Entry 76-3
Mark Davis - Do Or Die
The Launching Pad
Editor's Note: Thirty-nine-year-old Mark Davis, who has fished in 12 Bassmasters Classics, won the title of Angler of the Year three times and won the Bassmasters Classic in 1995. Davis has had 34 top 10 finishes and ranked third on the BASS circuit in 2003. Thirteenth in all-time career winnings on the BASS circuit, having won more than $800,000 fishing, Davis is a quiet, gentle man who competes fiercely once a tournament starts.
Question: When did your career as a bass fisherman really take off?
Davis: In 1995, I won Angler of the Year and the Bassmasters Classic, and that's when my career skyrocketed. I was still a fishing guide until I won those titles. I'd leave tournaments, go back home and guide until the next tournament started. I had just enough sponsors to keep my head above water on the tournament circuit, but I didn't have enough money coming in to take care of my living expenses without guiding. But once I won the Classic and Angler of the Year titles in one year, my professional career went from Grandma gear to fifth gear instantly. The two things a fisherman can do to make his career is to win the Angler of the Year title or become the champion of a Bassmasters Classic. I did them both in one year. Those two wins not only turned my career around, but forever changed mine and Tilly's lives.
Next: Two More
Contents:
- Part 1: Who's Mark Davis?
- Part 2: One Year Shot
- Part 3: The Launching Pad
- Part 4: Two More
- Part 5: Always a Fisherman
