Phone Fishing
by Melissa Clunn
One aspect of professional bass fishing, that I never expected is the amount of time my husband spends on the phone. Early on I knew what dock talk was, but didn’t anticipate all of the phone conversations. I personally do not enjoy talking on the phone, but it certainly in an almost daily event for Rick and other anglers I would imagine.
And who is he talking to he might ask? Well, other anglers, of course. From all over the country. There is a consistent flow of phone calls, all varieties of them. Long ones, short ones, the ones that come in rapid succession.
I can sometimes tell who he’s talking to by his tone of his voice, or the smile on his face. There’s always a smile when Cody Huff calls. Or as we jokingly call him, Ricks other son. Rick adores Cody. Their relationship is extrermely important to Rick, and it remains a very strong source of positivity in his life. Watching Cody grow as an angler has been incredibly satisfying for Rick. I have noticed that most of the people Rick converses with are of a younger generation. I think there’s definitely a reason for that. Positive attitude and new ways at approaching things.
The cast of characters in Ricks life has definitely changed over the years. People that used to call, don’t call anymore. People that Rick used to call, don’t show up in his address book anymore. Things change, people change. That’s life.
One thing I have observed, and discussed with Rick on multiple occasions is, the sharing of information between anglers. He’s expressed to me that he has watched tight groups of anglers over the years. Sharing information within that group, almost as a team. Details, fishing spots, and what they are catching them on. It eventually causes problems. One person does better than another, jealousy creeps in, and people start keeping secrets. There’s always someone in the group that continues to share, and there’s always another who takes the information but doesn’t reciprocate. It’s just so complicated.
I know Rick has learned the hard way, many times, about who to share with and how much information is too much. I’ve seen him lose friends because of it. He definitely studies human nature. Watching one of his friends give false information to another just to get an advantage in the tournament. It’s really kind of sad, but I guess that’s the only way you find out who your friends truly are sometimes. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do that counts.
As I have listened to Ricks “phone fishing” over the years I have noticed a couple of things.
If he calls someone before tournaments or the off limits starts, he’s very careful to ask non-specific information. He loves gathering details about water level, water temperature, etc. Sometimes I hear talk about what baits were talked about on stage during recent local weigh ins. What has always amused me is, no matter what people tell him, he always fishes the way he wants anyway. His style. I don’t know why he asks questions if he wasn’t going to adjust how he was fishing in an event. I can remember multiple times over the years him telling me how an event would be won and maybe even who would win it before the event started. It was freighting how often he was right.
When I would ask him, “ Is that how you where fishing?” the answer would usually be “no”. Realizing that he was going to do things his way (even if it meant losing tournaments) was something that drove me crazy over the years. I now realize it is one of the most amazing things about him. Rick recently told me that during those thousands of phone conversations, he wasn’t just listening to what the angler were doing to catch their fish, but also to what they were not doing….wow…just when I think I have him figured out he throws me a curveball. I will never completely figure this man out, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
He’s always been adamant that he and he alone is responsible for his success and failure. That way you have no one to blame but yourself. No excuses.
Keeping things non-specific with whoever he’s talking to on the phone. Not asking for too much detail and making things uncomfortable. I know Rick has felt used by people in the past, and I know he tries hard not to make other people feel the same. He once told me,” don’t make someone have to lie to you.” I intuitively understood what he meant.
He only talks to people he trusts. When you hear an angler say one thing on stage and see them doing something different on the water… the trust is gone. He’s always told me, if you are not going to be honest about what you’re doing, don’t say anything at all. Don’t lie, it erodes your credibility. Even though you have sponsorships, don’t get up on stage and say you caught them on a Spinnerbait if you really caught them flipping a jig.. I hate to perpetuate the thought that most fishermen are liars, but if the shoe fits. When I asked Rick a couple of years ago, who he trusted the most when it came to providing accurate information, he said without missing a beat, Takahiro Omori. He was the one person that had never omitted, or given him bad information. T.O. is a very respectable and steadfast friend. Although his career has taken him in a different direction, Rick still considers him one of his greatest friends.
Rick absolutely enjoys a listening to a good fishing story. I can’t even imagine how many hours of conversation he has logged listening to them. “The one that came off right at the boat”, it’s always a favorite. I shudder to calculate how many fishing stories I have heard at this point in our marriage. If you ever see me glazing off in a public setting, it’s probably due to the fishing subject matter. Frankly I could probably tell some of Rick’s stories for him…but I know you would rather hear them from him. He never forgets a detail when it comes to fishing. ( but he does struggle with anniversaries and birthdays despite the fact that he had my birthday tattooed on his left wrist to help him remember…he still forgot)
Last week Rick reached out by phone to Lee Livesay about a tackle question. He is always so gracious to share his experiences and opinions with Rick. Concerning this matter, Lee didn’t have a direct answer for Rick. Instead of just telling him he didn’t, he called around to his friends and connections, and got back to Rick with an incredibly detailed answer. Rick was shocked. He couldn’t believe that Lee had taken his valuable time to gather information just for him. He was so impressed. Lee is quickly becoming one of Rick’s buddies for sure. Again, only talk to people you trust.
So, just to sum things up, if you marry an angler, chances are they are going to spend some time on the phone. I’m thankful Rick has friends in the industry. I’m thankful he has people he trusts. He’s happy when people still call him for advice, and he is thrilled to have such smart, dedicated younger anglers in his life to share information with. The cast of characters in his life has changed over the years. Many of the people he used to call are no longer alive. It’s sad and I know he wishes he could have one more long phone conversation with them. ( Jerry McKinnis, Ed Pardon, Guido Hibdon, Mike Dyes, Big Dave Smith, just to name a few ) Thankfully, there’s new friends that don’t mind spending their time telling stories with him on the phone. Keep making his phone ring boys. The worst thing in anyone’s life is to feel left out, or left behind. ps. just don’t call the house between 1:00 and 2:45…thats his nap time.
