Fishing fans attending the daily weigh-ins at this week's Bassmaster Central Open in Columbus, Miss., will be surprised to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar role.
Entered among the 200 pros is one Jerry McKinnis of Little Rock, Ark., That's right - the same Jerry McKinnis who produces and serves as co-host of The CITGO Bassmasters television show.
Devoted fans may recall that the personable McKinnis once fished the BASS circuit. During the organization's infant days, he competed in six BASS tournaments - cashing a check in four tournaments (including one top-10 finish). With a career earnings total of $791.50, McKinnis will be competing for a $50,000 top prize on the Tennessee-Tombigbee chain this week.
We last saw McKinnis casting for BASS cash in a tournament on Tennessee's Watts Bar Reservoir in the spring of 1974. He finished 55th with 12 pounds, 11 ounces of bass.
"I don't know why I'm doing this," he said, laughing. "I must be insane.
"I really love the competition. I really love to try to go find fish. I think I like that more than catching them. The catching them is probably the proof that you found them. But still, on a personal basis, it's a lot of fun knowing that you found some fish.
"I've always loved this. And I've had a (29)-year layoff. But I've always really liked doing it, so when the opportunity came up I thought, shoot, I'd just go try this."
McKinnis was asked to compare today's Opens versus the BASS Invitationals of yesteryear.
"There are an awful lot of boats now," he relied. "We didn't use to have that. Other than that, I think I enjoy them more.
"And I look at all of the tapes of these guys fishing. There's probably nobody in the world who has seen professional bass fishermen fish more than I have. I've got enough of an ego to where I say, 'Heck, I can go do that.'" McKinnis laughed. "It sure doesn't work that easy, but you still like to think you could go do it."
Schedule permitting, McKinnis will be competing in all three of the Central tournaments this fall.
OFF-LIMITS LIFTED
Anglers competing in the four divisions of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail this season will be enjoying a rare luxury in the history of BASS - no off-limits restriction.
Throughout the 35-year history of BASS, tournament competitors have almost always had a period ranging from two weeks to one month during which they were not allowed to fish on the official event waters. This was done primarily to even the playing field for the fishermen who were unable to pre-fish for time or financial reasons.
"The main thinking behind (the change) was so that we can take entries on-site," said Trip Weldon, BASS tournament director. "It's kind of hard to do it with off-limits. Last year we'd have eight or 10 no-shows at each tournament and, from a business standpoint, we need to fill those slots."
There are a couple of additional benefits as well. First, it saves the pros some expense money since they no longer need to make a separate trip to the tournament site for scouting purposes. Secondly, pros that guide on those waters don't lose any income because of the off-limits provision.
"And the (host) communities have people come in a little bit longer now and stay longer," Weldon added.
Weldon emphasized that the Tour and new Elite 50 circuits will still have a 30-day off-limits period.
"The Opens have their own set of rules now," he said. "We used to have one set of rules. The Tour and E50 have a different set, which are more restrictive."
CAREER HELP
Launching a career in professional fishing was a longtime dream of Ish Monroe while growing up in California. But it took a little unexpected motivation to convince him to finally take the plunge full-time.
It was while using his winning personality to become a top salesman for a car dealer in California that Monroe was suddenly faced with a fork in his career road. After selling 10 vehicles in the first 10 days of the month, he asked to take a Friday and Monday off to compete in a tournament.
"My boss told me I could have off Friday, but to be at work on Saturday or not come back," Monroe recalled. "So I went fishing and Tuesday morning he called wanting to know where I was. I said, 'You said not to come back,' and he asked if I thought he was serious, which I did. I had another offer to work at a boat dealership, and they were going to provide me with a boat and sponsor me for tournaments, so it all worked out for the best."
DID YOU KNOW?
Most BASS fans can tell you that Kevin VanDam and Jay Yelas share the current longest Classic streak with 13. But do you know who has the next longest streak? It's Texan Alton Jones, with eight.
PRO BIRTHDAYS
Ohio's Joe Thomas turns 41 on Aug. 19, while Florida pro Doug Gilley becomes 71 on the same day. Massachusetts' Danny Correia will be 40 two days later. Arkansas Mark Rose will be 32 on Aug. 22. Top western pros Aaron Martens (31) and John Murray (39) share Aug. 24 as their birthday.
IF I HADN'T BECOME A BASS PRO . . .
Tim Horton would likely be working as a youth counselor. "I got a degree in psychology and was going to go into counseling," he said. "I have an interest in young people."
THEY SAID IT
"The prize monies are so much better now. Back when I was a younger guy there wasn't as much money in this sport. The first BASS tournament I won paid $3,475 back in 1974 at Beaver Lake. Now they pay $100,000 apiece. So there's more money in the tournaments now.
But the cost is tremendous. The entry fees, your expenses and everything is pretty costly, so you've got to catch fish." Veteran Texas pro Tommy Martin, winner of the 1974 Classic, on the growth of the sport.