Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 19, 1994 TAG: 9501110009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRUCE STANTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He went fishing.
And near the end of his first season fishing the BASS Masters Eastern Invitational tournament trail, the 19-year-old Lynchburg resident is almost a lock to become the youngest angler ever to compete in a BASS Masters Classic, the pinnacle of pro fishing.
Dudley is in second place in the Eastern Invitational standings with one tournament remaining in the four-event trail. If he remains in the top five in the standings after the tournament at Buggs Island Lake (April 27-29), he will qualify for the Classic, a goal he's dreamed of attaining.
``When the Wrangler [B.A.S.S. Federation] tournament was here at Smith Mountain Lake, I went up to [B.A.S.S. president] Ray Scott, and I was probably 14, and I said, `Hi, my name is Dave Dudley, and I'm going to be the youngest person to ever win your BASS Masters Classic.'
``A couple of years ago, I was asking all of these guys for their autographs, and now I'm giving my own. It's exciting. I'm living my dream - what I've always wanted to do.''
Because of his ambition to fish professionally, his parents, James and Jo Anne Dudley, sat down with him after he graduated from Brookville High School in 1993 and discussed his immediate future. While college appeared to be the logical choice, they decided Dave should pursue his fishing career first and then go to college if things didn't work out.
``I realized there was no way I could concentrate on college because I would have my mind on fishing,'' Dave Dudley said. ``We decided I would try this for a couple of years, and if I was not successful, I would go to college, which is what I would do if I can't keep doing what I'm doing.
``But if I went to college right now, all I would probably end up doing is sitting around my room reading BASS Masters magazines. I wouldn't be studying.''
While many parents are skeptical of their children's ambitions to pursue dreams other than college, James Dudley said he had faith in his son's ability as a fisherman.
``I had complete confidence he could go do it,'' said James Dudley, who competed in the 1982 BASS Masters Classic. ``If I didn't, I wouldn't have handed him the boat.''
For most of his young life, Dave Dudley has been an avid outdoorsman. Sometimes too avid.
While at Brookville, he was kicked off the baseball team for competing in a fishing tournament instead of attending a practice session. When asked why he didn't tell the coach he wouldn't be at practice that day, Dudley replied, ``It didn't matter, because if he said I couldn't go, I was going to go anyway.'' By the way, Dudley won the tournament.
On many other days while he was a student at Brookville, Dudley would go ``coon'' hunting before school.
With his mind made up that he was going to be a professional fisherman, Dudley began preparing for his future in high school.
``In my 11th-grade year, I started saving almost every penny I made,'' he said. ``I was the biggest tightwad you'd ever seen, money-wise.
``I started working my fishing schedule around what I could afford. I hoped I could make enough to keep me going through the year. I was fortunate to keep my expenses going and stayed on the water and stayed on the water and stayed on the water ... And when this year came around, I invested my money in the BASS Masters.''
It was a sound investment, yielding big bass and quick returns. He's already picked up his first major sponsor - Angler's Choice, a Ranger boat dealer in Martinsville - and is working to gain more.
``The biggest key on the professional circuit is not the fishing part of it. I'm not going to make enough money in winnings. Not many people do. Your money is in endorsements and promotions. Hopefully, if I keep things up, people will want me.''
But the first order of business is qualifying for the Classic. And then trying to live out his dream of becoming the youngest Classic winner. He has his work cut out for him. Stanley Mitchell won the tournament in 1981 when he was 21.
``I want to be the youngest [to win it],'' he said. ``And this is definitely what I want to do the rest of my life.''
by CNB