Bass fishing lost one of its greats last week in Ken Cook, and the huge outpouring shows how much he was respected and loved.
People from all sides of the industry sent condolences to his widow, Tammy, and their children. See news story. Perhaps the most poignant was Alan McGuckin’s story on his relationship with Cook. Incredible tribute, Guck.
Digging back to his 1991 victory in the Bassmaster Classic, this passage ran in the Tuscaloosa News article written by Harold Stout on Aug. 25, 1991.
“I had set a lot of personal goals in this profession and I’ve accomplished a lot of them, but I wondered how I could step my career up to another level.
“I decided that I’d commit myself to sending the message that we need to help make people more environmentally aware. One way to do that is to introduce more people to fishing. I think that’s what helped inspire this victory and I’ll carry that message in the coming year.”
He carried it his entire life. He was truly a great ambassador for fishing and the outdoors.
Another line he wrote says a lot about Cook’s relationship with Tammy. It comes from his website, in a column he wrote titled “What Life Is About.” Almost every thought began with “I remember … ”
“I remember the tense moments waiting for Randy Romig to weigh in at the Classic in 1991. The feeling afterwards when we knew WE had won was and still is indescribable. That was a life changing moment for sure and the best thing was that we knew it at the time.”
Notice how he said “WE.”
Cook finished up his piece of remembrances like this:
“In my life, the good ones far outweigh the bad, so I win the tournament of memories. At least, that is what I remember.”
Memorial services for Ken will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 at First Baptist Church in Lawton, Okla. Cook’s son, Hunter, wrote that “flowers can be sent to The Lawton Ritter Gray funeral home, but we want people to make a donation to the Tackle the Storm Foundation in honor of Ken Cook in lieu of flowers.”
Last but not least
Josh Bertrand said being the 55th and final angler to launch in the Classic isn’t what he dreamt of, but he thinks it’s better than second to last.
Bertrand took that optimistic look when the launch order for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic was released last week. As AOY winner, Aaron Martens will be the first of 55 boats to launch from Wolf Creek Park in Grove, Okla., on March 4.
Classic champ Casey Ashley is second in line, and the rest of the field was drawn in random order. The field goes out in two flights. The order reverses for Day 2, and on Day 3 the anglers go out in the order of their tournament standing.
Bertrand isn’t thinking he’s sunk, and going out last could actually be beneficial.
“Honestly, it’s not that big of a deal,” he said. “I’m sure there are some spots on Grand Lake where you can go and catch them right away. Maybe I will have a spot I really want to start on. But everything I’ve heard and seen, it’s a pattern lake.”
Finding fish on similar spots all over a section of lake is possible, so getting beat to a specific spot might not ruin any angler’s hopes. Bertrand said the draw would be way more critical in a ledge tournament where the prime spots are at a premium.
“The extra 15 minutes on the end of the day, when the water warms up and maybe the fish are biting better, could be just as good,” Bertrand said. “And going out first on the second day, leading the Classic out, that will be cool and fun.”
Don’t lip it like that
Texas knows a little about big fish, and it wants all its anglers to properly handle bass, especially large bass.
The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, which manages the state’s popular ShareLunker program, recently had three of five huge bass come in with broken jaws, and two died.
They suspect the fish were held vertically by the lower jaw, which results in a break that could kill the fish via infection or not being able to feed.
“To prevent broken jaws, big fish should always be supported with two wet hands, one gripping the lower jaw and the other under the tail. We recommend that any fish weighing 7 pounds or more be handled with two hands,” the release stated.
A 10-step process of proper care of potential ShareLunker bass has been on the TPWD web site for years and it’s a good practice for anyone handling a hawg.
Wanna be a pro?
In his recent column, Kevin Hawk discusses the No. 1 question most of the pro anglers get: What do I need to do to become a pro?
Hawk gives a pretty detailed list of nine essentials. There have been plenty of other Elites to put out helpful tips, like Kevin VanDam’s “The business side of being a pro,” and Justin Lucas’ “So you want to be a pro fisherman?”
Big Bass of the Week
Chris Zaldain brings us the Big Bass of the Week. He trumpeted in the New Year with this 9-pounder caught from an undisclosed location. And see how he got new sponsors Trokar and SPYoptic into the shot. Brilliant! Say, is that Dottie’s little sister? Say, is that a wedding ring? A picture can say a thousand words.
Culling
- A neat set of features is running on this site. There are introductions of the new anglers who will fish the Bassmaster Elite Series this year. It’s kinda neat when you read that 45-year-old Dave Lefebre was 13 when he knew he would be a pro angler … and a musician. And under the Related Stories on that page, you find links to the features of the other rookies, like Luke Clausen, Clent Davis and Drew Benton.
- Kevin VanDam writes in his latest column about the benefits of sports shows. He said the show season has begun and he’ll be attending a bunch. One of his favorite features is being able to get his hands on new products, but another is that fishing is right around the corner.