Bass Master - Newcomerstown native heading to Bassmaster Classic following big win at Southern Open
One look at the 25-year-old Fletcher Shryock and you’d never believe the Newcomerstown native competed against some of the best fishermen in the nation at the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open 2, March 24-26, in North Carolina. But he did... and he won.
A frequent visitor to Tappan Lake, Shryock has been obsessed with fishing since he was a little kid. “I go to bed thinking about fishing. In January, when there’s three feet of snow on the ground and you can’t even get your vehicle out of the driveway, I’m talking Bassmasters,” he explained.
That dedication has led him to become only the third qualifier for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, and this win has put him in a very unique position, where he will, no matter what happens, compete in the Super Bowl of bass fishing. From this moment on, Shryock is in it with the best.
As the win set in, and Shryock returned to his hometown on Sunday, March 27, he slowly started coming back to reality. “I never got emotional. I was basically a robot because I went straight from fishing, and it was such a hard last day, that I never got a chance to sit back and realize,” he said. “It didn’t register for a long, long time, but I think finally, now it’s starting to sink in. I didn’t even realize what I did.”
During the three long days of nothing but concentration and dehydration, Shryock’s goal was to catch five fish each day, trying to obtain the heaviest combined weight.
From the very beginning, Shryock announced to a Bassmaster reporter that he planned on bringing in 20 pounds. Immediately following this statement, notifications were posted that none of the pros were expected to bring in more than 14 pounds in the next two days. Shryock laughed, “Everyone was looking at me like, who is this kid?”
But on the first day, Shryock brought in 14 pounds, eight ounces and finished a solid seventh place, and by day two, he caught his limit before noon, weighing in at 17 pounds, 12 ounces, shocking the competition as he sat at first place going into the final day. Thus the name Kid Shryock was born. This nobody from Newcomerstown instantly became a somebody.
Hoping his final day would be a repeat of the past two, Shryock took his spot, but soon realized, it wasn’t happening. Struggling to catch his first three fish, he was running out of time to find the remaining two. With just five minutes to spare, he caught his final fish for the day, which was a mere 1/16-inch over the legal minimum length.
“That final day… it was one of the hardest days of my life,” he said.
Walking up to the scale, Shryock was one of the last to weigh in, hoping he had the 11 pounds, 12 ounces to seal the deal and beat his major competition and seasoned veteran, Gerald Swindle.
And what happened next was something that Shryock had only ever dreamed about. Surpassing Swindle by five pounds, 10 ounces, he took home the 2011 Lake Norman Southern Open trophy. Not to mention a custom boat and a $10,000 cash purse.
So what’s next for the local fishing phenom? Shryock will have to compete in the June Bassmaster Open at Lake Douglas in Tennessee to officially secure his spot in the February 2012 Bassmaster Classic. He doesn’t have to win, but in true Shryock style, he wants to do “something spectacular.”
With the pressure mounting, Shryock will work to prove he’s not just another flash in the pan. “If I can go down to Douglas and do something excellent… if I can make the top 12 cut, it’s going to get even crazier.”
For now, Shryock is enjoying his instant fame and his reappearing picture on ESPN.com. His phone is ringing off the hook and sponsors are throwing themselves at him from every direction, but he is striving to remain in his “now” moment, as well as research his upcoming competition.
Staying focused, he said, “Don’t get caught up on yesterday. Now is now. That’s huge in fishing, even as far as the decisions you make… whether you move or stay. Are you going to live what happened yesterday or make a new memory from what’s going to happen today? Do your homework, do your preparation. If you don’t do your homework, you have no chance.”
Something has to be said for an extraordinary kid from Tuscarawas County, a kid named Shryock, who rocked the Southern Open.
A frequent visitor to Tappan Lake, Shryock has been obsessed with fishing since he was a little kid. “I go to bed thinking about fishing. In January, when there’s three feet of snow on the ground and you can’t even get your vehicle out of the driveway, I’m talking Bassmasters,” he explained.
That dedication has led him to become only the third qualifier for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, and this win has put him in a very unique position, where he will, no matter what happens, compete in the Super Bowl of bass fishing. From this moment on, Shryock is in it with the best.
As the win set in, and Shryock returned to his hometown on Sunday, March 27, he slowly started coming back to reality. “I never got emotional. I was basically a robot because I went straight from fishing, and it was such a hard last day, that I never got a chance to sit back and realize,” he said. “It didn’t register for a long, long time, but I think finally, now it’s starting to sink in. I didn’t even realize what I did.”
During the three long days of nothing but concentration and dehydration, Shryock’s goal was to catch five fish each day, trying to obtain the heaviest combined weight.
From the very beginning, Shryock announced to a Bassmaster reporter that he planned on bringing in 20 pounds. Immediately following this statement, notifications were posted that none of the pros were expected to bring in more than 14 pounds in the next two days. Shryock laughed, “Everyone was looking at me like, who is this kid?”
But on the first day, Shryock brought in 14 pounds, eight ounces and finished a solid seventh place, and by day two, he caught his limit before noon, weighing in at 17 pounds, 12 ounces, shocking the competition as he sat at first place going into the final day. Thus the name Kid Shryock was born. This nobody from Newcomerstown instantly became a somebody.
Hoping his final day would be a repeat of the past two, Shryock took his spot, but soon realized, it wasn’t happening. Struggling to catch his first three fish, he was running out of time to find the remaining two. With just five minutes to spare, he caught his final fish for the day, which was a mere 1/16-inch over the legal minimum length.
“That final day… it was one of the hardest days of my life,” he said.
Walking up to the scale, Shryock was one of the last to weigh in, hoping he had the 11 pounds, 12 ounces to seal the deal and beat his major competition and seasoned veteran, Gerald Swindle.
And what happened next was something that Shryock had only ever dreamed about. Surpassing Swindle by five pounds, 10 ounces, he took home the 2011 Lake Norman Southern Open trophy. Not to mention a custom boat and a $10,000 cash purse.
So what’s next for the local fishing phenom? Shryock will have to compete in the June Bassmaster Open at Lake Douglas in Tennessee to officially secure his spot in the February 2012 Bassmaster Classic. He doesn’t have to win, but in true Shryock style, he wants to do “something spectacular.”
With the pressure mounting, Shryock will work to prove he’s not just another flash in the pan. “If I can go down to Douglas and do something excellent… if I can make the top 12 cut, it’s going to get even crazier.”
For now, Shryock is enjoying his instant fame and his reappearing picture on ESPN.com. His phone is ringing off the hook and sponsors are throwing themselves at him from every direction, but he is striving to remain in his “now” moment, as well as research his upcoming competition.
Staying focused, he said, “Don’t get caught up on yesterday. Now is now. That’s huge in fishing, even as far as the decisions you make… whether you move or stay. Are you going to live what happened yesterday or make a new memory from what’s going to happen today? Do your homework, do your preparation. If you don’t do your homework, you have no chance.”
Something has to be said for an extraordinary kid from Tuscarawas County, a kid named Shryock, who rocked the Southern Open.
Published: March 31, 2011
