Three generations of B.A.S.S. members have been entertained, educated, inspired and even awed by the writing and photography of Don Wirth. After almost 55 years as a Bassmaster Senior Writer, Wirth is retiring from outdoor journalism.
He isn’t doing so out of necessity. Although he turned 80 this year, he’s physically and mentally fit, still full of life and enthusiasm and as quick-witted as ever.
“I’ll miss the writing, but it’s time to go,” Wirth told me. “I feel like the grandfather of these young pros … which is OK — they’re all nice kids. I just don’t want to be that guy who keeps writing and writing.”
The truth be known, I suspect he wants more freedom to go fun fishing with his buddies without the pressure and distraction of interviewing his companions and stopping to take their pictures. He wants to spend more time in the front of the boat, in other words.
He had that privilege recently, when I challenged him to be the “pro” in a special “Day on the Lake” feature.
That outing, on a brutally hot day in late July, gave us a chance to reminisce about our careers and about the fishing adventures we’ve shared.
One of those trips stands out most vividly in my mind. We were on Dale Hollow Reservoir one June evening when he killed the engine, pointed to a sandy point extending from the bank and said to cast my Zara Spook beyond it. A few twitches produced a volcanic eruption of a strike. The fish missed on that attempt and the second one but swallowed the bait on its third try. A few hairy minutes later, Wirth netted my first and only 7-pound smallmouth.
He also guided me to my personal-best rainbow trout and striped bass — both from river fisheries not far from his Nashville home. In each case, Wirth seemed as thrilled as I was.
Of all the rewards of his long career, he’s most fulfilled by helping other people get more out of fishing.
“Just running into so many people who would say, ‘Hey, I’ve read all your articles since I was a little kid’ … hearing that was so cool,” Wirth said. “It’s been gratifying to be able to pass along some knowledge about bass fishing — not knowledge from me but from the different experts I wrote about. If that helped them have more luck and fun out there, that’s a big deal to me.”
He’s also proud of having been inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mo., and of creating some of Bassmaster Magazine’s most popular features, especially “Day on the Lake.”
Though, he’s a little sad to give up that assignment.
“It was a lot of fun to do it,” Wirth said. “For a long time, the B.A.S.S. pros really wanted to take part in it, and the schedule would fill up within a day or two each year. Readers loved it. It was like a bass fishing reality show.”
The pros and their sponsors prized the exposure it brought to them and the products they used in the “Day on the Lake” challenges. Not so much anymore.
Too few of the Gen Z anglers dominating professional fishing today see value in that type of coverage.
“It’s all about how many likes they can get online,” Wirth said.
I’ll miss reading “Day on the Lake” in future issues of Bassmaster, and I’ll miss seeing Wirth’s other features and photos every month.
But I’m grateful for our friendship during my 40-plus years with B.A.S.S., and I’m especially thankful for the articles he contributed to every single magazine during my 18 years as editor.
In all those years, I am proud to say, I never produced a Wirth-less issue.