the big one
T he competitive spirit drives all athletes . No one steps foot on their respective playing field and wants to lose , or expects to lose , or even sees it as an option . As former New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards famously said , “ You play to win the game .”
For Major League Fishing pros , there ’ s winning the game and then there ’ s winning THE game . Since the inception of the Bass Pro Tour in 2019 , that game has been REDCREST .
Sure , winning tournaments and Angler of the Year titles is great ( If you don ’ t believe that , go have a chat with Jacob Wheeler ). But what ’ s even better than regular season wins and AOY points ? For that , you can ask Edwin Evers .
Like the 1903 Boston Americans , and the 1966-67 Green Bay Packers , and Horton Smith at the 1934 Masters , Evers was the first . He ’ s the answer to the trivia question , “ Who was the first to claim the most prestigious prize in modern bass fishing ?” Evers , whether he realized the impact at the time or not , was the first pro angler to have his career forever linked to the shiny redand-silver trophy all MLF pros have in their sights . A pioneer .
Fast-forward a few years to the lead-up to REDCREST IV . Since Evers ’ inaugural victory , Dustin Connell and Bobby Lane have joined the REDCREST champions club . Lake Norman lies in wait to crown another in just a month ’ s time . Will there be a new two-time REDCREST winner , or will someone else earn their place in the record book alongside Evers , Connell and Lane ?
THE game awaits .
PHOTO BY JOSH GASSMANN
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