“There really wasn’t much I could do. Our
family and friends had everything handled,
and they just insisted that I go back and
keep fishing.”
was competing in the Elimination
Round of the Bass Pro Tour event on
Smith Lake, Ala., at the time, and found
out about the damage while running his
boat to the launch after the competition
day. Immediately after putting his boat
on the trailer, Edwin started the 10-hour
drive from Cullman, Ala., to his home in
Talala, Okla.
He was quickly waved off by his
wife and mother-in-law.
“There really wasn’t much I could
do,” Edwin admits. “Our family and
friends had everything handled, and
they just insisted that I go back and
keep fishing.”
He returned to Cullman to finish out
the event, eventually finishing 16th. For
the next two months, as torrential rains
continued to soak the Sooner State,
Edwin split his time between racing to
save his home and fishing three more
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM
Bass Pro Tour events in Missouri and
Wisconsin.
The Evers’ home eventually suc-
cumbed to weather damage, resulting
in a 100-percent loss and causing them
to start construction on a brand-new
house from the ground up, while living
on the property in an RV.
Through it all, Edwin quietly went
about the business of catching fish,
sewing up the Bass Pro Tour Points
Championship and following that up
with a mind-boggling 45-pound victory
in the final round of REDCREST.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like
what Edwin did in 2019,” says Bass
Fishing Hall of Famer Shaw Grigsby.
“To be as good as he was, with all the
things going on with his home – trying
to just deal with ‘life’ things of losing a
home – was pretty amazing. If anyone
has shown that he’s ready to compete
no matter what, it’s Edwin. I don’t think
any of us were surprised.”
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