Bass Fishing Jul 2017 | Page 34

TAKEOFF ANGLER PROFILE THEN AND NOW THE DOUBLE-SIDED CAREER OF JIM MOYNAGH Then … 32 Jim Moynagh was just another young angler; one begging for a phone call. He had short hair, with bangs that would occasionally fall down his fore- head beneath his Ranger Boats hat. His upper lip was adorned with a substan- tial mustache that pointed toward his slight dimples every time he smiled. He’d “gone pro” in 1995, fishing the Bassmaster Invitationals. Two years later, he’d finally qualified for the Bassmaster Top 100. That same year, the FLW Tour had made headlines by offering a $100,000 prize to the winner at each tournament. Moynagh signed up for every Tour event of the 1997 season, but he evi- dently didn’t sign up nearly quick enough. Every other professional or aspiring professional angler put in a bid, too, and Moynagh was put on the waitlist for every event. Still, he got a call for the second Tour stop on Ross Barnett. It was a 15-hour drive from his Carver, Minn., home to a lake he’d never fished, but he did it. He finished 12th and earned a check for $3,000. He got another call to fish the fifth event on Kentucky Lake, but he wasn’t able to make it. That left one more regular-season tournament, and that was the one he wanted – no, need- ed – to get into: the Forrest Wood Open. “It was on Minnetonka, which is my home lake,” recalls Moynagh. “Back then, I was winning just about every- thing on that lake, and that particular Tour event was a ‘super tournament,’ so the prize money was $200,000. “Back then, there was no official practice, you know. So you could prac- tice as much as you wanted. So even though I wasn’t in the tournament, I went out every day and practiced like I was. I did that for nine days straight. I’ve never been on so many fish in my life.” Every day Moynagh would get off the water – in a time before cellphones, remember – and call tournament direc- tor Charlie Evans, pleading his case to get into the event. And for the first eight days Evans told him he didn’t have a spot. On the final day, however, Moynagh got off the water and got the call. “I don’t even remember how the conversation went,” he says. “I just remember him saying I was in, and how relieved I was.” Moynagh was in 18th after day one with 12 pounds, 9 ounces, but he crushed 17-14 on day two to take the lead. Two days later, the 32-year-old Moynagh was handed a $200,000 By Sean Ostruszka PHOTOS BY PATTERSON LEETH check. He’d arrived, and at the time he felt that it would be the first of many successes to follow. Now … Jim Moynagh is a true veteran; one scrapping to survive. His hat doesn’t come close to con- taining a flowing mane of long, stringy hair, which often requires a hair tie to keep it in a ponytail while he’s fishing. He ditched the mustache long ago, and whether he’s smiling or not his face shows the creases and crow’s feet of a life spent on the water. Twenty years have passed since he was handed that first check on the shores of Minnetonka, and by most measures his career has been a remarkable success. He’s one of the elite few to have won more than $1 mil- lion on the FLW Tour. He’s worn jerseys with corporate logos such as M&M’S, Snickers, BP and now Bridgford, with wrapped boats and trucks to match. He’s challenged for the Angler of the Year title multiple times, finishing eighth in 1998, third in 2006 and fourth in 2012. Still, despite acknowledging that 20 years in this sport is success in itself, Moynagh is not satisfied. FLWFISHING.COM I JULY 2017