In today’s Throwback Thursday historical photo, you might not recognize the angler, but you will recognize the story, because it’s like so many other names that have come and gone on the tournament trail, taking their shot at a chance at angling fame and fortune.
Today’s story features Keith Nickell, a local Kansas City area angler who took a shot at the big leagues when he fished the 1992-1993 BASS Invitational Series. He was a long-time employee at a Bass Pro Shop, and successful local tournament angler, who received sponsorship money from BPS and Tracker Marine and decided to try his luck on the national circuit.
He’d been encouraged by a 40th place money showing the previous year when he fished the BASS Missouri Invitational on Truman Lake, his first ever national event. Buoyed by that success, along with the sponsorship assistance, he joined the tour the following year, but some 10 events later, he never cashed another check. His observations and reflections on taking the leap, though, are worth sharing and probably sound familiar.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling to be able to walk up to the weigh-in, stand with a big bag of fish in front of a big crowd, to stand up there with Ray Scott and to have people ask you for your autograph,” he said in the piece.
“It’s something that I had always seen on television, but I never thought I’d be a part of.”
The shine of professional angling quickly lost its luster once he was out on tour and failing to cash checks.
“What hurt me was a lack of time on the water. Some of the pros had spent a month on the water before the cutoff. I just didn’t have the time.
“The first I’d see of these lakes was at practice. I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the productive spots,” he stated.
He also found out that while friendly, his competitors weren’t about to help him with much information.
“Most of the pros would keep their mouths shut. When we’d go to dinner, they wouldn’t even talk about fishing. They weren’t going to let anything slip out, and I don’t blame them. It was up to you to find your own fish.”
He also said that rookies had to pay their dues on tour.
“Some of the guys I’d fish with would be up on the trolling motor and they’d lay 10 rods down on the one side of the front deck, and 10 rods down on the other side, so that there was no room for anyone else to stand up there. That was their way of saying, ‘You fish at the back of the boat.'”
Other observations about tactics on tour included getting familiar with new techniques.
“A lot of guys used Carolina rigs to catch fish, which I hadn’t done very much. And a lot of them fished faster than I do. They used crankbaits and covered a lot of water.”
And, of course, the hard luck side of the game.
“There were guys who had to borrow money just to get home. They were down to their last penny. To some of them, it was almost like gambling. They thought they were going to cash. When they didn’t, they were in trouble,” he said.
But in hindsight, he enjoyed the opportunity, said most of the guys were great to be around, and after cherry picking a few more national events close to home, gave up the touring lifestyle.
Great piece, Brian. So interesting to hear about someone who played the game but didn’t reach the top tier. Nickell sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders, and a good perspective on the whole thing. I looked him up and, if I have the right Keith Nickell, he continued to participate in local/regional tournaments and did well in them. I think he also works or worked as a fishing guide.