Today’s historical photo takes us back over 30 years ago to the 1989 BASSmaster Classic being held on the James River. Woo Daves was featured during morning prayer immediately prior to the Day-One take-off, a day that would find Jim Bitter leading after all the fish hit the scales. Woo, a local favorite with homefield advantage, was sitting in third after Day One, while David Wharton was wedged between the two sitting in second.
After weighing in, Woo stated, “I didn’t even lose any fish. I traveled about 30 miles and made 70 stops to fish. I also had 18 boats following me all day. I’ll keep fishing wood and stay with the tide.”
Ultimately, Hank Parker would go on to win this Classic by 2 ounces over Jim Bitter, which featured what is now one of the most memorable “mishaps” in an event when the winning bass slipped out of Jim’s hands while attempting to measure the fish. That fish slipped back into the water after flopping off the deck of his Ranger.
