Former Elite angler Jeremy Starks found his winning spot early in Monday’s practice in 2008, then he thought he’d never get to utilize it after being the last person to leave the docks.
That was Starks’ world 8 years ago when he won on Wheeler Lake, his first of two Elite victories. While he said multiple wins puts an angler in a pretty exclusive club, that first title is always one held super special.
“Any time you win on the Elite Series is huge,” he said. “Breaking that ice and winning once is a huge deal. Once you’re a winner, till the day you die, they call you a Bassmaster winner.”
Some might remember Stark talking smack on Kevin VanDam, and while he said it was all in fun, others thought he was serious. Stark felt bad about that, but he’d more than likely do it against Lebron on a basketball court. It’s what happens in sports, he said, and he really felt he was on the winning fish.
“I had no lack of confidence going into that final day,” he said. “Honestly, I felt like I was going to win. I felt like I had saved my fish and on the last day could come in with 25 pounds.”
That victory is a career highlight, and beating VanDam, although only by a half pound, was satisfying, doubly so since KVD began his streak of four consecutive Toyota Angler of the Year titles that season.
During his first practice, Starks found a depression in Decatur Flats that was loaded with fish. He found a couple more similar spots and went to one first on Day 1.
“We draw our numbers and I’m dead last on the first day — the very last boat,” he said. “Surely somebody found this. I honestly didn’t even stop on it.”
That rookie mistake didn’t do him in. He caught several from one of his other spots before checking on plan A and finding it empty. He milked it then protected it the rest of the event. He quickly caught limits there, some on five casts then played bait and switch, tying off to a buoy 400 yards away so he could still watch his spot.
“I just baited them away from my spot,” Starks said.
And he said he enjoyed watching several others anglers waste their time by coming in on him and his decoy buoy.
Starks left the Elites after 2014 to pursue some business interests, but he is fishing the Bass Pro Shops Northern Opens this year and plans to return to the Elites.