Texas pro Alton Jones actually managed to pattern the weirdest item he ever hooked.
"One day I was cranking on Lake Waco - fishing two different deep spots about 2 or 3 miles apart - and I caught a pair of women's undergarments off of each spot," he said. "It's pretty bizarre to catch one pair, much less to catch two. In the same day."
Sometimes it pays to listen to your friends.
That was certainly the case with Alonzo Evans, winner of the co-angler division in the recent season-opener of the Bassmaster Southern Opens circuit on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
After last fall's Bassmaster Elite Series Wildcard Tournament, Evans, 52, had decided to skip the 2007 season. The East Hartford, Conn., angler had fished BASS events since 1999. He called friend and traveling partner Paul Kimball to deliver the bad news.
"Paul and I have traveled together, I guess, for 15 years," Evans said. "I really wasn't going to fish this year. I was out of work, my funds were limited and I told Paul, 'Listen, I'm not going to fish.'
"He said, "Not, fish? You're going to have a good season. So fish.' I thought about it a couple of days and then I called BASS to take advantage of the guaranteed spot that I had. So far, it's been great."
Evans is now starting a construction business and enjoying the biggest payday of his amateur career after experiencing some phenomenal fishing en route to winning the co-angler championship. He took home $2,000 cash and a fully-outfitted $32,000 Triton/Mercury rig for his victory in the Florida tournament.
Fishing with Kissimmee expert Terry Segraves in the final round, Evans caught five bass weighing an impressive 27-5 (one of the largest co-angler catches in BASS history) - to win easily with a total of 42-2. "It was an awesome day," he said. "My best day ever."
And Evans wouldn't even have been in Florida if not for Kimball's encouragement.
Kimball, too, enjoyed a memorable tournament. The Glastonbury, Conn., angler posted his highest BASS finish - fourth - in the pro division. He is the director of food services for the state of Connecticut, but has a different future in mind.
"I love to fish and in five more years I can do it fulltime," said Kimball, 49.
WRONG BIFFLE
It has become commonplace for pro Tommy Biffle to be asked:
"Are you any kin to Greg Biffle, the NASCAR driver?"
His stock answer: "He's my nephew. I taught him to drive."
Then the Oklahoma angler confesses, "Nah. I just made that up."
WRAP RAP
Bassmaster pro Keith Phillips has a novel theme for the wrap on his Triton boat and truck this season.
The wrap promotes Pursuing a Dream, a charity that helps the disabled. The Alabama pro became associated with the cause after he met a physically challenged child named Destin Ware at a celebrity-hunting event.
"I've dedicated the 2007 season to the disabled people of this country and the work of Pursuing a Dream," Phillips said. "There are nearly 55 million disabled people in the U.S. Too many of them have the desire to get outdoors, but are not connected with organizations like Pursuing a Dream that can facilitate a trip.
"I hope to raise awareness of this cause and I ask for the support of my fellow competitors and weekend anglers and hunters throughout the country. My desire is for all of us to 'Share the Feeling' and help these folks pursue their dreams."
For more information, visit www.PursuingADream.com.
DID YOU KNOW?
En route to winning the Elite Series season-opener on Lake Amistad, tour rookie Derek Remitz made a run at the BASS record for four-day five-bass limit. His catch of 111 pounds, 7 ounces fell short of the 115-15 caught by Preston Clark in his victory on Santee-Cooper Reservoir last spring.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO
"I would probably be doing something in investing or real estate," pro John Crews said. "Something that has to do with finances. I was a business major in college and I enjoy that. And I enjoy the business side of fishing."
THEY SAID IT
"We fish from March to October. You wind up with a guy who beat the whole field, the best in the world, all year long. To the pros, the Angler of the Year is the Holy Grail. And I'm going to win it or to keep fishing until I do, or get too old to fish anymore." Classic champion Boyd Duckett told the Tuscaloosa News that his immediate goal is to win the Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.