EVERS’ GREATEST ACT
CONTINUING THE STRING
OF SUCCESS
As Grigsby alludes, Evers’ tran-
scendent success in 2019 shouldn’t
have come as a shock to anyone.
The Mercury pro has fished
almost exclusively at the highest tour
levels in the sport since 2013 (he
fished two B.A.S.S. Opens in 2014),
dedicating himself instead to his
organizations’ highest-level tourna-
ments. In that seven-season span
from 2013 through 2019, Evers has
collected the most wins (six) in com-
petitions contested at those levels,
has taken home two of the three
major championships (REDCREST
and the Bassmaster Classic) and has
banked just shy of $1.8 million in win-
nings (also the most of any tour-level
pro in that time).
“I think you’d have to say that
Edwin has been ‘The Man’ for the
past several years,” observes MLF pro
Boyd Duckett. “One thing I can say
for sure: If you let Edwin hang around
and hang around in any event on any
fishery, he’s going to figure it out.
That’s one thing he does as good as
anybody: He will find a way to win.”
Per usual, the difference in good
and great lies in the mental side of
competitive bass fishing – confi-
dence, decision making, the ability
to deal with pressure. And all the
pundits agree: As physically gifted
as Evers is as a bass angler, it’s his
psychological approach to the game
that sets him apart.
“He’s driven to perform in a differ-
ent way than most people,” adds
Gary Klein, a 40-year veteran of pro
bass fishing who’s witnessed the
best to ever compete. “I’ve spent a lot
of time with Edwin over the years –
he’s been to my ranch, we’ve hunted
together – and I’ve seen in him that
he’s always searching. He’s never
satisfied with less than his best.
“I’m sure you’ve heard this time
and again, but Edwin has something
in him that doesn’t allow him to settle
for less than his best. I know a lot of
really good fishermen who will never
be great – not because they don’t
have the ability, but because they
lack the understanding of the effort
and focus it takes to perform so well
one season after another. Edwin is
just never, ever happy with second
place. If he’s not at the top of the
heap, he leaves the event thinking of
ways to be better the next time.”
PICKING BACK UP IN 2020
Thanks to Mother Nature, this
season’s prep has looked a little dif-
ferent than in years past.
“My boat shop has been taken
over by clothes and furniture,” Evers
says about his preparation
for the 2020 season. “I’m a
little in disarray. I mean, we’re
trying to build a house here, and
it’s a long ways from being done.”
The months leading up to the
2020 season encompassed far and
away Evers’ busiest offseason ever.
In addition to construction of the new
house, the longtime pecan farmer
also had a longer-than-usual pecan
harvest due to residual water from
the year’s flooding. And the speaking,
appearance and media requests,
which Evers accommodated at a
yeoman’s pace, were higher than
he’d ever experienced in his two-
decade career.
Whether he’s able to match his
scorching early season pace from
2019 is yet to be seen, but the eight-
event 2020 Bass Pro Tour regular
season includes three fisheries (Lake
Eufaula, Grand Lake and the St.
Lawrence River) where Evers has
won before, and one fishery (Lake
Winnebago) where he enjoyed “the
best day of smallmouth fishing of my
entire life.”
“I have a lot to be thankful for after
last season, but my mind is on 2020,”
Evers says. “I’m excited about it. It’s a
great schedule, and the way we fish
[in the MLF format] is as tough as
anybody could ever imagine.”
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020