine waters of the Saranac Chain of Lakes in Lake Placid, N.Y. It's a difference Christ will have to deal with while competing with the biggest names in the sport.

"Either way, I will do whatever it takes to get ready," Christ said.

For Christ, getting ready means research, which is one of his strengths. At the National Championship on the Red River, Christ won the tournament by targeting a small ditch in a backwater area of the river.

It was a ditch Christ knew he would fish, even before he ever saw the river.

"I saw the area on an aerial video, and knew it had promise," Christ said. "I ordered the video over the Internet and spent hours studying it.

"I guess now I'll have to see if I can find a video from Lake Placid."

Nothing to lose

If there is one, he'll find it. But chances are, he'll have to fall back on pure fishing instincts once he gets there. The Saranac Chain of Lakes is a series of lakes that until the 2000 Great Outdoor Games was essentially obscure to the fraternity of bass tournament anglers. And for the most part, the secrets of the lakes are largely unknown. Less than two dozen of the nation's top anglers have ever fished there, and because of the stakes — a Gold Medal — they aren't talking.

"I may have an advantage they certainly don't have," Christ said. "I don't have anything to lose, or anything to prove. No one really expects the amateur to compete."

But they may forget that Christ is a dreamer. He's made it this far, and he's seen amateurs in the past compete well in high-profile events. The most notable was Bryan Kerchal of New Hampshire, who won the 1994 BASSMASTERS Classic. And others, like Alabama's Dalton Bobo and Massachusetts Danny Correia, have finished second.

Which makes Christ's new dream of winning a Gold Medal at the Great Outdoor Games followed by a championship at the BASSMASTERS Classic seem, well, not too unreasonable.