It is safe to assume that most fathers would love to see their sons follow in their footsteps. Professional bass fishermen are no different.
So, you can imagine the chagrin of Mark Davis when he finally realized that his 11-year-old son, James, might not be so enamored of the sport that has captured the elder Davis' attention his entire life.
"James is a big deer hunter," Mark said. "That's about all he has on his mind. James could care less about fishing. He's been around fishing his whole life, and it's just not important to him. I can't say it's not in his blood, because it has to be since he's my son. But it's sure not between his ears. He just doesn't have any interest at all in fishing.
"The other day I had him down at a lake, and we were catching fish every cast. We were riding our four-wheelers and just enjoying the outdoors. I told James to come over and catch a bass. He came over and stood beside me. I told him to cast this little Strike King crankbait out there and he'd catch one. He caught fish on the first three casts. Then he said: 'Here, Dad, here's your rod back. I'm going to go ride the four-wheeler.'
"It's incidences like that which tell you that this kid just doesn't have any interest in fishing. I know when I was 11 years old and I would have had that opportunity, I would have stood there and caught bass until the sun went down. But James doesn't have it in him."
It has taken him awhile, but Mark has come to grips with the situation.
"I've come to accept it," Davis said, smiling.
It's the same reality that other fathers have had to accept, too.
A FRESH LOOK Thirty-year-old South Carolina pro Jason Quinn stands out from the tournament crowd with his six earrings, ponytail and goatee. The 2002 CITGO BASS Masters Classic qualifier looks more like a swashbuckling pirate than your typical B.A.S.S. pro.
Quinn is a talented fisherman and a sharp, good-natured young man who is good for our sport.
"I guess it's just the era that I grew up in," he laughed, when asked recently about the earrings. "I've had them for 12 or 13 years. When I was coming up in school, everyone got their ears pierced. I didn't know which one you were supposed to get pierced, so I got them both pierced a couple of times.
"It's just me. I am who I am and that's it. You either like it or leave it. I think I appeal to a lot different crowd. I'm starting to appeal to a lot of younger anglers. I have a lot of younger anglers come up to me now that wouldn't approach some of these other guys. They say: Hey, there's the guy with earrings. Let's get his autograph and talk to him."
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO Former Classic champion and two-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Guido Hibdon was a fixture on the BASSMASTER circuit for nearly 20 years before undergoing treatment for throat cancer in 1999. Although he has recovered from the cancer, the grizzled old Missouri pro has not returned to the CITGO BASSMASTER Trail with any regularity since then.
But Hibdon insists that he will return in the future.
"I'll be back, maybe next year," said the elder member of the only father-and-son tandem to win the world championship. "There isn't anybody that misses it more than I do. It's just one of those deals. I miss it, that's for sure."
At age 56, and with a history of health problems, Hibdon chose to compete on a rival tournament circuit (FLW) that spreads its six events over the course of an entire year, rather than attempting to either fish both national trails or the new CITGO BASSMASTER season that will compress 10 tournaments into a five month period.
"I'm not into marathons at all," he said. "The young ones can probably pull it off, but I can't."