By Scott Mims
You’ve likely seen bumper stickers and T-shirts that read, “I’d rather be fishing.” Jemison native Clent Davis is living that dream.
But what started as a childhood dream has turned into quite a success story for the rookie pro angler, who this summer snagged the Walmart FLW Tour’s Rookie of the Year title. In doing so he finished the 2012 season in the top 14 of the tour, earning a berth in the Toyota Texas Bass Classic this September on Lake Conroe in Texas.
“I’m excited,” said Davis, 26, who began participating in fishing tournaments at the age of 10. Now he travels the country doing what he loves, and his favorite hobby has become his bread and butter.
Davis’ childhood surroundings certainly helped shape his ambitions. There was a pond by his parents’ house. He regularly fished area lakes and ponds with his dad or sometimes with friends.
“At the age of 12, I realized that this is something I would want to do as a career,” he said.
Davis competed in tournaments throughout high school, graduating from Jemison High in 2004. At the University of Montevallo, while pursuing a degree in history and kinesiology, he started a fishing team for the university.
“At this time the college fishing teams were just starting to become a huge success,” Davis says in his online biography. “The first year we were very successful in winning two of the first four tournaments that we entered as well as becoming Southern Collegiate Champions.”
In 2011, he began competing at the professional level in the Southeast Everstart Series, where he finished in the top 3 in two out of four tournaments. He went on to fish the Walmart FLW tour as a co-angler, which was an opportunity to learn many different lakes and spend time in the boat with seasoned pros.
Davis said learning from the best in the sport was a great opportunity for him to network and gain valuable experience.
His trek to the ROY title did not come without its setbacks, however. In the first tournament of the year, at Lake Hartwell, Davis finished in 74th place, just an ounce shy of winning a check. But he followed up with big finishes—10th place at Table Rock Lake, 36th place at Beaver Lake, 11th place at Potomac River and 20th place at Kentucky Lake.
A 91st place finish at the final Major of the season on Lake Champlain was obviously not his best outing, but with 964 points, it was enough to secure the ROY and a spot at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. Davis finished the season with seven top 10 finishes and winnings totaling $66,886.
“[The TTBC] is one of those tournaments that everyone has a goal set to qualify for every year,” he said.
While it might be a common belief that fishing requires great patience, Davis attributes his success partly to his lack of patience. In other words, if something’s not working, he’s quick to change his technique.
“I’m very impatient…but I’m patient when I need to be,” he said. “I’m always trying to improve on what I do.”
Davis prides himself on finishing in the top 50 of every tournament.
“You try to win every one of them, but it’s very, very hard to do,” he explained.
When asked if he had a favorite lake, Davis did not give a direct answer but said Lay Lake is great for fishing. When at home, he spends nearly every weekend on the Coosa River chain.
“I cut my teeth on Lay Lake. It’s so diverse and you can learn so many things fishing that lake,” he said.
Davis advises beginners to not break the bank on buying rods and reels, and every color of bait imaginable. He also encourages people to spend lots of time outdoors with their kids.
For more information about Davis, visit clentdavis.com. For more information about the FLW Tour, visit flwoutdoors.com/bassfishing/flw/.