California pro Ishama Monroe has never fit the profile of the average professional angler.
First, the 29-year-old angler grew up in the San Francisco Bay area - hardly a traditional hotbed for bass pros. It was only through summers spent in Michigan that he was exposed to bass fishing.
Then there is the fact that Monroe is African-American. Several black anglers have competed on the CITGO Bassmaster circuit over the years, but none have enjoyed the success of the California pro, who has five top-10 finishes to his credit.
Monroe recently became only the second African-American to ever qualify for the CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer - exactly 20 years after Mississippi's Alfred Williams accomplished the feat in 1983. He is the first African-American to ever qualify through the professional ranks - Williams earned his Classic ticket via the BASS Federation.
"Making the Classic means a lot," Monroe said. "To me, it means everything. It's a lifelong dream.
"I've met Alfred a few times. We didn't get a chance to talk about the Classic, but we talked about the whole demographics of bass fishing. He said making the Classic meant a lot to him. I think from an all-around standpoint, it brings a different demographic to the whole sport of bass fishing. So I think it will make kids in any ethnic group think, 'I can do this, too.'
"This is the 20-year anniversary (of Williams' Classic). And that makes it a big deal."
Monroe has had his sights set on making the Classic since childhood. It was a dream that separated him from his friends as he grew up in California.
"I was about 10 years old when I decided I wanted to fish professionally," he said. "I remember watching some tournament on television and thinking that's what I wanted to do. I already had the love for fishing.
"I pretty much decided that I wanted to fish, so I went and started talking to sponsors. They said they wanted somebody that could speak well, and somebody that could sell their products. I went to summer school every year so that my senior year I could go to business school. From there, I graduated and went to college where I took public speaking and marketing.
"Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, my friends were into everything else. There's drugs, there's violence, cars. While my friends were going out on dates, I was going fishing. It was a little bit uncool, but personality goes a long way with my friends so it worked out well."
Monroe was asked if he feels any added pressure as only the second black angler to qualify for the Classic.
"I don't think there's any pressure at all," he replied. "More than anything it's going to be exciting. ... I'm going to become a hero to some kid now, and that's pretty impressive.
"There's definitely more responsibility. Any time you do something like this it's a major deal. And I can't go out there and be ignorant or do something wrong. I just have to do everything pretty clean cut."
HIGH WATER
When the 61 CITGO Bassmaster Classic pros arrived in New Orleans to begin scouting the Louisiana Delta Sunday for the official seven-day practice period they were greeted with unusually high water levels. Recent rains, including a 6-inch, one-day deluge late last week that flooded downtown New Orleans, have impacted parts of the Delta region.
Speaking by cell phone from the Black Bayou area, 2001 Classic winner Kevin VanDam said the region of the Delta nearest to the Mississippi River was plagued with high water, while the westernmost areas were not.
HIS CAUSE
Before leaving for New Orleans, Florida pro Shaw Grigsby spent Saturday serving as the emcee of a tournament benefiting one of his favorite causes.
Grigsby lent his name and emcee skills to the Save Rodman Reservoir tournament, an annual event that raises funds for Save Rodman Reservoir Inc. The group has been working for years to keep the 10,000-acre reservoir from being drained back into the banks of the Oklawaha River.
Long one of the country's top bass lakes, Rodman was created in the early 1960s as part of the ill-fated Cross Florida Barge Canals. Environmental groups have been trying to have its dam destroyed for more than a decade, but don't have the legislative support to make it happen. In fact, Gov. Jeb Bush has a bill on his desk that would give Rodman the protection of a state preserve (he has indicated that he will likely veto the measure).
"This is a cause that's important to me," said Grigsby, who has attempted to rally the state's fishermen in hopes that they will contact Bush and request his support for the bill. "Rodman is a great, great fishery and a beautiful habitat for wildlife. It makes no sense to want to destroy it."
DID YOU KNOW?
The 33rd Classic field will include three participants who have won BASS events on the Louisiana Delta: Kevin VanDam (2001 Classic), Davy Hite (1999 Classic) and Kenyon Hill (1998 Louisiana Bassmaster Top 150).
PRO BIRTHDAYS
PENNSYLVANIA's Randall Romig becomes 53 on June 25 Arkansas angler Ron Shuffield celebrates his 47th birthday on June 27, while California's Skeet Reese will blow out 34 candles on June 30.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO...
Stacey King would likely be a real estate magnate. The Missouri pro was in on the Branson building boom in the 1970s as a real estate salesman while guiding on Table Rock Lake. "That was the direction I was heading," he said.
THEY SAID IT
"We've stayed close forever. Tommy's my best friend in the whole world. We still room together when one of our wives doesn't go to the tournaments. We work together. We talk together every day after we get through fishing. I don't know that there's been many days go by during tournament competition that we haven't had some sort of discussion on what the fish are doing." Former Classic champion Larry Nixon on his close friendship - on and off of the water - with fellow Classic winner Tommy Martin.