Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments begin early, typically pre-dawn. That’s not a problem for Evan Williams pro Hank Cherry who uses the time before competition begins to get his tackle ready for the big day.
All captions: Craig Lamb
Photo: James Overstreet
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“I grew up playing stick and ball sports and competition is in my blood.” Today Cherry will channel his competitive psyche on Toledo Bend, named the top bass lake in the country by Bassmaster.
Photo: Thomas Allen
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Comparisons between tournament angling and pro golf make Cherry cringe. “When it rains play is suspended. We go out in it all. Our course constantly changes, every day.” Whatever the weather, Cherry rolls with it and goes fishing. He just did that with this keeper bass.
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“I’ve been told I’m one of the most intimidating guys on the tour. It’s true that I don’t have much to say and I want to beat everyone else." Meet the other side of Hank Cherry. “If there is anything that I can do to help the other guys I will do it.”
Photo: Garrick Dixon
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“My competitive edge is being the very best I can be. Be a role model for my family and kids. If I do that at the end of the day then I’m good.” The long day is over and it’s weigh-in time. Cherry relishes every moment of it.
Photo: Gettys Brannon
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Cherry feels the adrenaline rush of a satisfying day on the water when he takes the stage. “The closest thing I can relate to it is the birth of my children. It’s close to it.” On this day thousands of bass fishing fans are on hand to cheer on their favorites. Cherry is among those anglers. “It’s a shining moment when you take that stage.”
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Here’s the other half of Team Evan Williams. Virginian John Crews is a tour veteran with $1.1 million in B.A.S.S. winnings since joining the tour in 2000. By now this part should be routine, but it’s not. The adrenaline rush of racing back to the dock. Getting there on time. Bagging the catch. “It never gets old. There’s no better way to end the day.”
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“Like Hank, I played a lot of baseball. I never developed a passion for it like I do bass fishing. Tournaments bridge the gap I miss from being on the ball field. This is so much more fun and challenging. There are so many variables and ways to achieve your goals.”
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Crews sees himself like Cherry as a competitor. “I’m quiet and laid back, but I promise you the desire is just like his and anyone else on the tour. I’m 38 years old and feel like I’m in as good a shape as I’ve ever been.” Count on Crews to be around for a while. “I don’t see anything that will slow me down less than 100 percent.”
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The anxiousness begins here. The line forming at the weigh-in tanks. Those are backstage. “You start getting nervous, feeling butterflies in your stomach. You are getting in line with the best of the best, right there.” Ahead of Crews are bags of bass—and no one yet knows their exact weights—caught by the best bass anglers in the world.
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Back here there is some talk, some show and tell. It’s like being on the football field sidelines between plays, or just before you get called up. “We talk a lot about the day, what worked and didn’t.” Today it went well for Crews. Feast your eyes on a kicker bass weighing over 7 pounds. Crews wishes there were 4 others like this to fill his 5-bass limit.
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“The competition is what it’s all about for me. I love fishing in general but competing is what I like the most.” And moments like this. The payback for that love happens on this stage after grinding out an 8-hour day on an 188,000-acre bass fishery. Right now, it’s just Crews, his bass and the fans.
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“When you are up there, and especially in contention to win, there is no better feeling than those butterflies. I still get nervous until my weight is called out.”
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“Hank is a quiet, fierce competitor,” said Crews. That competitive fire is apparent in both angler's mutual respect. “He’s a great competitor, great guy. I know I can trust him. We share a lot of information about what’s working, not working.”
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The bass go back into Toledo Bend. A long line has formed near the stage as fans wait for autographs, selfies and to meet their favorites. “This is about the only pro sport that is participatory and it is just awesome. What is really cool about it is we—us and the fans—all love the same thing.” Bass fishing.
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Some days are better than others. Even on the bad days the weigh-in is a place to regroup, put it all into perspective. Hang out with a few thousand other bass fishermen. This afternoon Cherry will do just that.
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“I feel an obligation to be a good role model and really enjoy meeting the fans.” Cherry knows how they feel. “This is a dream come true. I used to be a fan. Still am, but now I’m fishing alongside, and against my heroes.” This young fan is dreaming the same thing.
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Every B.A.S.S. weigh-in begins the same every day. That is by honoring the nation and paying respect for fellow anglers—and others—who serve the country. “I have tremendous respect for what they do, and know a lot of those folks are bass fishermen, wishing they could be here now on the lake.”
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Cherry and Crews missed the Top 12 cut for Championship Sunday. Today is special, though. One of the most likeable anglers on the tour is in contention to win. Cherry and his peers want to see veteran angler John Murray win his first Bassmaster Elite title.
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“We are a brotherhood. On the water we might be fierce competitors but back here it’s like family.” Cherry, Crews and all 100-plus pros travel from lake to lake for those 8 months. “If anyone needs anything someone is there to help.”
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“John Murray is one of those guys you really want to see win. He really deserves this one.” Cherry, 43, has been on the tour since 2011. Murray came from Arizona, where he dominated that bass fishing scene beginning in the 1990s.
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Murray’s main challenger waits backstage. Elite Series rookie Jaime Hartman (center) sold his house, put everything in storage and broke up with his girlfriend. He did all that to commit to the Elite Series. Today would not be his day to win. The brotherhood shows. Cherry and Gerald Swindle, 2016 Toyota Angler of the Year, console Hartman.
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The final minutes of Championship Sunday often include drama. This is a common scene. Rods are stowed, boats put on trailers, and the brotherhood comes together for the final minutes. One of them is about to take the stage. Become a new champion.
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The last man is on stage. There are no more weights to call out except this one. “I want to be that guy, every time.” Cherry stood there the last time in 2012 as winner of the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open. The Elite Series qualifying event punched his ticket. Today, he will join his peers in the most anxious moment of the week.
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John Murray’s wife, Amy, and son, T.J., join the winner on stage. The grind of competition comes to a halt. Here is the other side of pro angling. Family. Cherry sees this and misses his family. “One of the downsides of this job is being away from home so much. But the Elites are all so much like a family that it’s great to experience moments like these.”
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The moment is here. The two hands hoisting the trophy belong to John Murray, one of the most decorated western anglers alive. Murray has won too many boats to count and over $1 million in cash winnings. This trophy will be his favorite.
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“Every year it gets harder to be the last man standing. John really deserves it. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done over the years,” said Cherry.
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“When it happens you have the satisfaction of knowing, for a moment, that you are the best of the best for that week.” Cherry congratulates Murray. Now it’s time to wind down.
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The end of a long week means taking time to relax. Being with friends, the brotherhood.
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Crews and Cherry toast to Toledo Bend, their accomplishments of the week, and to jobs that combine the better of two worlds. Fishing and competing.
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