QUESTIONS
Q & A
ANSWERS
CATCHING UP WITH
BILL
TAYLOR
Nearly a year into retirement , the legendary tournament director is still finding ways to make fishing his life
By Jody White
For the past few seasons , MLF Senior Director of Operations Bill Taylor laid the groundwork for his departure from the duties he ’ s undertaken since 2001 . Taylor made it official in January of 2022 and stepped away from his career as a full-time tournament director .
Having first started work in tournaments with Operation Bass many decades ago , Taylor has seen it all in tournament fishing . He ’ s truly a legend in the sport of bass fishing – perhaps more famous to more people than the countless pros he ’ s weighed in over the years . Now a year into his retirement , we had a chance to catch up with Bill and pick his brain about life away from the weigh-in stage and dig into his incredible run as one of the key figures behind the most successful tournaments in the sport .
You ’ ve fished for most of your life . How did you get drawn into tournaments ?
I ’ ve always worked so I could fish . When I got started at it , it was just a desire to get on the water , and I ’ ve continued that to this day . I love the outdoors . I love competition . And I love being out there , whether it ’ s alone or with one of my good friends . It ’ s been a part of what I am since I was a little guy .
My involvement in the tournament management positions all evolved through my connection with Operation Bass . I fished the very first tournament they put together . In about 1984 , we were at an event at Dale Hollow , and Mike Whittaker – the owner of the company at the time – was looking to
ILLUSTRATION BY JAY CHUPPE
expand . He wanted to know if I ’ d be interested in becoming involved , and at that point in time I had about 14 or 15 years in with United Parcel Service . My mind was pretty set . I knew they had a good retirement package and I knew it was a good company , so I politely declined and told him my old buddy Charlie Evans might be interested .
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 45