HICKORY, N.C. — Blake Honeycutt, an earlier pioneer in structure fishing for bass and cofounder of Humminbird Electronics, has died.
Honeycutt, 92, a longtime resident of Hickory, N.C., passed away Saturday, March 5, at his residence.
The news shook those in the bass fishing world who knew him.
“I’m in shock,’’ said an emotional Bob Cobb, former editor of Bassmaster Magazine (1969-1986).
“When Bassmasters talk about deep-water fishing, the angler that changed bank beaters to structure fishing was Blake Honeycutt,” Cobb continued. “In the early 1970s, Blake ruled the Tournament Trail. His legendary catches on Lake Eufaula are still talked about. He was my hero and friend.”
A 2014 inductee into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Honeycutt holds the Bassmaster Tournament Trail record for the heaviest three-day winning catch. He weighed in 138 pounds, 6 ounces, at the Eufaula National on Lake Eufaula, Alabama, in July 1969, when the daily creel limit for bass was 15.
A protege of Hall of Famer Buck Perry, Honeycutt helped Perry test, design and market Perry’s Spoonplug lures. He later partnered with Tom Mann and electronics innovator Yank Dean of Eufaula to found Humminbird. He was the East Coast manufacturer’s representative for Ranger Boats for 20 years, and he helped design the popular Ranger TR series of bass boats. He owned and operated an electrical services company in North Carolina, and he used that expertise to develop an electric anchor for boats.
A top-ranked angler in the early days of the B.A.S.S. circuit, Honeycutt competed in 36 Bassmaster tournaments between 1968 and 1984, placing in the top 20 in his first 11 professional events and qualifying for three Bassmaster Classics. He was a close friend and adviser to Ray Scott, founder of B.A.S.S. He also was a longtime member of the B.A.S.S. Casters bass club and an ardent supporter of the Bass Research Foundation.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Mattie Reeves Honeycutt, a frequent fishing partner of Honeycutt’s during their travels to bass lakes across the country. He is survived by a daughter, DeDe Ellen Honeycutt Eckhoff; three sons, Rhodney Neil Honeycutt (a tournament competitor alongside his father), Douglas Lee Honeycutt, and Bradley Flay Honeycutt; a sister, Peggy Jo Honeycutt; 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Honeycutt was born Oct. 16, 1929, in Catawba County, N.C.
Visitation was held from 3-6 p.m., Thursday, March 10, at Bass-Smith Funeral Home. Private graveside services will be held at a later date. Memorials may be sent to Melanoma Research Foundation, P.O. Box 719329, Philadelphia, PA 19171-9329. Online condolences may be sent through Bass-Smith Funeral Home’s website, www.bass-smithfuneralhome.com.