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You can ask anyone about Aaron Martens' run for victory this year, and they would tell you he did it his way. So, it was fitting that while at Sturgeon Bay for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, Jim Sexton saw this road sign and took a photo.
Photo: Rick Reed
He brought it in to the B.A.S.S. headquarters office in Birmingham, Ala., for Martens to see ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... and to sign.
Photo: Rick Reed
Martens and his wife, Lesley, joined staff members from B.A.S.S. ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... and from Nationwide Insurance for a celebration of his AOY win.
Photo: Rick Reed
Aaron and Lesley are in high spirits ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... now that the pressure of the season is over.
Photo: Rick Reed
Martens addressed the staff on hand ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... and mentioned some of his best moments.
Photo: Rick Reed
Winning at Arizona's Lake Havasu was his favorite moment, he said.
Photo: Rick Reed
Martens greeted B.A.S.S. co-owner Don Logan.
Photo: Rick Reed
He also talked about one of the nicknames he's earned this year, Fish Whisperer.
Photo: Rick Reed
"They don't really whisper to me, but I know what they're saying," he said. "I've always had a connection with animals -- fish, dogs, cats, birds." The 'birds' was a reference to his blackbird pattern at Havasu.
Photo: Rick Reed
Bryan Brasher, center, shows Martens the new cover of B.A.S.S. Times Magazine ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... and Lee Ann Ponstein gets Martens' autograph.
Photo: Rick Reed
James Hall, editor of Bassmaster Magazine, cracks Lesley up when he shows her this issue's cover.
Photo: Rick Reed
It's a fake cover, with a photo of Martens imbibing at his AOY party.
Photo: Rick Reed
More autographs ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... and some goodbyes before ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... it's time for the Twitter chat and live Periscope.
Photo: Rick Reed
Martens is amused by some of the questions from fans ...
Photo: Rick Reed
... such as what his fishing superstitions are. (He doesn't have any, and he takes bananas on the boat to prove it.)
Photo: Rick Reed
Aaron and Lesley hold up the fake cover ...
Photo: Laurie Tisdale
... and Aaron takes a closer look at the real cover of B.A.S.S. Times.
Photo: Laurie Tisdale
And you can be sure when he does something, he does it Aaron's way.
Photo: Laurie Tisdale
