was and still is the organization ’ s all-time leading money winner .
“ If you asked anyone , they would tell you I was rich ,” he says . “ They ’ d say , ‘ Look at his winnings . Dudley is loaded .’ I can assure you , that wasn ’ t the case .”
Dudley ’ s financial demise was not due to frivolous or superficial spending , but simply bad timing . He had invested a lot of money in real estate — mostly vacation rental properties — at the top of the market .
“ I love professional fishing , but I ’ ve always wanted to have other types of business income to fall back on ,” Dudley says . “ So I invested a lot of my winnings . These weren ’ t get-rich-quick schemes , either . These were solid vacation rentals that were cranking out some extra income back then .”
But once the economy tanked , people throttled back on vacation spending , and Dudley ’ s rental income dried up . The economic crash also caused a devaluation of real estate . Dudley had purchased much of his property at the peak of the market , and three years later those real estate assets took a serious hit in value . Like many real estate investors during that time , Dudley found himself upside down in real estate debt .
“ We had money on paper , but no liquidity whatsoever ,” he explains . “ I was making hefty payments on all this rental property , and it was not paying me back at all . It just completely drained us .
“ When I started the 2011 season , I was at the absolute bottom of the barrel .”
Familiar Territory
To some degree , being on the very bottom financial rung was familiar territory for Dudley . After all , he started his fishing career in the early 1990s from essentially nothing , often borrowing boats , rods , tackle and entry fees to get from one tournament to the next . He even bummed gas from farmers along lake banks to keep his boat going during practice for professional events .
WANTED : A CLASSIC TITLE
Business ventures aside , Dudley keeps busy on the water too . Overall , he ’ s fished with remarkable success throughout his career . He ’ s qualified for the last seven Forrest Wood Cups with FLW , but Dudley also qualified for the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series by finishing fifth in the 2016 B . A . S . S . Northern Open points . He declined his Elite Series qualification , however , saying the reason he fished the Open series was mostly for a shot at a Bassmaster Classic spot , which is awarded to each Open champion .
Dudley has chalked up wins at nearly every level in pro fishing , including the Forrest Wood Cup , FLW Tour , Costa FLW Series , FLW Series Eastern Division , Ranger M1 Millenium , FLW Tour Open , B . A . S . S . Open and even the old Bassmaster Top 100 series that preceded the Elite Series . He ’ s one of three anglers to have won three Tour AOY titles .
“ The only two things I ’ m missing for a true grand slam in this sport are a B . A . S . S . Angler of the Year title and a Bassmaster Classic win ,” Dudley says . “ I ’ ll probably never check the B . A . S . S . AOY off the list , but I still want a Classic trophy . And as long as B . A . S . S . offers Classic qualifications for winning B . A . S . S . Opens , I ’ m going to fish B . A . S . S . Opens to try to get in that Classic . I ’ d love to have a shot at that one .”
Add “ horse ranching ” to David Dudley ' s resume . It ' s part of his youth outreach efforts .
It was a struggle , to be sure , but a familiar one shared by many young and hungry pros just starting out . No money , perhaps , but also no worries or responsibilities beyond making it to the next tournament . Things change drastically , however , when there are others depending on you .
“ It ’ s a whole lot different when you have a family to support ,” says Dudley . “ When I first started in pro fishing , I was young , single and had nothing to lose . I didn ’ t care where I slept or what I ate . But when you have mouths to feed and bills to pay , the stress level is much higher .”
Still , Dudley relied on what he has always relied on to claw his way back to firmer ground : raw determination , extreme resourcefulness and — above all — his undeniable faith . Together these elements have provided Dudley with a deep well of resiliency .
The fact that Dudley produced such remarkable fishing performances during his 2011 and 2012 AOY seasons while being mired in a sea of debt remains one of the most unheralded achievements in pro fishing . Some of his top competitors were aware of Dudley ’ s hardships at the time , including Andy Morgan , who remains in awe of Dudley ’ s remarkable feat .
“ I ’ ve fished through some tough times ,” Morgan says , “ but how he was able to maintain focus on the water during that time and win like that is something that ’ s just inexplicable .”
Inexplicable , perhaps , but Dudley sees it all as part of real life .
“ That ’ s how God tests your faith ,” Dudley says . “ He can build you up and tear you down , humble you , and it makes you stronger .
“ I ’ m just not a quitter ,” he adds . “ When my back is up against the wall and all the chips are down , that ’ s when the determination wells up inside of me like some kind of adrenaline . Trust me , it ’ s not a position I put myself in on purpose , but when it ’ s fourth and long , I feel like it ’ s all on me to get a first down .”
Entrepreneur
Despite his painful early real estate experiences , Dudley ’ s entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well . Donald Trump himself would likely be impressed with the number of part-time businesses Dudley runs while also competing as a professional angler on the FLW Tour .
His early real estate investments on the coast taught him that the vacation rental business is a very seasonal market . With that in
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FLWFISHING . COM I APRIL 2017