Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 17, 1995 TAG: 9507180101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL SCHULZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
``Start with a crankbait first. With a crankbait you can really feel out the bottom, feel what's down there,'' said Davis, newly crowned Bass Angler's Sportsman Society Angler of the Year. ``Then you can see if they're hitting a worm, a jig or a big spinnerbait. But I usually crank until I find a spot.''
He'll get to test his theory on High Rock Lake in North Carolina, as early practice gets under way for the world championship of bass fishing, the BASS Masters Classic.
``I'll probably do it much like many of the other anglers. I'll spend about half my time idling around the lake, looking at my electronics,'' the professional guide said by phone from his Mount Ida, Ark., home. ``You look for open water structure that will hold fish.''
``I'll be looking for a good drop or other things that hold baitfish, or if there is any cover on the ledge or bottom structure that will hold bass. If you can find cover, structure or baitfish, there's going to be bass.''
The classic was held on the same lake last year, but Davis didn't qualify. He doesn't think, however, that other pros will have an advantage. The lake should be very different this year.
``Last year the lake was high and muddy, and won with fish off boat docks. Hopefully, this year the lake will be clear,'' he said.
Whatever conditions he finds, Davis, who won the angler of the year title by finishing No. 1 in the standings after a series of qualifying tournaments, has proved his mastery of many techniques. He caught fish on grubs, topwater baits, Carolina rigged worms, spinnerbaits and jigs.
``I caught fish throughout the year on many different patterns, different tactics, from light tackle all the way to heavy flippin' gear, 20- to 30-pound line, and everything in between,'' Davis said.
He learned the techniques with 28 years' practice, even though he's only 31.
``I've been fishing since I was 3,'' he said. ``My father got me started fishing. I guess probably his first love was fishing. I can remember all through grade school, especially in the spring, we'd go every day after school.''
His earliest memories are of crappie fishing using a closed-face spinning reel, ``catching springtime crappie when they're up in shallow water using a plastic jig and a cork. Then, I guess, learning how to fish with a plastic worm for bass.
``I decided at an early age I was going to try to make a living fishing.''
He learned well and the plastic worm still is his favorite bait.
``If I could have only one type of bait in my tacklebox, it'd be plastic worms,'' he said.
by CNB