Why mom always told you to wear clean ones … FLW pro anglers Peter Thliveros of Jacksonville, Fla., and Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., got up close and personal with the marine life of the Mississippi coastal waters on day one of FLW competition near Biloxi, Miss. Hibdon’s boat had become stuck on a sand bar, so they stripped down to their underwear, jumped in the water and pried it loose. Thliveros was driving behind Hibdon when he saw him and others run aground in shallow water. Said Thliveros, “There were four boats in front of me and all of a sudden their rooster tails went from white to black.” Kudos to him for stopping to help in the middle of the half-million-dollar tournament.
This on the q.t.: Take your GPS with you … Pro angler Carl Duvernay, a local favorite from Ocean Springs, Miss., had a scary battle with the fog that plagued last month’s FLW tournament when he got lost on the Gulf of Mexico on the first day. Duvernay called his wife, who spearheaded the rescue effort, and he returned safely. However, the foggy fiasco caused him to miss the weigh-in and took him out of the running on day one of the tournament. Still, he did manage to land a limit on day two at 5 pounds, 13 ounces, vaulting him into 111th place. Duvernay was one of the few anglers navigating the tournament waters without a global positioning system (GPS) and was reportedly the only angler without one to venture out into the Gulf.
MacGyver’s long-lost brother? … Pro angler Randy Howell of Trussville, Ala., 10th-place finisher at FLW Biloxi, also had GPS difficulties. He had to hot-wire his GPS on day two to return to the weigh-in point. Also a victim of the fog that blanketed the first few days of competition, Howell’s system failed later in the day. He phoned a Lowrance technician who walked him through on-the-fly manual repairs. He fixed the problem and made his way back to the weigh-in on time. Good thing he did, too. He was in first place after day two.
Let’s hear it for the girls … The FLW Biloxi competition saw the participation of a tour-record seven women last month, including one who fished in the pro class. Nobie Lebert of Brookeland, Texas, Mary Parnell of Casselberry, Fla., Evalyn Duncan of Lakeland, Fla., Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., Beverly Little of Greensboro, N.C., and Judy Wong of Sugar Land, Texas, all competed as co-anglers while Shirley Crain of Van Buren, Ark., fished as a pro. It wasn’t a bad showing for the ladies, either. Lebert, Parnell, Duncan and Israel all finished in the money, which is the top half of the field. The highest finisher was Lebert, who finished in 21st place.
It pays to be lucky … As most anglers know, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. So it is for pro angler Brad Peterson of Benton, Tenn., who fishes both FLW and EverStart tournaments. In 1997, he won $24 million in the Georgia State Lottery. He quit his landscaping job and now fishes and hunts full time – between rounds of golf. Not to imply that he’s not a good fishermen (he placed a respectable 24th at FLW Biloxi and routinely does well), but many pro bass anglers would sell their souls for a lucky streak like that. Look for an upcoming feature on Peterson in Bass Fishing magazine and Bass Fishing e-zine.
Back to Biloxi? … Operation Bass officials were very pleased with the tournament host site in and around Biloxi, Miss., last month. It was the first time ever the FLW had visited Biloxi. “When it comes to being a great host, the Mississippi Gulf Coast has done its job,” said ESPN’s Tommy Sanders. Undoubtedly, the locals were enthusiastic about the tournament. The FLW set a record for day-three weigh-in attendance with standing room only in the 2,500-person capacity tent. Officials estimate that some 5,000 people showed up for the Family Fun Zone and the weigh-in combined. “We will be back,” said Operation Bass Executive Vice President Charlie Evans.
Ramp ruckus … Bum weather also got the best of FLW pro angler Chris Daniels of Clayton, N.C., when his oversized, covered boat trailer became stuck on the launch ramp during day two’s takeoff. The combination of a wet ramp, low water levels and a long trailer caused it to get stuck off the end of the ramp’s cement slab. It proved to be just the right diversion for many of the mechanically inclined anglers who were waiting out day two’s five-hour fog delay at Indian Point. As Charlie Evans pointed out, “You know he’s got plenty of help over there.” In the end, a wrecker extracted the trailer safely and Daniels was in his bass boat in plenty of time for the 11:20 a.m. takeoff.
Ramp ruckus revisited … Boat ramps were also a focus of concern at last month’s EverStart Batteries Series competition in Alexander City, Ala. Early February temperatures plummeted consistently into the low 20s overnight during the four-day event. On day two, Operation Bass officials delayed takeoff for several minutes while they applied a salt mixture to de-ice the slippery ramps. In the end, all boats were launched safely.
So whose hand reeled it in? … When co-angler Jeff Taylor of Vernon, Ala., won a dramatic, after-dusk, one-hour fish-off with Fred Hill of Givsonville, N.C., on day two of the EverStart competition in Alexander City, Ala., he felt it was divine intervention. “I had nothing to do with it,” he said. “The good Lord reached down with his hand and put a bass on the end of my line.” Something was on his side; the fish-off sent Taylor into the third day of competition. Perhaps most gracious of all was Hill, who said, “I’m just glad you got one and it was decided that way.” Had neither man caught a fish, the tiebreaker would have been a coin flip.