title 2021
COMING FULL CIRCLE
Washam leaned on a pocket similar to those in his home waters to take home the TITLE .
In practice , he stumbled upon a closing dam while trolling to a backwater away from the main river channel – almost literally .
“ I had the trolling motor pinned down , rolling down the bank ,” he explains . “ I had recently come off pad over deep water and left my motor trimmed down . Suddenly , I felt my lower unit slam against a rock jetty . It almost threw me out of the boat .”
Shaken by the experience , Washam glanced down at his sonar unit to see a 35-foot-deep hole behind the dam . Normally , he ’ d expect to find a shallow area behind a similar structure on the main channel , but this unique honey hole presented an opportunity to sack larger-than-average bass .
Washam made it to the Knockout Round without needing to use his secret spot . Then , during the closing minutes of the Knockout Round , he called on it to boat more than 9 pounds of bass : a 5-pounder and another about 4 1 / 2 .
“ It sounds dumb , but my adrenaline was going , and I was pumped up ,” Washam says of those two fish . “ I looked at the camera boat that day before I rolled out and told them that there was an 18-pound bag in the hole . I told them I was going to come back the next day and win the tournament .” By the end of the following day , Washam had wheeled in 17 pounds , 15 ounces from that spot to seal a monumental victory . After six days of competition and six years of chasing a major tournament win , Jimmy Washam III stood on top of the world . Back home , his 73-year-old father was tuned in . Surrounded by friends and family , he must have glowed when his lifelong fishing partner held the shimmering championship belt over his head .
“ It was surreal ,” Washam adds . “ It ’ s a once-in-many-lifetimes event . I think back to starting from the ground up without a lot of financial backing , working at Bass Pro Shops , working in the squad car , fishing out of that aluminum Bass Tracker and steadily working my way up . It took a few days to sink in , but now I have a feeling that all of that hard work has come to fruition .”
The victory , of course , came with more than a belt . Washam ’ s $ 200,000 in winnings will be enough to usher in the conclusion of his law enforcement career by the time this story prints . Soon , the Washam household will relocate from Covington , Tennessee to a quiet spot on the shores of Pickwick Lake , where Washam plans to plot a defense of his TITLE , launch a guide service and make a run at the Bass Pro Tour ’ s REDCREST .
In addition , he ’ ll have a chance at another prestigious title when he fishes the Toyota Series Championship on none other than Pickwick Lake at the end of October .
As for the TITLE strap itself ? The belt will sit in a place of honor , where it will likely conjure one more memory whenever someone dusts it off the shelf .
“ Dad and I went to a wrestling show together when I was four or five years old ,” Washam recounts . “ I remember seeing Ric Flair and his glittering , gold belt .”
Now , Jimmy Washam Jr . and Jimmy Washam III have a championship belt of their own – one packed with enough memories to last a couple of lifetimes . n
54 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021