A few years back, angler Aaron Martens was given the nickname “Hogsnatcher” by Mark Zona because Aaron was catching giant bass everywhere he went. In 2015 Aaron won the Elite tournament at Lake Havasu on Mother’s Day. Zona called him after the tournament while Aaron and his mom (me) were having a celebration dinner. I could hear Zona singing to Aaron on the phone, and after they hung up, Aaron said Zona made up a song about him now being the “Furious Hogsnatcher!” He won that event on a blackbird pattern, catching many big bass in the tulles at the end of the last day.
Two years later, something inspiring has happened. Aaron and Lesley’s daughter – my granddaughter Jordan – made history. Jordan and her friend Sadie, who became a fishing team two years ago and were the only girls’ team among the six teams in the travel team program and the whole circuit, had a tournament the weekend before the Bassmaster Classic and won the event! They were the first girls’ team ever to win an event, and they did it with a 19.22lb limit.
Jordan caught a Hog that weighed 5.91lbs coming in the second biggest fish to a 5.95 lb. bass. Each girl won a $1,000 scholarship, trophy, and fishing rod for their win. During all the excitement, someone was overheard saying Jordan was the new “Princess Hogsnatcher,” and that’s more fitting than they could know.
For years Jordan has fished with her dad, and she has caught a bunch of bass over 7 lbs. mainly were smallmouth. However, her biggest bass was a largemouth over 10lbs. You can still see that video of Jordan catching it on YouTube that went viral about five years ago.
In just five years, Jordan may have caught more big fish than I have caught in thirty. My biggest bass was over 10 lbs. I caught it in a night tournament on Castaic way before Jordan was born. Back to Jordan.
High School Bass Tournaments
Jordon’s circuit has six teams that fish nine events per year, with over two hundred other high school teams in Alabama. You might wonder how 400 high school kids in Alabama can fish tournaments before driving a car. Each team has a captain who has their boat in this high school circuit. The captain, a family member, or a friend, drives the boat and decides with the students where to fish.
Aaron has been Jordan and Sadie’s captain in the past, but this time it was family friend Joe Durham who owns one of Aarons’ previous boats that had the happy task of being the girl's captain. Joe stepped in because Aaron was in Tennessee for the Bassmaster Classic. As fate would have it, Jordan and Sadie had their best tournament, and Aaron had his worst! You can imagine the teasing he got, but he was so proud of the girls that it helped soothe his wounds.
I asked Jordan what stood out to her about that day. She laughingly said it was Joe, their captain not telling them they were leading all day long. Joe is a very competitive person, and she thinks he did that so they would fish harder and not slack off. She remembers going into the weigh-in thinking they didn’t have a chance of winning. When they arrived at the dock, tons of people descended on their boat, all excited that they indeed had the winning weight. Joe said it was a blast, and I enjoyed being a part of history.
Aaron was so proud and said he doesn’t remember Jordan ever being that excited or happy before, especially fishing. He also noted that Jordan requires very little help with her fishing which means he taught her well. Excellent job, Jordan and Sadie! Now on to another famous family duo.
The Martin duo
At the Classic, Aaron and I were chatting with Scott Martin, the son of Roland Martin. Scott told us his father Roland is still going strong at 79 yrs. Old and hasn’t slowed down at all. I shared that Roland's wife Judy and I were buddies for years and did Bass Bin presentations together with a number of times at the Fred Hall Show.
Aaron and I were also friends with Roland and fished some of the same tournaments in those days. I was asked several times if Roland was my husband and Aarons’ dad? We all thought that was pretty funny and pointed out that names sound alike may not be spelled alike. My husband Jerry never attended any of our events because he was too busy paying the bills. Many people thought Aaron had wealthy parents, which was far from true.
I didn’t know that Scott has four grown kids; two boys and two girls. Scott was excited to share that his teenage daughter Hillary loves to fish just like Jordan. She asked Scott to take her fishing for a recent birthday gift, which surprised him. Hillary also let Scott know that she wants to fish tournaments in addition to fun fishing. It sounds like there’s another “Princess Hogsnatcher” in the making.
You might want to Google Scott Martin and his kid's fishing shows. They are entertaining and helpful if you're taking your family fishing.
The Jones Duo
Another parent and child come to mind that may include a Prince Hogsnatcher, and that would be Alton Jones, and Alton Jr. became an Elite Rookie in 2017 because he won the Central Open on the Red River. Alton Jr and his dad were tied in AOY points that same year after the 5th event, and both went on to fish the Classic. It was Alton Sr.’s 18th and Alton Jr’s 1st. Alton Sr. won a Classic back in 2008.
Alton Jr qualified for his second Classic in 2018 and fished without his dad, who didn’t qualify in Knoxville this year. Alton Jr. was in the money 22 times while in BASS and has just turned 27 yrs. Old and was recently married. In talking to Alton Jr at the Classic, he let me know how supportive his dad is and how he’s looking forward to fishing MLF with his dad beginning this year.
Alton Sr. recently shared that he and his son usually talk once a day during practice about the fishing conditions, but they never share spots, and they find their own fish. As of March, Alton Sr. is 9th pl. in the Bass Pro Tour standings, and Alton Jr. is 22nd. It looks to be an exciting year in MLF for both. Today I’ve been watching the Elimination Round of Stage Four of MLF, and Alton Sr. was second into the twenty cut with 72.05 lbs. Alton Jr. was second out of the cut with 66.10 lbs. So the saga continues.
The Lane Duo
Here’s another thought; could there be brother Hogsnatchers? I would say yes, most defiantly, and I know them very well. The Lane brothers, big brother Bobby (49) and Chris (48). These two have fished all their lives, and it seems that more times than not, they are right together in the mix during their tournaments. Bobby has fished over 128 events in BASS with one win and qualified for 11 Classics, and Chris has fished over 170 events with seven wins and qualified for 6 Classics.
Both of them qualified for the Elites by fishing the Southern Opens. For years up to now, they both were fishing BASS and MLF. In MLF, Bobby has been in the top twenties 90 times, top ten 64 times, and five wins. Bobby has also won the World Championship in 2017 and has almost two million in winnings. Chris has been in the top twenties 50 times and top 10 39 times, had eight wins and earned over two million. During the Stage 4 event of MLF, Aaron Martens won Elimination Round One with 94 lbs. Bobby made the top twenty cut in 15th pl. and Chris came in 19th. So now the question is who will be in the top ten Sunday and wins Stage Four?
When I think about Chris, he loves shouting POW when he catches a big fish, and Bobby has the nickname Big Fish Bobby. Regardless, they both get their share of big ones in their unique way. It’s rumored they always have side bets during their tournaments.
Chris and his family live in Alabama, while Bobby and his family live in Florida. But even with the distance between them, it’s apparent that they have kept the family ties tight. As good friends, Aaron and his family in Alabama are right there in the middle when it comes to family trips and get-togethers with all the Lanes.
And by the way, Russ Lane isn’t their brother, which proves that if names are spelled alike, it doesn’t mean they are related. More about your favorite anglers next time.
