CELEBRATION, Fla. -- It is a long way from the family sod farm in rural Minnesota to the top level of professional angling. But that is the mind-boggling journey made by Derek Remitz.
Three years ago, the 24-year-old pro was working with his father on the farm in northern Minnesota. To the average BASS fan, it probably appears that Remitz suddenly appeared at the head of the Elite Series class.
In reality, the sideburned young pro had a plan. First, he moved to Hemphill, Texas - the bass-fishing birthplace of former Bassmaster Classic champions Larry Nixon and Tommy Martin - to hone his skills on a year-round level. Then he qualified for the 2007 Classic by finishing atop the Bassmaster Northern Tour standings.
Just before the Classic, Remitz moved to Madison, Ala., to be more centrally located for traveling the 2007 Series. He then finished 34th in the Classic.
The young pro announced his arrival by winning the season-opener on Lake Amistad and then finishing second at the California Delta - making him the unlikely early leader in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. Even a 75th-place showing in last weekend's Clear Lake event has not tempered his remarkable early success.
Remitz admits that he has surprised himself, as well as the fishing world.
"Definitely. I just wanted to survive this western trip," he said. "I had no idea that in the first two tournaments I would walk away with a first and a second. That's just amazing. I still don't know how to describe it yet."
The seeds for his success were sowed last season on the Tour after moving to Texas.
"To be honest with you, I'm just fishing," Remitz said. "I think last year really helped me build confidence. I learned a lot by fishing so much last year. That really helped build confidence in making the right moves at the right time. That seems to be the key out here.
"So far it's been working. At Amistad I got on them pretty well in practice. I didn't know I was going to win it. I just thought I had a chance to do good. At the Delta, I just had a horrible practice. My best day was like 11 pounds, but I adjusted on day one and that seemed to pan out. My fish just dried out on the fourth day, but I still finished second."
Life has certainly changed for the formerly obscure angler. Suddenly, total strangers know his face.
"That's definitely been the case within the last couple of weeks," he said. "Especially after the Delta. I've never had that before where people actually know who I am when I walk into a store. That's kind of cool."
An added bonus is the obvious new-found respect Remitz is receiving from his fellow pros.
"That's the coolest thing - being able to talk to all of the guys that are my heroes. It's just kind of cool standing in the bag line and talking to Steve Kennedy about the day or talking to Kevin VanDam after the weigh-in. That's just really neat.
"You don't get to talk to many people out there in the (sod) field, so this is pretty cool."
Remitz was asked if he allows the Angler of the Year title to slip into his conscious thought.
"I suppose it's kind of stuck in the back of my mind now," he replied. "But there's so much fishing left to do this year. You have one bad tournament and these guys will leave you in the dust, it seems like.
"I'm very happy with the start, obviously, and I'm just going to keep trying to grind it out for the rest of the year. Make some cuts here and there, and maybe knock out another top-12. But that's hard to do. It's hard to catch them four days in a row."
BASS MILLIONAIRES
Aaron Martens was recognized as the newest member of the BASS Millionaires Club with the cash he pocketed by winning the Bassmasters stop on the California Delta.
And Alton Jones became the 18th pro to pass $1 million in BASS earnings. The Texan finished 27th and earned $10,000 to get $29 above the coveted mark.
PRO CO-ANGLER
You never know who will turn up in the co-angler ranks of a tournament.
Case in point: At the recent Bassmasters tournament in the Delta, one of the so-called amateurs was John Bedwell of Stockton, Calif. The 57-year-old angler traveled the BASS Invitational Circuit in the mid-1980s, posting eight top-50 finishes.
"For seven years I fished without a job," he told the Stockton Record newspaper. "Over the years I won 20 tournaments, enough cash to live on and buy many bass boats."
He quit tournament fishing in 1992 to spend more time with his children, who were in high school. "I'm pretty much in awe of (the pros)," he said. "I've fished with many of them when I was back East and I'm in awe that they are still doing it, fishing tournaments. It is just great being with some of my old buddies again."
Bedwell was asked if he missed tournament fishing. "Only when I am awake. Fishing around the U.S. was the best part of my life."
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO
Rookie Scott Campbell would likely be in the banking business. As a young man he worked in the family's bank in Springfield, Miss., for seven years and graduated from college with degrees in finance and economics.
THEY SAID IT
"If the Bassmaster Classic is a made-for-TV bass tournament, Boyd is the perfect made-for-TV champion. He's articulate, witty and intense without seeming unfriendly. I'll be interested to see where fame takes him." Tuscaloosa News outdoors writer Robert DeWitt in praise of reigning Classic champion Boyd Duckett.