CELEBRATION, Fla. - Sitting in 100th place in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings halfway through the 2007 Bassmaster Elite Series season, it would be easy for Rick Ash to be pessimistic about his chances of climbing into the 2008 Bassmaster Classic race.
But the 55-year-old pro from Pottstown, Pa., sees reasons to be optimistic as the nation's top bass circuit heads north with next week's tournament at Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake.
The timing of the move to some Northern fisheries could not be better for Ash.
"Hopefully I can make some progress," said Ash, who guides on Oneida Lake. "I've got a little experience on Erie and I've fished the Potomac quite a bit. Same thing with Champlain. So hopefully I can pick it up as we head north."
It wouldn't take much improvement to top his first six tournament performances of the season.
Ash has yet to qualify for a top-50 cut through five 2007 Elite events. His season began with a 71st at Texas' Lake Amistad; he dropped one spot farther at the California Delta; plummeted to 96th and 107th at California's Clear Lake and Georgia's Clarks Hill Lake, respectively; but he bounced back recently at Alabama's Lake Guntersville, finishing 60th.
"It's been up and down for me," Ash said. "It seems like I've been one good fish away. At Amistad, I had some good fish on and I broke a couple off. The same thing happened to me at the Delta. I had been on a good pattern in practice and had one good day and one bad day.
"And that's what happened to me at Guntersville. I had a terrible first day and came back with a great second day. I just can't seem to put two quality days together. The way it is at this level one mistake, no matter what it is, can cost you down the road. And that's a hard lesson to learn."
Last season was tough (his best finish was 45th at Texas' Sam Rayburn Reservoir), but Ash believes what he learned will pay off this year.
"The biggest lesson I learned is that you have to go out and fish and not make any mistakes," he said. "That's been hard for me because we've been going to a lot of new water that I had never been to."
BABY ROUMBANIS ARRIVES
One of the most ballyhooed births in recent BASS history occurred Monday, May 28, when Fred Roumbanis and wife Julie became first-time parents.
Jackson William Roumbanis was born at 11:18 a.m. on Memorial Day. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces.
The newest Roumbanis is named after William Gruner, Fred's grandfather, who was a submarine commander during World War II. "That's pretty cool because he's a Memorial Day baby," said Fred, whose middle name is also William.
Jackson was the latest surprise in Fred's whirlwind week. Family and friends from Lowrance Electronics staged a surprise party for Fred (held at Affordable Automotive, a sponsor in his new home of Broken Arrow , Okla.). "It was really cool," he said. "There must have been about 50 people there. It was really nice."
YO ISH!
Immediately after scoring a third-place finish in the Bassmaster American in Greensboro, N.C., Ish Monroe boarded a plane to Orlando, Fla., to begin filming a new ESPN2 segment called "Yo Ish!"
The show will feature 12 installments, each 2½ minutes long, during which fishing fans and amateurs pose fishing questions to Monroe, a two-time BASS winner. He answers the questions and demonstrates on the water how best to execute techniques and patterns that are referred to in the answers.
The segments will air on ESPN2 at 7:56 a.m. Saturdays, beginning July 7.
EVERS TV
Edwin Evers made an appearance Saturday on the morning show Fox & Friends, which aired on the Fox News network.
The Oklahoma angler traveled to New York City for the segment filmed in Times Square. The three-time BASS winner was wearing his jersey, which he wears during competition.
Evers talked about some boats that were on display and their use for family summertime activities. He is expected to film another trip with the show around Father's Day to discuss Bass Pro Shops fishing, boating and apparel products.
OUCH!
A recent trip to Las Vegas for Texas pro James Niggemeyer proved to be unlucky. The 35-year-old traveled to Vegas to participate in his sister's wedding. While walking down the hallway of a rental house, he was stung on the foot by a scorpion. He went to the hospital for treatment and returned to his temporary home with anti-inflammatory and pain medications.
Despite the treatment, Niggemeyer endured what he calls the most pain he has ever experienced. The two-time BASS winner said he will be ready to compete in the next scheduled Elite event June 7-10 in Moneta, Va.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO
Pro Rick Ash might still be working for a utility company in the Philadelphia area. After working as a lineman for 20 years, he spent 14 more in management.
"I had to make some decisions in my career and I had an opportunity to take an early out there," Ash said. "So I did. It provided me with a good retirement income."
THEY SAID IT
"I feel like I've been double-dipped in peanut butter and rolled down a dirt road." Pro Gerald Swindle, to the crowd in Greensboro, N.C., after getting eliminated in the semifinal round of the recent Bassmaster American