Today’s Throwback Thursday historical news photo dates back to 1984 and features Charlie Ingram shortly after winning the B.A.S.S. Florida Invitational held on Lake Okeechobee. The local newspaper story detailed his newfound confidence on tour and is filled with short quotes to that effect. Here are a few of them:
- “I have my confidence about fishing with these people now. When I went on the B.A.S.S. circuit, I thought I knew a lot about bass fishing, but I found out these guys knew a lot more than I did. They probably still know a lot more than I do, but I feel like I can stay with them now.”
- “I thought I was ready for the big leagues, but boy did I have a lot to learn. One of the big adjustments I had to make was to learn how to fish against 280 other top fishermen and to be able to find enough fish to last through three days of a tournament. I also had to learn to change my techniques continuously.”
- “There aren’t any petty jealousies when you get to this caliber of competition. We’ll get together at night during the tournament and talk about what we are fishing and how we are doing and try to help each other out. All the regulars on the circuit are really first-class people.”
According to the newspaper story, beyond the win at Okeechobee, which netted him $28,000, he also had cashed in two other events, bringing his yearly take to $35,000 on the trail. Additionally, it mentioned other past events which Charlie had won, including the 1979 Professional Bass Fisherman Classic and the 1982 Team Hydra-Sports Tournament of Champions.
And speaking of boats, Charlie had just picked up another major sponsor that year when he became a member of the Team Stratos pro bass fishing team, which also included guys like Bill Huntley and Guy Eaker at the time.
