Friday, July 18, 2008
Trophy catch
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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With wins in several huge tournaments and career winnings topping $2 million, pro angler David Dudley of LYnchburg has established himself as one of pro bass fishing's best.
Last weekend he bolstered his already bursting resume, clinching the Angler of the Year points title on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
Dudley earned the title by finishing 38th in the six-event tour's final eveng on the Detroit River. He finished just one point ahead of runner-up Brent Ehrler of California.
Along with having enough kids fo "field our own baseball team," winning a points title has been a primary goal for Dudley since he started full-time fishing in the late 1990s.
Dudley, 32, came close previously, finishing second in 2003 and fourth last year.
The FLW Tour championship at Lake Murray in South Carolina in mid-August is next up for Dudley, who spoke by phone with Roanoke Times outdoors writer Mark Taylor early this week.
Q Before the final tournament, you said you didn't think Angler of the Year leader Andy Morgan could be caught. So, were you sandbagging or what?
A I wasn't sandbagging. Andy's such a great fisherman, I never saw that coming.
Q When did you know you had it won?
A Not until I looked at the weigh-in line and I saw nobody left standing. I knew then that I was going to do it.
Q You've always said that, even with all the big tournament wins, this is what you were really after.
A Anybody can win any tournament on any tournament day. Winning one single event doesn't necessarily prove that you're a great angler. Anglers that you constantly see in the top of the Angler of the Year standings, that's just proving that what you're doing is not luck or coincidence.
Q Where do go from here?
A The greatest thing a coach said to me when I was growing up was to never be satisfied. When you hit that plateau, you can't better yourself. Now that I've completed about everything I set out to complete, my goal is to do it all over again.
Q Do you still fish for fun?
A Anything but bass. Whether it's trout fishing. Saltwater fishing. Crappie fishing. I still love to fish.
Q You've had some big moments over the years. What about the tougher moments, like 2005? (When his total winnings on the FLW Tour were just $15,750.)
A That was the worst year I've had for a long time. I hope I never hit another season like that.
Q What happened?
A I don't know. I had a lot going on. A lot on my mind. Getting the family started. But I really don't know.
Q You seem to have figured out balancing the family with bass fishing.
A Yeah. We have four kids now. And we plan on having a lot more.
Q Still making progress on that baseball team.
A Yeah, pretty much.
