Edwin Evers: so close

Few anglers are more passionate, work harder or are more driven than Edwin Evers.

Edwin Evers may be bass fishing’s fiercest competitor. Few anglers are more passionate, work harder or are more driven than he is. He invests all of himself into each tournament, making wins sweeter and loses crushing. Pitting two anglers head-to-head makes second place seem like 100th, when otherwise it’s a solid finish.

As he sat in his Nitro before weighing in, he was listening intently to emcee Dave Mercer interviewing Aaron Martens, waiting to hear Martens’ weight. “Thirteen pounds, eight ounces!” Mercer bellowed.

Evers sank. He estimated his weight in the 11- or 12-pound range; it was 12 and change.

For the last two days, he fished above Lake Decatur in the river that feeds it. He had the whole system to himself, but it was challenging for him to get into the area due to a shallow spot in the river. He blasted mud and muck 50 feet into the air with his outboard each day to get into the river. Other anglers dismissed it as too difficult to get in, but Evers knows that if you don’t have to share fish with anyone else, you stand to do better.

As the day wore on, the lake level would drop several inches. While that may seem inconsequential, it’s huge when there are only a few inches to begin with. So, he was forced to leave the hot spot earlier than he would’ve liked.

“I had to leave when I had to leave because the water was getting so low; I wish I could’ve stayed in there longer,” he said. “I fished good today, I just needed more time in there.”

Though he didn’t win here, he gained dozens of fans who watched his valiant effort on Lake Decatur, and even more who watched the action all week and saw what a class act and stellar fisherman Evers is.

No doubt this loss was a tough pill to swallow, but Evers’ drive will lead him back to the winner's circle very soon.