August 27, 2008What does John Crews do in his fun time? Goes fishingAt the Virginia Outdoor Sportsmen's Classic on Sunday I got a chance to catch up with pro bass angler John Crews, whom I hadn't seen in person since the Bassmaster Classic way back in February. Crews, who lives in Salem, had a frustrating year on the Bassmaster Elite Series, catching plenty of fish but falling short in weights and failing to qualify for the upcoming Classic. We didn't talk much about the pro scene, but we did talk fishing. And the more we talked the more it became clear that fishing isn't just a job for this guy. For a while I picked Crews' brain on fishing buzz frogs, a technique those of you who kept up with my Summer Smallmouth Tour in The Roanoke Times know I'm just getting into. Crews' eyes brightened as he talked about the technique. He gave me some great tips on hook types and confirmed my suspicion that the rig I had been throwing the frogs on (medium casting rod with 10-pound mono) probably contributed to my low percentage of good hook ups. (I'm ready to roll with a heavier rod loaded with 30-pound braid.) Crews also talked about his own fun fishing, including the time he's been spending with his 9-year-old stepson, Noah. They've been going to the Roanoke River here in the valley and fishing for smallmouths. His priority has been keeping Noah in the action, but clearly Crews has been getting into this himself. He told me about one hole he found that has some resident smallmouths in the 2- to 3-pound range. "You can see them, but they won't hit anything," he said. He tried one finesse technique that was so unbelievably tricky that he said no fish in America could resist. But these did. Crews outlined other techniques he plans to try to get these bass. Keep in mind this is a guy who gets to fish some of the country's best bass waters. It think it's great that he can get fired up about catching (or trying to catch) bass even when there's not a $100,000 check on the line. I think most of his peers on the pro tour would be the same way. They are pro bass anglers not because it's a job, but because they just love to try to outsmart fish. Crews' enthusiasm shows something else: Fun fishing is where you find it. I feel sorry for the poster who wrote in a comment to an entry below that, "There is NO real fishing around here." He just doesn't get it. But John Crews does. |
About this blog
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures. Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism. After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters. .....Advertisement.....
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Comments
[August 28, 2008 10:08 PM]
Alfie HJohn Crews is a true fishing man.When someone has just a little free time after work and his mind is on fishing, but by the time you hook up the boat and head to the ramp[the Cove,hardy bridge,where ever]it's time to head back to the house.I go to the Roanoke river if only for an hour or so.Any where from Elliston to the confluence of Back Creek the Roanoke is is full of fish. My hat's off to Crews and anyone who fishes any where, any time. D West would not fit in this list becuse he is not a true fisherman or hunter. Keep up the good work Mark Alfie H