G-Man vs. Big Show

It’s the battle of the roommates when Terry Scroggins and Gerald Swindle meet in the first round, where both might be fishing from the same spot.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – It’s the battle of the roommates when No. 4 seed Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., takes on No. 5 seed Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., in the Evan Williams Bourbon All-Star Championship Friday on the Alabama River.

This would seem to be a pretty even pairing anyway. Scroggins has the advantage of being a strong shallow-water angler with a Florida background. But Swindle matches that in his familiarity with this river located in his home state.

The fact that these two are roommates and share information when competing on the Elite Series tour adds an element of the unknown. Could their friendship be on the line in this head-to-head confrontation?

Swindle has made the answer to that question perfectly clear.

“I’ll bet you anything that we’ll share the same fishing spot, we’ll be throwing at the same thing,” Swindle said. “It’s the way we roll, and that ain’t changing.

“The worst thing you could do would be to come down here and lie to your best friend, put your friendship in jeopardy. We’ve got lots of tournaments and Angler of the Year titles we’re going to be fishing for down the line when we’re going to need each other.”

It’s always interesting whenever the G-Man and Big Show are involved. If they really do end up sharing a fishing spot on the Alabama River, that alone would make for a most entertaining day.

There are four matches in the Evan Williams Bourbon All-Star Championship on the Alabama River starting Friday.

The Scroggins-Swindle winner advances to fish Saturday against the winner of No. 3 seed Aaron Martens and No. 6 seed Edwin Evers. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Ott Defoe will face No. 7 seed Mike Iaconelli. That winner meets the winner of top seed Casey Ashley and No. 8 seed Skeet Reese.

The one-on-one title will be decided Sunday, with $100,000 on the line in the winner-takes-all format.

– Steve Wright