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Glenn: Hi I'm Glenn May with Bassresource.com and I'm with Alton Jones. Alton good to have
you with us today.
Alton: Yes, thanks Glenn, it's my pleasure to be here.
Glenn: Now, Alton, how many years you've been fishing now?
Alton: Well, this coming year will be my 20th season fishing full time as a professional.
Glenn: You started when you were a child?
Alton: Well, I started fishing when I was a child, but started fishing professionally
when I was 26 years old. And it's been, I can't believe it's been that long.
Glenn: Yeah, wow. And in all those years, what would you say would be your most memorable
bass that you've ever caught?
Alton: The most memorable bass that I ever caught? Probably it happened in 2003 at a
Bassmaster tour event on Clear Lake. And that event was a hole format and in the closing
seconds in hole number six I hooked a bass. And I was fighting the bass as time expired.
But as long as you hook it, it's kind of like basketball, as long as you hook the bass before
time expires in that hole you can land it. And it ended up being a seven and a half pounder
as time expired. It's kind of like hitting a buzzer *** in a basketball game. And
that fish took me from 9th place to 1st place in the Clear Lake tournament, and I'll never
forget the thrill of that moment.
Glenn: Now was that the biggest bass you've ever caught in a tournament?
Alton: No, I've caught a number of ten pounders in tournaments, but that one, just the timing
of that...
Glenn: A number.
Alton: Yeah. And the enormity of that particular moment, that's just a fish I'd never forget.
Glenn: Wow. Now speaking about big bass. What would be your most unusual tactic for catching
big bass?
Alton: My most unusual tactic for catching big bass? Man. I don't know that I do anything
really unusual. One of the things I like to do when it's really cold out is I like to
catch big bass on really small light tackle finesse worms and spinning rods and six pound
test line. And people don't realize that. You think of the big baits, the jigs, the
spinner baits, that's all good. But when it gets really cold sometimes the small stuff
can be the trick for a big fish
Glenn: Little snack rather than a big meal, huh?
Alton: Absolutely. Their metabolism slows down and so they don't have to eat as much.
And sometimes popcorn sounds better than a ribeye steak. Although usually not to me.
Glenn: Hey now. If you could fish with, if you had a choice of fishing with anybody,
either past or present, and it doesn't have to be an angler or anything like that. But
if you could just pick someone to go fishing with, who might that be?
Alton: Well, it would have to be my grandfather. One more fishing trip with him. He passed
away in 1988. But he was my fishing buddy from the time I was born until be passed away
in 1988. We fished together almost every weekend and perhaps in heaven some day I'll get that
chance.
Glenn: Did he get you into fishing?
Alton: He did. He taught me most of my bad habits. But my love of the outdoors really
came from him. You know, a bond with a grandfather is close anyway but when it's a fishing buddy
granddad that's even more special.
Glenn: Besides fishing, what other things do you like to do?
Alton: I love to hunt. I actually am a professional trader. I trade stocks and commodities. For
my own portfolio, not for other people. So I day trade and swing trade. But I'm very
active in the market. In fact I've even been, this morning between seminars I've been up
scoping things out. I love computers. Anything technology wise. In fact I had a computer
store before I started fishing professionally. That was twenty years ago.
Glenn: No kidding. Selling like, Radio Shack computers or what?
Alton: Well, actually back then there weren't many options. You had basically Apple, which,
that was before the days of the Macintosh. you have like the old AppleII. And IBM had
just come out with their PC. And there weren't, it was just, the clones, the IBM PC lookalikes
were just starting to show up on the market at that time. There weren't the Dells and
that sort of thing. So that became a job and I wanted to go fishing. But now that fishing's
my job I still love to tinker with computers.
Glenn: Now what would your dream vacation be?
Alton: My dream vacation. I've got so many, I love to travel. In fact we try to go somewhere
abroad or at least a little further away with my family at least once a year. I'll just
tell you, one of the greatest vacations we ever took. I took my family, we went to South
Africa and Zimbabwe to bass fish over there, and also to do a little bit of hunting. And
it was a great trip or our entire family. But I also love going to Maui and just relaxing
on the beach. That's pretty fun. Now if it's just me. If it's just me and my son alone
going, we're probably going to Mexico bass fishing or down to Lake Falcon, something
simple like that.
Glenn: Sounds like a fun, lot of fun. What would be one thing that maybe the fans don't
know about you that you'd like to share with us?
Alton: Probably that I'm a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I mean, he's really the rock
of my life. And I believe he's put me where I am in fishing for his purposes, not for
mine. And I feel like the platform he's given me is just so, as he gives me opportunity
I can scatter a little bit of seed and tell people about my faith in Christ and hopefully
it can bring encouragement to others. And so that's something I would want everybody
to know about me.
Glenn: Fantastic. Now one last question. What's your favorite ice cream?
Alton: My favorite ice cream is Baskin-Robbins Chocolate Chip. And if anybody from Baskin-Robbins
is watching, get hold of Gary and he can get you my mailing address and you can just put
it on some dry ice and ship it.
Glenn: That's great. Well, Alton, thanks so much for spending time with us today. I really
appreciate it. And we're looking forward to seeing you on the water.
Alton: Hey, it's been my pleasure Gary. God bless you guys.