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No. 10 - Mark Davis
Hometown: Mount Ida, Arkansas
Born: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Birthday: 10/11/1963
Family: (Wife) Tilly; (Children) James, Hunter and Fisher
Hobbies: Deer hunting
Favorite Food: Fried seafood
Favorite Music: Country
Favorite Book/Movie: Forrest Gump (movie)
Why He Fishes: "When I started this career as a kid, all I wanted to do was just make a living at it. I don't want to be rich. I don't want to be famous. All I ever wanted was to make a living and enjoy fishing, which I really do. I've never gotten tired of it and hopefully never will."
Hometown: Mount Ida, Arkansas
Born: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Birthday: 10/11/1963
Family: (Wife) Tilly; (Children) James, Hunter and Fisher
Hobbies: Deer hunting
Favorite Food: Fried seafood
Favorite Music: Country
Favorite Book/Movie: Forrest Gump (movie)
Why He Fishes: "When I started this career as a kid, all I wanted to do was just make a living at it. I don't want to be rich. I don't want to be famous. All I ever wanted was to make a living and enjoy fishing, which I really do. I've never gotten tired of it and hopefully never will."
Career Stats
Scorecard:
BASS titles: 5
BMCs fished: 13
BASS Top 10 finishes: 39
FLW Top 10 finishes: 4
BASS Times in money: 121
BASS Total Entries: 184
BASS Total Weight: 5,143-15
BASS Career Winnings: $1,134,521.30
Former Job: Fishing guide on lakes Ouachita and Hamilton
Turned Pro: 1984
Career Earnings: Over $1 million
Titles/Honors:
BMC titles: 1
1995 BASS AOY
1998 BASS AOY
2001 BASS AOY
Timeline:
1966: catches first bass
1969: hooked for life on bass fishing
1977: First tournament
1978: Starts guiding on local lakes
1984: Joins BASS tour
1987: First BMC appearance
1995: Wins first AOY title and the BMC
1998: Wins AOY
2001: Wins AOY
2004: Wins three events: 1 Tour and two E50s
Defining Moment:
He claims it's the second AOY title: "I guess out of everything I've won, including the first AOY and the BMC, I'm most proud of the second AOY title. The second one is harder to win because you know how high that hurdle is the next time … I would hope this one puts an end to all of the attention about my weight … That has gotten a little tiresome over the years … it seems like the more I won the more people talked about my weight or my weight loss … maybe know they'll talk more about the fact that I'm a pretty fair fisherman." -1998 Bassmaster Classic Report Claim To Fame:
Winning the BASS AOY title and the BMC in the same year (1995). Mentor: Larry Nixon Strengths:
Versatility … fishing deep structure. Nuggets:
Had he not established himself as a successful pro angler, Mark Davis would have likely followed his father's footsteps as a contractor doing stucco, plaster and drywall work. Or he might have become an entertainer
It will surprise some that Davis is a talented guitar picker and a pretty fair country music singer … "That was something I liked real well in my early teens," says Davis, who owns five guitars (1998 BMC Report). "What I really wanted to do was get as good at picking a guitar as Chet Atkins, but fishing took me away from all that. When I got the fishing bug at age 13 I put all the guitars away."
By January 1994, Davis' weight had climbed to 375 pounds and he was feeling every pound of it. "I hurt all over, all the time. There were tournament days when I took 30 Advil or Ibuprofen just to get through a day of fishing. It was all because of my weight, and you simply cannot compete at this level feeling like that." -Mark Davis in the 1995 Bassmaster Classic Report
That's when he decided to have the bypass operation and as a result his weight dropped to 235 pounds … with everything in focus Davis moved into the lead for AOY after the third tournament of the season.
Invited to The White House, where he, James and Tilly met President Clinton … claims it was a highlight of his reign as BMC champion … Sept. 9, 1995 was declared "Mark Davis Day" in Mount Ida (pop. 938) with more than 2,500 guests in attendance.
Sept. 26, 1995: Davis is in such pain that he went to a the emergency room in La Plata, Maryland (he was there for the Maryland Top 100) and the physicians failed to find anything. He drove 18 hours back to Arkansas and his regular doctor diagnosed him with chicken pox … he got back on track with 43 engagements with 19 days on the road traveling to 14 cities … and he fished two BASS events. One morning he woke up and forgot where he was …
Influential People:
Larry Nixon: "I think he's the best fisherman ever, and he's a nice guy." Complete BASS statistics
BASS titles: 5
BMCs fished: 13
BASS Top 10 finishes: 39
FLW Top 10 finishes: 4
BASS Times in money: 121
BASS Total Entries: 184
BASS Total Weight: 5,143-15
BASS Career Winnings: $1,134,521.30
Former Job: Fishing guide on lakes Ouachita and Hamilton
Turned Pro: 1984
Career Earnings: Over $1 million
Titles/Honors:
1966: catches first bass
1969: hooked for life on bass fishing
1977: First tournament
1978: Starts guiding on local lakes
1984: Joins BASS tour
1987: First BMC appearance
1995: Wins first AOY title and the BMC
1998: Wins AOY
2001: Wins AOY
2004: Wins three events: 1 Tour and two E50s
Defining Moment:
He claims it's the second AOY title: "I guess out of everything I've won, including the first AOY and the BMC, I'm most proud of the second AOY title. The second one is harder to win because you know how high that hurdle is the next time … I would hope this one puts an end to all of the attention about my weight … That has gotten a little tiresome over the years … it seems like the more I won the more people talked about my weight or my weight loss … maybe know they'll talk more about the fact that I'm a pretty fair fisherman." -1998 Bassmaster Classic Report Claim To Fame:
Winning the BASS AOY title and the BMC in the same year (1995). Mentor: Larry Nixon Strengths:
Versatility … fishing deep structure. Nuggets:
Larry Nixon: "I think he's the best fisherman ever, and he's a nice guy." Complete BASS statistics
