competition was often made up of very skilled fishermen who merely chose not to make fishing a career. Thus, for those who emerged from the earliest days of the sport, or those who have enjoyed the fruits that later became available, the facts are clear. It has taken much effort, insight, experiment- ing, observation, practice and time on the water for them to excel. Looking back I tried to approach a few notable anglers whose careers spanned the period letting them reflect on the evolution of tournament bass fishing. I couldn’t reach them all, of course. Likewise, many iconic Western anglers have passed on and all we have left are an image, an old magazine story, or just a memory. Still, with apologies to those I may have overlooked, included are a few words from some who passed this way. Beginning in the beginning, there was one who cast a huge shadow in the sport, not just here but all across the country. Iconic and ironic at the same time, Dee Thomas was the first super star of western bass fishing. But he was also one who never pursued the golden ring away from job and family. Thomas (through the marketing help of Fenwick’s Dave Myers) brought us flippin’ with long, stout rods, heavy line, and the maxim, “a shallow fish is a biting fish.” But before that, Thomas was probably an unlikely candidate to be enshrined in one, let alone four fishing halls of fame. His orig- inal tule dipping gear didn’t even include a reel, was as likely to be utilized at night, and was focused on one thing: hooking and landing bass. Yet, the impact of flippin’ as a technique might never have reached the level it had if his detractors (competitors) hadn‘t demanded that his 12-foot dipping rods be banned from competition. In re- sponse, Dee told tournament organizer Jerry Abney that he could still “flip” with a 7 ½- foot rod. What ensued eventually was a Fenwick coup and the famed Flippin’ Stik. Interestingly, it might never have hap- pened for another reason. “I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in fishing tournaments,” Thomas said recently. However, after partner- ing with angler Frank Hauck, who offered to pay expenses, Dee went along. But at the end of one event where the pair did not do par- ticularly well, Dee noted that some local an- glers approached and, “challenged the tule dippers to fish any time.” From that day for- ward, the lion never slept.
San Diego was a hotbed of competitive fishing, with top sticks vying for victory in both club and team events. Top, Cary Serklew was one of many young bass fishermen who pushed the ‘old pros’ . He accepts his trophy from the legendary Hal Huggins while Ben Massey announces.
In the 1975 season, looking like a UPS driver in his all brown, Fenwick team jumpsuit, Dee won the Bassmaster event at Bull Shoals, Ark. earning an automatic berth in the Bassmasters Classic. Another Dee and Delta disciple, Dave Gliebe of Stockton, parlayed the long rod
approach and made a huge meal of it, winning numerous times on several different circuits. Also a member of Fenwick’s crack fishing crew, following one productive stretch in the 1970’s, his sponsor published ads that referred to him as Dave “Three in a row” Gliebe. The “Stockton Stick” (as tournament director
July 2011 _ SILVER EAGLES 7