Caleb Sumrall’s to-do list before the fast-approaching Bassmaster Elite Series opener shrank by one recently when he picked up his newly wrapped Xpress aluminum bass boat Feb.1.

Lipari Specialties in his hometown of New Iberia crossed that “to-do” off the list, as the local business has done each of the past five years, and gave him an eye-popping wrap job to show the world as he fishes across half the country in his sixth season as an Elite.

“I’m excited, ready to get started. It’s been a long offseason, man. It’s time to get back to work,” Sumrall said soon after hitching up the wrapped Xpress.

The 36-year-old outdoorsman, who casts for bass and cash most of the year and hunts in the offseason, praised the wrap.

“Oh, the wrap looks awesome. Lipari did a great job. I ran it (wrap job on last year’s Xpress) and put it through a bunch of stuff last year and it held up,” he said.

Lipari was proud to be responsible for the sixth wrap work on the local pro bass fisherman’s Xpress X21 Pro.

“We always do a good job. We take our time and everything’s laminated. You know, it’s awesome — coming from a person who used to bass fish all the time — to have somebody local who made it to the big leagues and to wrap his boat. Hopefully, it brings him good luck… to catch big fish,” Lipari said.

It took two days (16 total hours) to complete the job, he said. The process began with designer Keng Chanhkongsingh at the computer and ended with the strategically placed printouts applied to the hull by Wayne Jeanminette and Tyler Suire. Curtis Romero printed the designs for the wraps on one of two new state-of-the-art Roland 540 at Lipari Specialties, Lipari said.

It was a team effort, the owner said.

Sumrall still has quite a bit to do to get the new boat major bass tournament worthy.

“I’m trying to get all that up and ready. I don’t have anything rigged as of right now but hopefully soon. I’m waiting on a few things,” he said.

When Lipari Specialties wrapped the Xpress, it was devoid of marine electronics and batteries. Sumrall said he is hopeful of getting the four Dakota Lithium batteries, two Humminbirds for the console, Garmins for the front and Power Pole Move ZR Trolling Motor soon. He fully endorsed the Power Pole Move.

“I had one last year. It’s the best one I’ve had,” he said.

His 2024 sponsors include lead sponsor Creole Steel of Southeast Texas LLC, a sheet sheet metal fabrication company in Vidor. Sumrall said he met Riki Pike, Creole Steel COO, last year at the Elite tournament on the Sabine River.

“He reached out to me and we became good friends,” Sumrall said.

Sumrall’s other sponsors are Xpress Boats, Power Pole, Missile Baits, Spro Sports Professionals, Gamakatsu and Lipari Specialties.

When his boat is ready to roll, he’ll tow it to Toledo Bend for the first Bassmaster Elite Series of 2024. After that, Sumrall and the other Elites point the bow of their boat to Yantis, Texas, to fish Feb. 29-March 3 at Lake Fork, then travel to two Florida tournaments April 11-14 and April 18-21.

The Elites fish Lake Murray in South Carolina on May 9-12 before heading to Alabama’s Wheeler Lake on June 13-16, followed by a trip June 27-30 to Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama. The 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series campaign ends with back-to-back tournaments in New York State on Aug. 8-11 and Aug. 15-18.

With that boat wrapped with undivided attention to detail, he’ll be driving to those venues in style.