It’s no accident that Joel Richardson is making it in fishing’s “Big Leagues”
Most young adults don’t know what they want to do with their lives when they graduate from high school. Many college students change majors several times before their career compasses settle on course. Joel Richardson never suffered this kind of vocational indecisiveness. By age 10, he knew exactly the job title he desired: Professional Bass Angler.
Young boys typically throw out romantic notions when asked what they want to do when they grow up. Common responses include fireman, cowboy, or race car driver. Though most boys leave such fantasies behind as they grow into men, Richardson never wavered. He set his heart on becoming a bass pro, and that dream has inspired him for 20 years. Now, at age 30, Richardson is one of the most consistent anglers ever to compete in Operation Bass tournaments.
The first three years he fished Red Man events, beginning in 1994, he qualified for three consecutive All-Americans. At this writing he has earned checks in 11 of the 13 Wal-Mart FLW Tour tournaments in which he’s competed, including four top 10 finishes. Richardson has qualified for every Wal-Mart FLW Tour championship, plus the Ranger Millennium scheduled for November. Last January he gave his career a substantial boost when he won his first Wal-Mart FLW Tour event–and $100,000 –at Lake Okeechobee, Florida.
As far back as Richardson can remember, he has fished with his parents, grandparents, and other relatives near his Kernersville, North Carolina, home. He got the bass bug early when his father, Joel Richardson, Sr., took him on a spring fishing trip to a farm pond.
“I was only 3 years old,” says Richardson, “but I can still remember the highlights of that day. Dad rigged my rod with a 10-inch plastic worm. As I sat on the bank, watching dad catch fish, a 5-pound largemouth moved up on a bed right in front of me. I dropped the worm into the water and watched the bass take it.”
Richardson reacted by turning around, bracing the rod against his shoulder and sprinting away from the shoreline. This may have been mainly a defensive maneuver, but it worked. The bass was pulled up onto the bank where Richardson’s father grabbed it before it flopped back into the water.
“I carried that bass around and showed it to everybody I knew,” says Richardson.
By 10 years of age, Richardson had acquired basic bass fishing skills, including proficiency with baitcasting tackle. If his parents or relatives were unable to take him fishing, he lashed a tackle box to the rear carrier of his bicycle, strapped as many as five rods across the handlebars and peddled to one of 30 or so farm ponds within an 8-mile radius of his home. Richardson was never one to let something as trivial as the lack of a boat prevent him from bass fishing.
During his teen years, Richardson regularly fished with his father from the family’s fish-and-ski boat. When his father stepped up to a bona fide bass boat, Richardson, then 17, felt one step closer to realizing his dream. He was old enough to hook up the boat and go fishing on his own, and he did so at every opportunity.
“I wore that boat out,” says Richardson. “I spent most of my time, when I was a teenager, fishing. From March until November, I’d usually fish the weekends and get on the water a few evenings after school. In the summertime, I’d sometimes go fishing almost every day for two months in a row.”
Those countless hours on the water allowed Richardson to hone his angling skills and learn that hard work overcomes slow fishing days. He discovered the benefits of covering water quickly with crankbaits and spinnerbaits, which are now his primary lures.
“I also taught myself how to fish structure,” says Richardson. “I did that by spending thousands of hours not fishing…thousands. All winter long, I would idle around graphing lake bottoms, looking for humps, ledges, deep cover, and migration routes. It paid off for me big time.”
Many of Richardson’s structure-searching forays took place at Kerr Reservoir, which straddles the Virginia/North Carolina border. He regards Kerr as his home lake and has fared well there in many tournaments. Even though Kerr has rewarded Richardson with scads of big bass and heavy tournament limits, his most meaningful catch there had nothing to do with fishing. It was while visiting Kerr with his parents that 13-year-old Richardson met Katie Luffman. She would later become his wife and the mother of their son, Cordaryl, now 10 years old.
Katie worked for eight years at Bobcat’s Lake Country, which Richardson describes as one of the largest tackle shops on the east coast. He was impressed with her knowledge of the tackle business and Katie was enamored with his personality.
“I never thought I’d marry a fisherman,” she says, “but Joey is a very caring person. He’s honest and he goes out of his way to do things for people. He really tries hard to manage both family and a fishing career.”
Eager to impress Katie, Richardson informed her of his career goals at the outset. Katie had heard idle boasts from other boys and initially thought his quest to be a professional fisherman was more of the same. But as she grew to know Richardson over the years, she realized he was not be denied. Today, Katie isn’t surprised by the success Richardson has achieved.
“There’s something about Joey,” she says. “He has a special quality about him… Competitive fishing is hard and takes a lot of dedication. You have to be very self-willed and disciplined. Joey’s a great fisherman. He’s dedicated 120 percent. I think tournament fishing is great for guys like Joey who love to do it.”
Katie enjoys traveling to Operation Bass tournaments with her husband and claims she gets more excited at the weigh-ins than he does. Cordaryl also travels with the family to summer tournaments and considers the trips to be adventuresome vacations. While school is in session, Cordaryl stays with relatives when mom and dad venture to a tournament. This arrangement works well, thanks to close-knit, supportive family members who live close by.
It’s no accident that the Richardsons have free time for tournaments. In addition to the income derived from tournament winnings and a host of sponsors, Richardson guides 50 to 70 days a year at Kerr Reservoir. He and Katie also own and operate their own business, Richardson’s Cleaning. One of their regular jobs is to clean the insides of newly built homes before the owners move in. Richardson then pressure-washes the outside of the homes.
“My father,” says Richardson, “never discouraged me from pursuing a fishing career, but he did tell me that I needed to keep a regular job. That was good advice. Being self-employed allows me to schedule work around my tournaments.”
Richardson started out fishing local team tournaments with his cousin, Kenneth Snow, and his father. He showed consistency in these events, often finishing in the money, occasionally winning a tournament, and typically qualifying for year-end championships.
Team tournaments gave Richardson confidence and helped him gain experience. But he realized they couldn’t take him where he wanted to go. It was participation in Red Man events that put him on the fast track to becoming a professional angler. He found the transition to the draw format to his liking.
“I like draw tournaments better,” says Richardson, “because you have an opportunity to learn from other anglers. After my first year of Operation Bass in 1994, I quit team tournaments almost altogether.”
Fishing the Piedmont and Carolina divisions of the Red Man trail, Richardson made his remarkable run of three consecutive All-Americans. His third place finish at the 1995 All-American on the Ohio River caught the eye of potential sponsors. His consistency since then has earned him considerable support.
“I have great relations with Ranger and Evinrude,” says Richardson. I wouldn’t want to be with anybody else because of the people they have. That means as much to me as the product, which is fantastic.”
Other Richardson backers include: Gambler, Hawg Caller Baits, Lowrance, Triad Marine of Greensboro, North Carolina, Bobcat’s Lake Country, Edge Lures, Leading Edge Solutions, and Aqua-View.
At some time in the future, Richardson would like to write a book that helps people catch fish and to have his own television fishing show. Those may be idle daydreams for others, but Richardson has a knack for making his dreams come true.