SYRACUSE, N.Y. — An awestruck Chris Bowes recalls watching The Bassmasters TV show as Kevin VanDam made rapid-fire spinnerbait casts during the journeyman years of his now legendary career.
Bowes and VanDam are nearly the same age and at the time both were in their 20s. Age similarities aside, the allure of making a living at tournaments appealed to Bowes. He eventually got there but through a more indirect route.
“VanDam was the up and comer at the time,” recalled Bowes, who grew up in the Syracuse area. “I’d watch the show and then go out and mimic his style and technique.”
Bowes did that on the Seneca River and canals connecting Onondaga, Oneida and Cayuga lakes. That bigger water was off limits, including nearby Lake Ontario and the bass-rich Finger Lakes region of western New York. That’s because his bass rig was a 12-foot jon boat, a college graduation gift from his parents. Bowes later splurged on a kicker outboard and trolling motor for maneuvering in the backwaters.
A young family and full-time job tempered any real motives for tournament fishing. Bowes lived near Oneida Lake and made early morning trips prior to his shift job at a vendor for Carrier Corp., at the time one of the largest employers in Syracuse.
Bowes found more time for bass fishing as his sons grew older in the mid 1990s. The path led to the Salt City Bassmasters, established in 1974 as one of the original B.A.S.S. Nation clubs in New York.
The turning point came when co-worker and club member Dick Sessions invited Bowes to a club event. The tournament site was Lake Ontario and he stepped into a high performance bass boat for the first time.
“I remember my boater partner putting on his sunglasses but it wasn’t even daylight yet,” he recalled. “I’d never ridden in a boat like that and had no idea what to expect.”
The driver throttled the 200-horsepower outboard and the resulting eye-drying boat ride taught Bowes about another use for sunglasses. The exhilarating thrill ride was only the beginning. At their first stop his partner landed a 6-pound largemouth.
“I’d never seen a bass that big outside of an aquarium or the TV screen,” he said. “That was it for me, I wanted in.”
The day ended with the partner in second and Bowes in fifth place in the 40-boat contest. He joined the club and witnessed its phenomenal growth to 80 members under the leadership of then-president Mike Cusano. He recruited to become tournament director, a volunteer position that he enjoyed for several years.
Life took a turn for the worse in 2003 with the death of Bowes’ father and an uncertain work future due to downsizing at Carrier Corp. That same year coincided with the Bassmaster Northern Open held on his home lake.
Through club connections Bowes was approached to coordinate the volunteer staffing for tournament manager Chuck Harbin. The event ran smoothly and the club received accolades from Harbin for the support.
The unsteady job future and mourning the loss of his father influenced Bowes to step down as club tournament director. He missed the experience and camaraderie while weighed down with career indecision. Opportunity came in spring of 2004 when B.A.S.S. posted a new job for tournament manager.
He applied for the position, hoping the club tournament management experience and degree in fisheries science from SUNY Cobbleskill could attract a job interview. It did and Bowes traveled to B.A.S.S. headquarters for the interview. The next week he was hired and the family relocated to Montgomery, Ala.
Now in his 12th season on the job he relishes every trip back to Syracuse. That includes the current stop at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open presented by Allstate.
“I love the bass fishing in this region and think it’s the best in the nation,” he said. “There’s nowhere else that has both quality largemouth and smallmouth fishing like you find here.”
Trips back require spending extra days prior to work enjoying the comforts of home. That includes trips to Oneida, in a bigger boat, and stops at favorite restaurants. Those include Twin Trees for pizza and wings and Heid’s Hot Dogs.
Nostalgia aside, he recalls the final job interview with tournament director Trip Weldon.
“I told him if the New York Yankees call and ask if you want to come pitch for them it’s a given you’ll do that,” he said. “I put B.A.S.S. on that standard. To be part of such a legacy has been a great ride and I look forward to more.”
That makes taking the indirect route to a tournament paycheck most rewarding for Bowes, whose job allows him to come full circle from home to work.