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Professional bass fisherman Skeet Reese angles Folsom Lake. He won the Bassmaster Classic last month and is third on the all-time bass tournament winnings list.
Like Woods, who rules the fairways and greens, Auburn-based Reese is at the top-and-bottom-fishing of his game.
Getting to fish with him on Folsom Lake was something that had to be wedged into a schedule that includes up to 275 days a year on the intensive ESPN Elite Bassmaster tournament circuit.
Reese, 39, is nearly alone at the top of the professional bass fishing world since winning the Bassmaster Classic last month and taking home the $500,000 first prize. That's on top of winning Angler of the Year honors in 2007. He's now No. 3 on the all-time bass tournament winnings list at just under $2 million, and with endorsements, his annual earnings have reached seven figures. Reese is in seventh place in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points standings, positioning him for another shot at 2009 Angler of the Year.
Though it was great to hear about his prizes and catches since we last interviewed him (February 2006), it was even more fun to pick his brain on how bass-fishing mortals might outsmart the smartest fish swimming waters from Shasta Lake to the Delta.
How does he do it?
"Skeet has this uncanny ability to find the fish, stay on them and make adjustments, as needed, real fast," says Dan O'Sullivan, a fellow bass fisherman, close friend and media representative for Reese. He adapts to ever-changing circumstances.
"My whole career is based on versatility," says Reese. "If it takes a Pink Polka Dot Goober to catch fish, I'll throw it. It separates me from the rest," he says. "I had to learn to fish the tidal waters of the Delta and weed-lined natural lakes like Clear Lake that require power fishing with big rods and big lines.
"Then there are the deep, clear man-made lakes like Shasta and Oroville that require finesse fishing techniques with light lines and spinning rods. Even Southern California doesn't offer the same diversity of waters and required fishing techniques as we have here in Northern California."
Conditions constantly change so "sometimes my brain is a mess going in. It's tough to process all that information. I don't assume I know how I'm going to catch them. It's 'What do I have to do to catch them?'"
Reese has another edge: fitness. He has an intense workout schedule and he's built like an NFL tight end or major-league outfielder.
"There's an awful lot of mental and physical stress," says Doug Grassian, ESPN Bassmasters spokesman. "Skeet handles both extremely well, and he's really into exercise and nutrition."
Ken Hoover, nutritionist to top bass professionals as well as golf pros, likened the calories burned during a day's fishing "to jogging five miles in an hour, then lifting weights for an hour – then repeating that process four more times."
What makes him tick
Besides the fitness, anglers say, Reese has the temperament and confidence needed.
He knows where he came from. He didn't always have it so easy. He used to paddle around in a float tube as a kid and had to bum rides to fishing tournaments when he couldn't drive himself. He persevered because he knew from age 12 he wanted to fish for a living. He's a rare success story.
"He's living our dream," said Richard Springs, referring to Reese. Springs is a die-hard bass fisherman who moved to Granite Bay from the Bay Area five years ago to be close to Folsom Lake. He now fishes Folsom about 150 days a year. He spied Reese at the Granite Bay boat ramp as the pro was pulling his trademark yellow-and-black, logo-festooned boat out of the water. He wanted to say "hi."
"I've followed him (Reese) throughout just about his whole career," said Springs, a purchasing supervisor for Intel. "I thought seriously of doing that (fishing professionally), but you have to have to make such great sacrifices to family life.
"And, yeah, lots of us have the passion but not the ability to fish at his level."
(Springs will have a chance at some amateur competitive bass fishing this weekend at Folsom during the Capitol City Showdown, being put on by the Future Pro Tour.)
When Reese is off the fishing circuit, his first priority is to spend time with his family: wife Kim and children Leamarie and Courtney. Then, to go fishing.
But not for bass. For steelhead, salmon, trout and striped bass.
By the time January comes around, he's champing at the bit again. He's not one to rest on successes and victories. His goals this year are to surpass $2 million in earnings and to capture the Angler of the Year award.
"It's 'keep winning.' At the end of the day, it's all about holding that trophy up."
Oh, yeah: The day's results
And how did that morning of fishing Folsom Lake turn out? Reese caught nice spotted bass to about 3 pounds – all on his "favorite little friend," made by Lucky Craft, one of his major sponsors, the Lucky Craft Slim Shad D-9 in the color he developed: chartreuse shad.
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