TULSA, Okla. — Helping save a cat might just have helped salvage Aaron Martens’ Classic, his Marshal suggests.
Kentaro Amagai, who rode with Martens on Day 2 of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, shared a story that shows Martens’ passion for animals. He reported that Martens went out of his way to investigate a mysterious meow, which ended up helping save a stranded cat. The Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year stopped fishing for some time while doing it but came out ahead in the long run.
Martens was trolling past a steep, rather tall bluff when he heard a cat’s meow both Friday and Saturday, yet he couldn’t see where it was coming from. He spent time investigating where the cat might be because he could tell it was in distress. He stopped fishing in the biggest event of the year while he looked.
“It was a soft meow — it was talking to me,” Martens said. “It was being desperate, you could tell. I feel really bad I didn’t tell anybody about the cat yesterday.”
While Martens couldn’t find the cat, he said he soon saw a police boat, informed the officers, and asked if they could look. (Isn’t it firemen who save cats? Oh, in trees. Ok. Police can do it on rock escarpments? Good.)
“I saw a police boat out there and I told them right where it was at,” he said. “I think it fell off the wall. It was stuck on the wall.”
It was less than an hour later when the Grand River Dam Authority officers sought out Martens, who was still nearby, and showed him they had rescued the cat.
“He held her up … I was like woohoohoohoo,” Martens said. “I don’t want an animal to suffer. It’s probably been there for a week.”
Amagai thinks Mother Nature might have rewarded Martens for his kindness, as a fish catch came his way not long after. He wrote it “may be the cat’s gratitude in return.”
After sending help for the cat, Martens actually caught a 3- and a 4-pounder, he said, which helped him total the third largest bag of the day at 16 pounds, 13 ounces to climb into fifth place and in contention for his first Classic title.
QUIET, PLEASE, ANGLERS CATCHING
Randy Howell had a nice gallery when he landed a fish on Saturday. While Howell wasn’t overly impressed with the bass, his gallery was as they hollered approval, which was barely audible on Bassmaster Classic LIVE but apparently loud on the water.
“At least it’s a keeper,” the 2014 Classic champ said, then asked his gallery not to holler so loud. “There’s guys over there and we don’t want them to hear us. Do the golf clap.”
LIVE analyst Davy Hite said that might not be advisable.
“I’ve been to The Masters and the golf clap is really loud when someone gets a birdie,” Hite said to laughs.
The golf whisper from our on-the-water reporters received complaints from chat room fans. Hey, our guys were just trying to be gracious to nearby pro anglers vying to win $300,000. The Classic Expo could be to blame as the huge crowds did get raucously loud, and that prompted the LIVE switch to hand-held mikes on Day 2.
ROBISON RECORDS SACK ON ZONA
Now Mark Zona knows what it feels like to be Jay Cutler.
Like he does in the NFL, Brian Robison came from left defensive end and sacked Zona on the set of Classic LIVE. He actually hit him and took him down.
Robison even did his famous hookset sack dance — famous and wildly popular among anglers — as he taunted Zona. No flag for excessive celebration was thrown. It was among the highlights on set this week.
The Minnesota Vikings star came to the Classic Expo to enjoy one of his offseason passions — bass fishing. Zona grilled the gridiron gladiator about his team’s field goal misfortunes in the NFC wild card loss to Seattle. He also was asked about which major league sport has the best bass fishermen.
“I think if you really look at it, there’s probably more baseball players that fish — baseball and hockey probably have the most,” he said. “But I think the difference between them and the football players who fish is we know how to dissect things by watching film. We know how to try to figure out our opponent and I think that gives us a little bit of an edge.”
Robison said fellow University of Texas and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley is probably the best athlete/angler he knows. Robison knows his way around the lakes rather well, claiming a 10-pounder from Lake Fork as his personal best. Fork is also his favorite fishery.
“That lake can be really on and you can catch 40 pounds, or it can be really off, but that’s my favorite place to fish, no doubt,” Robison said. “I haven’t got out as much as I like to this year, but normally I try to get out two or three times a week.”
BABY HITE CALLS HIS SHOT
On the final day of the 1996 Classic on Lay Lake, Davy Hite said he was the favorite to win. Only George Cochran surprised him and the crowd by spoiling those plans.
“I came off the stage and my oldest son (Parker, 5) was in tears,” Hite told the LIVE audience. “I promised him then, and I didn’t take it lightly, that I would win a Classic.”
Ala Babe Ruth and the called shot. And Hite did win a Classic three years later in the SuperDome after catching 55-10 on the Louisiana Delta in 1999. But there was one huge problem. His wife, Natalie, relates the rest of the story.
“When he won, all Parker wanted to do was ride in the boat (victory lap), but 1999 was the only Classic they decided not to do the drive-through … we didn’t have a victory lap.
“So he’s got to win another one so his 25-year-old Airborne Ranger can ride in the boat.”
Good plan, go for it.
THIS IS FISHING EVENT, NOT DUCK
You never know who you might see at a Bassmaster Classic, like an NFL pro, or some reality TV stars. Two cast members on widely popular Duck Dynasty showed up and took in the LIVE set.
John Godwin, Justin Martin and their wives were perusing the Classic Expo but found time to take a photo with the author here.
Godwin has a funny story about how he first met Phil Robertson. Godwin’s father took him to a duck calling contest then informed him he would compete. After practicing a bit, his dad asked Godwin if he was going to use the Duck Commander call he got for his birthday.
“Heck no, that thing sounds like crap,” he reportedly said, making the bearded man in from of him turn around. “My name is Phil Robertson, I make those things.”
Phil wasn’t too offended as he tuned the call and Godwin placed third in the contest. It’s a wonder he’s not only friends but has a job with the Robertsons in Monroe, La.
BEST BEARD, IN SPIRIT OF DUCK DYNASTY
Rusty Minick from Oklahoma City hung around the LIVE set long enough that his beard needed to be photograph for posterity. (You think it rates better than them there Duck Dynasty dudes?) He’s a pretty good angler who actually was waiting on Hite to visit with him about their Classic ride together back in 2002.
If he could put his best day on Grand Lake together three times, he’d probably win this Classic with 69 pounds. (Did you do the math?)
CULLING
- Quote of the Day is Day 2 leader Jason Christie, who’s line shows Grand Lake’s potential, which doesn’t have him overconfident. “I’ve come in here with 25 pounds before and got third place … several times.”
- Photo of the Day goes to Steve Bowman’s shot below of Bill Lowen grasping a fish he hauled in on Day 2.
