20 Questions with David Walker

In this 20 Questions interview, David Walker discusses his earlier fishing memories and his Classic practice rescue.

Posted on
David Walker is an experienced Elite angler fresh off an appearance in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. Walker made headlines during Classic practice for saving an angler whose boat had sunk on Lake Hartwell. Walker recounts his earliest fishing memories and shares his greatest accomplishments in this set of 20 Questions.
David Walker is an experienced Elite angler fresh off an appearance in the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. Walker made headlines during Classic practice for saving an angler whose boat had sunk on Lake Hartwell. Walker recounts his earliest fishing memories and shares his greatest accomplishments in this set of 20 Questions.
1. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Detroit, Mich., and was raised just outside of Detroit.
1. Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Detroit, Mich., and was raised just outside of Detroit.

2. How did you get started in fishing? (Walker guesses the 2015 Classic winning weight.) I’m not really sure. My dad and uncles fished some; they all introduced me to the basics of fishing, but by no means were we a big fishing family. I am mostly self-taught in bass fishing. So, I really have no idea where this fishing gene came from.
2. How did you get started in fishing? (Walker guesses the 2015 Classic winning weight.)

I’m not really sure. My dad and uncles fished some; they all introduced me to the basics of fishing, but by no means were we a big fishing family. I am mostly self-taught in bass fishing. So, I really have no idea where this fishing gene came from.

3. Who were your earliest fishing heroes? Rick Clunn (left), Larry Nixon and Guido Hibdon</span></p>
3. Who were your earliest fishing heroes?

Rick Clunn (left), Larry Nixon and Guido Hibdon

4. Who has been the biggest influence on your fishing? Probably my uncles and my dad. They hunted more than they fished. And they did not tournament fish at all so when I say fishing, I mean fishing for whatever was in season at the time. But they were big influences in getting me started.
4. Who has been the biggest influence on your fishing?

Probably my uncles and my dad. They hunted more than they fished. And they did not tournament fish at all so when I say fishing, I mean fishing for whatever was in season at the time. But they were big influences in getting me started.

5. When did you know professional fishing is what you wanted to do? I never had that sudden eureka moment that I wanted to fish professionally. The day after I graduated from high school, I started working in a factory for $275 a week. My goal was not to work a punch press for the rest of my life. In my late 20’s I began flirting with the idea of making enough money fishing tournaments so I didn’t have to work in a factory anymore. And it evolved from there.
5. When did you know professional fishing is what you wanted to do?

I never had that sudden eureka moment that I wanted to fish professionally. The day after I graduated from high school, I started working in a factory for $275 a week. My goal was not to work a punch press for the rest of my life. In my late 20’s I began flirting with the idea of making enough money fishing tournaments so I didn’t have to work in a factory anymore. And it evolved from there.

6. When did you realize you had made it in professional bass fishing? In 1999, I fished both the FLW Tour and the B.A.S.S. Invitationals. I won the Angler of the Year on the FLW Tour, which landed me on the Wheaties box, and I qualified for the B.A.S.S. Top 150’s. After that, I figured I was not going to have to return to the factory for a while. To me that was “making it” in professional fishing.
6. When did you realize you had made it in professional bass fishing?

In 1999, I fished both the FLW Tour and the B.A.S.S. Invitationals. I won the Angler of the Year on the FLW Tour, which landed me on the Wheaties box, and I qualified for the B.A.S.S. Top 150’s. After that, I figured I was not going to have to return to the factory for a while. To me that was “making it” in professional fishing.

7. What is the biggest bass you've ever caught? A 12-2 on Lake Toho in January of 2001 in that freakish B.A.S.S. Top 150 that Dean Rojas won when he broke the record for the heaviest five-bass limit in B.A.S.S. history.
7. What is the biggest bass you’ve ever caught?

A 12-2 on Lake Toho in January of 2001 in that freakish B.A.S.S. Top 150 that Dean Rojas won when he broke the record for the heaviest five-bass limit in B.A.S.S. history.

8. What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a professional angler? Three letters: KVD.
8. What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a professional angler?

Three letters: KVD.

9. What is your greatest strength in bass fishing? Consistency – catching bass no matter the fishery, seasons or conditions. Being consistent has kept me fishing professionally for 16 years.
9. What is your greatest strength in bass fishing?

Consistency – catching bass no matter the fishery, seasons or conditions. Being consistent has kept me fishing professionally for 16 years.

10. What is your biggest weakness in bass fishing? Stubbornness. It can be my best friend and my worst enemy…sometimes at the same time.
10. What is your biggest weakness in bass fishing?

Stubbornness. It can be my best friend and my worst enemy…sometimes at the same time.

11. Where is your favorite place to bass fish? I like any fishery that is really big and vast and has a lot of fish in it. I like places where the field can spread out; where I can get away from the crowd and not feel like I’m missing out on something because there is just one small place to catch them. Okeechobee, Kentucky Lake and Toledo Bend are a few examples of those kinds of big, expansive places.
11. Where is your favorite place to bass fish?

I like any fishery that is really big and vast and has a lot of fish in it. I like places where the field can spread out; where I can get away from the crowd and not feel like I’m missing out on something because there is just one small place to catch them. Okeechobee, Kentucky Lake and Toledo Bend are a few examples of those kinds of big, expansive places.

12. What is the biggest fishing mistake you see with casual anglers? Not paying attention to details. Successful bass fishing requires noticing the smallest details. They are valuable clues to what’s going on under the water.
12. What is the biggest fishing mistake you see with casual anglers?

Not paying attention to details. Successful bass fishing requires noticing the smallest details. They are valuable clues to what’s going on under the water.

13. What is the greatest accomplishment in your bass fishing career? Being on a Wheaties box was pretty cool, but I’d have to go with my Elite Series win on Lake Wheeler in 2011. And the main reason is because I beat KVD cranking on a TVA lake in June. Trust me, that’s a major accomplishment!
13. What is the greatest accomplishment in your bass fishing career?

Being on a Wheaties box was pretty cool, but I’d have to go with my Elite Series win on Lake Wheeler in 2011. And the main reason is because I beat KVD cranking on a TVA lake in June. Trust me, that’s a major accomplishment!

14. After 16 years as a pro, what keeps you motivated to keep doing it? My family, without a doubt. Misty and the girls are my team and I want to give them something to cheer for.
14. After 16 years as a pro, what keeps you motivated to keep doing it?

My family, without a doubt. Misty and the girls are my team and I want to give them something to cheer for.

15. What is the greatest regret you have about your career? That I did not start my pro fishing career earlier. I didn’t even own a baitcaster until I was 25. I didn’t start fishing tournaments seriously until I was 30. Some of these younger guys had made three or four Classics by the time they were 30. In terms of age, I feel like I got started behind the curve in this sport.
15. What is the greatest regret you have about your career?

That I did not start my pro fishing career earlier. I didn’t even own a baitcaster until I was 25. I didn’t start fishing tournaments seriously until I was 30. Some of these younger guys had made three or four Classics by the time they were 30. In terms of age, I feel like I got started behind the curve in this sport.

16. If you could have only have one, which would rather have, an Angler of the Year title or a Classic win? Classic, no doubt. Honestly, I think an AOY is harder to win. But it’s that Classic I want.
16. If you could have only have one, which would rather have, an Angler of the Year title or a Classic win?

Classic, no doubt. Honestly, I think an AOY is harder to win. But it’s that Classic I want.

17. At the Bassmaster Classic this year you saved a local angler’s life by pulling him from the frigid waters of Lake Hartwell. What did you take away from that rescue experience? Honestly, at the time, I was just doing what any person would do – it’s just human instinct to help. All I knew was this guy needed to get out of the water and to safety immediately. In my mind, all I did was pull a guy – a very big guy – from the water. It wasn’t until a few days later when I spoke with the Colonel from the Army Corps of Engineers in that area that I truly grasped the magnitude of what happened. He point blank told me, without a doubt, the man would have died had I not been there to save him.
17. At the Bassmaster Classic this year you saved a local angler’s life by pulling him from the frigid waters of Lake Hartwell. What did you take away from that rescue experience?

Honestly, at the time, I was just doing what any person would do – it’s just human instinct to help. All I knew was this guy needed to get out of the water and to safety immediately. In my mind, all I did was pull a guy – a very big guy – from the water. It wasn’t until a few days later when I spoke with the Colonel from the Army Corps of Engineers in that area that I truly grasped the magnitude of what happened. He point blank told me, without a doubt, the man would have died had I not been there to save him.

18. Have you talked to him since? Yes, his name is Brandon Ardister. He is an avid fisherman – he was actually bass fishing the day his boat sank and left him treading water. I think we are going to do a little fishing together this summer or fall.
18. Have you talked to him since?

Yes, his name is Brandon Ardister. He is an avid fisherman – he was actually bass fishing the day his boat sank and left him treading water. I think we are going to do a little fishing together this summer or fall.

19. What is the best advice you have received from another pro? In my early years I traveled the circuits with a great guy named Jack Bell who was older and wiser than I. The two of us camped in his 1972 Dodge Sportsman van. One evening, after a bad tournament day, I said out loud, “This has been a really, really bad day!” And he replied, “Well you better get used to it, because in this sport, there are a lot more bad days than good days.”
19. What is the best advice you have received from another pro?

In my early years I traveled the circuits with a great guy named Jack Bell who was older and wiser than I. The two of us camped in his 1972 Dodge Sportsman van. One evening, after a bad tournament day, I said out loud, “This has been a really, really bad day!” And he replied, “Well you better get used to it, because in this sport, there are a lot more bad days than good days.”

20. But you fish for a living. How could there be more bad days than good days? You know the saying, a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work? Well, when fishing is your work, it’s a whole different deal [laughs]. Seriously, we put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves to do well in tournaments and when the results don’t meet our own expectations, it makes for a bad day. But like Jack pointed out, you can’t let those “bad” days get to you every time; satisfaction is a hard thing to find in this sport.
20. But you fish for a living. How could there be more bad days than good days?

You know the saying, a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work? Well, when fishing is your work, it’s a whole different deal [laughs]. Seriously, we put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves to do well in tournaments and when the results don’t meet our own expectations, it makes for a bad day. But like Jack pointed out, you can’t let those “bad” days get to you every time; satisfaction is a hard thing to find in this sport.

Bonus question: You’re going to be doing a lot of driving this year on the Elites, what will be in the iPod on those long trips? Oh man, you don’t even want to know. Let’s see, I’ve got everything in there from April Wine to Marilyn Manson – that should tell you all you need to know.
Bonus question: You’re going to be doing a lot of driving this year on the Elites, what will be in the iPod on those long trips?

Oh man, you don’t even want to know. Let’s see, I’ve got everything in there from April Wine to Marilyn Manson – that should tell you all you need to know.