It was while fishing her home Arkansas River system that Sheri Glasgow snagged the weirdest thing that she had ever reeled in. Actually, it snagged her.
"It was a freshwater mussel," said the Women's Bassmaster Tour pro from Oklahoma. "It clamped on my bait, a plastic craw. I thought I had something at first, but then it was just a dead weight on the end of my line. I couldn't figure out what it was."
At 61, Houston Keeps Plugging Away
Perhaps the most recognizable face - and certainly the most recognizable laugh - in fishing belongs to longtime tournament competitor and television show host Jimmy Houston. The personable blonde pro has long been an icon on the BASS scene.
In fact, now in his 38th season, the Bassmaster Elite Series pro is enjoying the longest-running active career in BASS history.
It began with a sixth-place finish in Ray Scott's Eufaula National tournament in June 1968, in the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society's infancy. Since then, Houston has competed in 242 events, collected two Angler of the Year titles (10 years apart), won two tournaments and made 15 appearances in the Bassmaster Classic.
With little left to prove, the Oklahoma pro, who turns 62 on July 28, was asked why he continues to compete.
"One of the things about it is I do over 100 personal appearances a year," Houston said. "The one thing that I have at a BASS tournament is (wife) Chris and I get to spend the week together. She practices all three days no matter what kind of weather and what kind of fishing. Then I fish the tournament. So we really get to spend the week together. That's a bonus because I work so hard."
Off of the water, Houston is likely the busiest of the pros.
He runs a television empire in Cookson that produces 52 weeks of programming each year. He oversees six Ranger Boat dealerships, runs a tackle store, and he operates a large travel agency.
Is tournament fishing at the highest level still fun after all these years?
"Oh yeah. If you catch them it's fun," he said. "It's not really a whole lot of fun if you don't get a bite. But I still like the tournaments."
Houston has endured routine injuries like tennis elbow and carpal tunnel in his wrist. But he still stays in top physical shape that allows him to match casts with his 30-year-old competitors. He was asked his secret to maintaining his health.
"I run stairs and, of course, I fly incessantly, and if you fly you can do a tremendous amount of walking every day, which I do," he said. "I never take escalators. I walk stairs at the airports and I don't do the trams or anything. I walk. If I have to change in Atlanta from (terminals) E to A, I walk it.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Greg Gutierrez of Red Bluff, Calif., was introduced to tournament fishing by fellow fireman Steve Klein, brother of angler Gary Klein. He spent five years competing as Steve Klein's amateur partner in northern California tournaments before going pro.
DID YOU KNOW?
Here's a trivia question that only the most dedicated bass fan will be able to answer: Name the angler who won the first fish-off ever held at a BASS tournament?
The answer: Jerry Knicely, a hometown fisherman, was tied with fellow Tennessean Alex Fancher at the end of the Bass Champs invitational in July 1981 on Cherokee Lake in Morristown, Tenn. The two competitors were sent back out on the lake, where Knicely caught a bass that earned him the $11,700 top prize.
PRO BIRTHDAYS
Texas pro Alton Jones turns 43 on July 13. BASS record-holder Dean Rojas of Arizona will be 35 on July 31.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO
Jimmy Houston graduated with degrees in economics and political science with an eye toward a career in the legal profession.
"It turned out to be a good deal," he said. "As it turned out, when I got out of college I was just tired of being broke and I just wanted to go to work, which I did."
Like BASS founder Ray Scott, Houston fashioned a career in the insurance business before becoming a professional angler.
THEY SAID IT
"All I knew was horse racing. The hardest transition was that you're in the limelight so much, and all of the sudden it goes away. That's a hard acceptance. I was sitting out there trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life." - Kevin Wirth told the Augusta Chronicle that after being a Kentucky Derby-status jockey (and before that a junior national roller skating champion), BASS tournaments became the vehicle that re-channeled his competitive fire.