REVERSAL
FORTUNE
OF
CLENT DAVIS GOES FROM NEARLY QUITTING THE
SPORT TO WINNING THE FORREST WOOD CUP
WITH A REMARKABLE FINAL-DAY RALLY
F
By Sean Ostruszka
32
FLWFISHING.COM I FALL 2018
or all intents and purposes, Aug. 25, 2017 marks the day Clent Davis’ career
as a professional angler ended.
He’d just finished a lowly 93rd at the Bassmaster Elite Series finale on Lake
St. Clair, capping off a brutal second season in the Elites. He’d only cracked the top
50 twice during the 2017 season, and as he mused on his chances during the long
trip home to Montevallo, Ala., he became convinced he wouldn’t requalify.
Worse than leaving yet another tournament without a check was the feeling
he had inside; a feeling he’d had all season.
“I just wasn’t having fun,” the 32-year-old recalls. “Even before the [2017] sea-
son started I was dreading it. I’d turned something I loved – fishing – into some-
thing I hated.”
At some point during the 12-hour drive back to Alabama, Davis decided he’d
had enough. He made a call to a guy who he knew would buy all his fishing gear,
and by the time he pulled into his driveway he’d sold everything – boat, rods,
tackle – everything. He and his wife, Ashley, talked about him getting a job at the
local power company. And what of his dream of being a professional angler, the
one he’d had since he was a 5-year-old kid?
“It was done,” Davis admits. “I was done.”
Yet, he wasn’t. A phone call from FLW Senior Director of Tournament
Operations Bill Taylor reopened the door last November, giving him the itch to
give it one last shot. Taylor invited Davis to re-join the FLW Tour as part of the
Evinrude pro team. After a short deliberation, Davis accepted. By the end of
June, he’d qualified for the Cup by finishing 25th in the 2018 Tour standings.
For all intents and purposes, Aug. 12, 2018 marks the day Davis’ career as a
professional angler took off. It’s the day he became Forrest Wood Cup champion.