02-18-2008, 11:10 PM
ANDERSON - Casey Ashley says fishing has been his passion since he was old enough to walk, and he isn't exaggerating.
Mr. Ashley remembers crawling into a boat with his parents at the tender age of 4 and heading out on the water in search of crappie. Instead, Mr. Ashley reeled in a largemouth bass.
"At that point, I was hooked," he said.
Needless to say, many more bass have made their way into boats piloted by the now 24-year-old Donalds man. And this week he'll be competing for fishing's top prize in the 2008 Bassmaster Classic at Hartwell Lake. Mr. Ashley earned a spot in the field, thanks to his No. 32 rank in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. The top 36 anglers qualify for the Classic.
Mr. Ashley is one of only three Bassmasters Elite Series rookies to get a chance to compete for the $500,000 prize. A victory last June in the Elite event at Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake was the boost he needed to make the cut, and it came with a $100,000 purse.
"It's all I ever wanted to do," Mr. Ashley said. "My dad's a big bass fisherman, so I just always was around it and always wanted to someday do it professionally.
"My dad and I joined a team trail called Angler's Choice when I was 10, and I've been competing ever since. I was always real confident I could do well at it. I knew from the start I wasn't going to go out there and start winning everything, but I was determined to stick with it."
Mr. Ashley said there are different ways to transform fishing from a leisurely recreation activity to a career.
"It varies from person to person," he said. "Obviously you have to start out at the lower level, and you have to be successful.
"I know a lot of people will fish and think they can make money doing it, but you'll find out pretty quick whether you can or not. I just always stuck with it and had the confidence to think I could do it, and it's worked out real well so far."
Mr. Ashley enters his first Classic ranked No. 78 in the world and already has earned more than $200,000 in only one year as a professional. In 2007, he had two top-10 tournament showings to go along with his victory.
His favorite technique is flipping a jig, and he says his primary strength is jig-fishing, although spinnerbaiting also is a major part of his repertoire.
Mr. Ashley said he has fished Hartwell Lake since he was 10, long enough to know that fickle February weather can throw a wrench into the fishery.
"It can be snowing, or it can be 80 degrees with fish on the bed. You just never know, because it can change daily," he said. "So I go into it just like everybody else. It's anybody's ballgame. But knowing the lake well does help, because as the weather changes, you know where to go and can figure something out."
Translation: Hartwell Lake gives Mr. Ashley something of a home fishery advantage this week.
"Man, that's sweet," he said. "This is my first Classic, and it's right here at home, so that's a thrill."
Except for a practice day this Wednesday, the final day for anglers to practice was last Thursday. Boats will launch from Portman Marina at 7:15 a.m. Friday, Saturday and today, and weigh-ins will begin at 3:30 p.m. each day at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville.
And while angling remains Mr. Ashley's hobby as well as his job ("Fishing is my getaway," he says), he did take a slight detour this weekend.
Saturday Mr. Ashley was in Nashville to record a song that will be part of a country compact disc celebrating fishing.
"The bass people got me hooked up with this deal where a bunch of country stars are putting out a record about fishing," Mr. Ashley said. "Brad Paisley and some other big names are writing songs for it. They wrote me a song, so I had the chance to record it."
Mr. Ashley insists there was no chance of stage fright.
"I don't have time to get nervous these days," he said with a laugh. "I'm just thrilled to be part of the Classic, and the song was just something fun."
Chances are Mr. Ashley will have even more fun at the "Super Bowl of bass fishing."
"I can't wait," he said. "Fishing is what I was born to do."
Mr. Ashley remembers crawling into a boat with his parents at the tender age of 4 and heading out on the water in search of crappie. Instead, Mr. Ashley reeled in a largemouth bass.
"At that point, I was hooked," he said.
Needless to say, many more bass have made their way into boats piloted by the now 24-year-old Donalds man. And this week he'll be competing for fishing's top prize in the 2008 Bassmaster Classic at Hartwell Lake. Mr. Ashley earned a spot in the field, thanks to his No. 32 rank in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. The top 36 anglers qualify for the Classic.
Mr. Ashley is one of only three Bassmasters Elite Series rookies to get a chance to compete for the $500,000 prize. A victory last June in the Elite event at Virginia's Smith Mountain Lake was the boost he needed to make the cut, and it came with a $100,000 purse.
"It's all I ever wanted to do," Mr. Ashley said. "My dad's a big bass fisherman, so I just always was around it and always wanted to someday do it professionally.
"My dad and I joined a team trail called Angler's Choice when I was 10, and I've been competing ever since. I was always real confident I could do well at it. I knew from the start I wasn't going to go out there and start winning everything, but I was determined to stick with it."
Mr. Ashley said there are different ways to transform fishing from a leisurely recreation activity to a career.
"It varies from person to person," he said. "Obviously you have to start out at the lower level, and you have to be successful.
"I know a lot of people will fish and think they can make money doing it, but you'll find out pretty quick whether you can or not. I just always stuck with it and had the confidence to think I could do it, and it's worked out real well so far."
Mr. Ashley enters his first Classic ranked No. 78 in the world and already has earned more than $200,000 in only one year as a professional. In 2007, he had two top-10 tournament showings to go along with his victory.
His favorite technique is flipping a jig, and he says his primary strength is jig-fishing, although spinnerbaiting also is a major part of his repertoire.
Mr. Ashley said he has fished Hartwell Lake since he was 10, long enough to know that fickle February weather can throw a wrench into the fishery.
"It can be snowing, or it can be 80 degrees with fish on the bed. You just never know, because it can change daily," he said. "So I go into it just like everybody else. It's anybody's ballgame. But knowing the lake well does help, because as the weather changes, you know where to go and can figure something out."
Translation: Hartwell Lake gives Mr. Ashley something of a home fishery advantage this week.
"Man, that's sweet," he said. "This is my first Classic, and it's right here at home, so that's a thrill."
Except for a practice day this Wednesday, the final day for anglers to practice was last Thursday. Boats will launch from Portman Marina at 7:15 a.m. Friday, Saturday and today, and weigh-ins will begin at 3:30 p.m. each day at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville.
And while angling remains Mr. Ashley's hobby as well as his job ("Fishing is my getaway," he says), he did take a slight detour this weekend.
Saturday Mr. Ashley was in Nashville to record a song that will be part of a country compact disc celebrating fishing.
"The bass people got me hooked up with this deal where a bunch of country stars are putting out a record about fishing," Mr. Ashley said. "Brad Paisley and some other big names are writing songs for it. They wrote me a song, so I had the chance to record it."
Mr. Ashley insists there was no chance of stage fright.
"I don't have time to get nervous these days," he said with a laugh. "I'm just thrilled to be part of the Classic, and the song was just something fun."
Chances are Mr. Ashley will have even more fun at the "Super Bowl of bass fishing."
"I can't wait," he said. "Fishing is what I was born to do."