In today’s Throwback Thursday historical photo, we jump back to 1984 and feature then 30-year-old, Ron Shearer. Ron had been fishing the Bassmaster circuit since 1978, having won the 1982 Florida Invitational/East on Lake Okeechobee, and where he set the then one-day catch record of 36 pounds, 8 ounces. According to the featured story in The Daily News, Shearer was “preparing to expand his horizons: a venture into the world of television – a weekly program called “Great American Outdoors” set for syndication beginning April 1. Shearer will both produce and host the show, which he says will deal with all types of hunting and fishing.”
He would go on to fish 96 Bassmaster events, the last being in 1990, and qualifying for 5 Classics. He won again in 1985 at the Texas Invitational on Sam Rayburn. He cashed checks in nearly half of those events fished, amassing over $112,000 in total winnings. At the time, his sponsors were Red Man Tobacco, Ranger Boats, Ryobi Reels and Evinrude Motors. He frequently wore a Red Man hat in many of the photos you’ll see of him, and at least one story mentioned him as being “instrumental” in helping set up that trail, and another as being the “chief advisor” for the circuit.
Coverage of his seminars at the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show covered a wide range of topics, some of which are excerpted below.
> “Did you ever notice,” he said at the onset of his seminar, waving a baitcasting rod-and-reel in the air, “how there are no directions on how to use this when you go and buy one. Well, the plain truth is, most companies don’t want you to know how to use it; they want you to wear out their equipment then come back and buy something new.”
> “A bass can inhale a worm and spit it out in less than 1/24th of a second,” but they don’t follow a worm and worry about which company manufactured it. They will bite the bait if they are hungry or just want to kill it.
> He felt graphite or boron rods were superior to fiberglass rods for control and action.
> “Fishing is largely a matter of fishing at the correct depth, at the correct speed.” Repeat what works.
> Hook setting – “Rod speed, that’s what we’re interested in – how fast you can move that rod.”
> “The secret of a good cast is to use the wrist, not the arm. Don’t cast from behind; never get in the habit of using the arm. Think of the rod-and-reel as an extension of your hand.”
