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NORTH EAST, Md. (Aug. 14) — After catching just one fish weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces on the opening day of the Huk Bassmaster Elite tournament on Chesapeake Bay, Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat angler David Walker figured there was no way he would make the 50-man cut to fish on Saturday. However, the Sevierville, Tenn., native used a devil-may-care attitude on Friday to bag five fish weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce to complete the most impressive rebound of the weekend.
“Can you believe this day?” an elated Walker said. “I’m totally overwhelmed. Things went about as good as they could have gone today. I’m so excited.
“I pretty much figured I was out of it, so I just fished without a care in the world. If something didn’t work or an area didn’t work, I didn’t push and push to make it happen because I thought there were fish there. I would just go somewhere else or try something different. I just didn’t care because I thought I had nothing to lose.”
The big day helped Walker rocket from the lower reaches of the field to 35th place overall. Only one angler, Australian Carl Jocumsen, pulled in more weight than Walker (17-5) on the day, with Walker’s totals for the event now a respectable six fish weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces.
Walker, a 10-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, said although the end result was great, things didn’t come easy by any means.
“It’s 11 o’clock, I hadn’t caught anything, and I was pretty bummed,” Walker said. “I finally get one and it’s a three-pounder. Alright, awesome, that’ll probably move me up enough in this tournament to earn maybe three extra points (in the Angler of the Year standings). Then I add another one, so that’s another few points. That’s how it went.
“The weights have been bad here and the bite is off, so that placed a premium on every fish, but I just kept thinking about one fish at a time. I figured every fish represented another couple of points. So I’m out there thinking, ‘Just catch another fish. Add another pound or two.’ I didn’t even think about (fishing on Saturday) until the last catch when I looked in the live well and realized I may have a chance.”
It was a great twist of fortune for Walker, who entered the weekend tied for 45th in the Toyota Angler of the Year standings. With just one more Elite event on the schedule, every extra day of fishing an angler can earn adds much needed points to their total. The higher their ranking, the more likely they are to get an invitation to the sport’s biggest event.
“I said before we started this tournament that I needed to make it to Saturday this weekend and when we go to Michigan at the end of the month to have a chance at the Classic,” Walker said. “I thought the dream was over yesterday but I got a reprieve. Now I need to make sure I capitalize on this good fortune.”
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