(Editor's note: Here's a short feature from industry rep Alan McGuckin, who's in Wisconsin for this week's Bassmaster AOY Championship.)
Gerald Swindle is a lot of things. He’s the 2004 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, winner of nearly $2 million dollars in prize money, a great husband to “Lulu” and by far the funniest guy among all pro anglers. Adding to that list, he's become rookie Jordan Lee’s roommate and barber during the Toyota Angler of the Year Championship on Sturgeon Bay.
Beneath Swindle’s humor is a big heart. So when the 24-year-old Lee struggled to get a haircut amid several straight weeks of travel and showed-up at Sturgeon Bay looking a little shaggy, Swindle stepped in to help.
“I went to Target and bought some $20 clippers,” said. Lee. “The box says they’re heavy duty with a long-lasting motor that easily cuts the thickest of hair – really, that’s exactly what the box says,
"I ran them over my head, and things went pretty well until I got to the back of my neck, and that’s when 'G' had to step in.”
Said Swindle: “He had a line back there that looked like the bottom contour on your Humminbird screen when you’re bouncing around in 4-foot waves. By the time I got done trimmin’ him up, his neckline looked as crisp as one of those Lake Michigan sand bar shelves – the only catch was he had to make our lunch sandwiches in exchange for my barbering skills. And I’ll tell ya’, he’s a good little sandwich maker."
Speaking of bouncing around in 4-foot waves, Swindle is also quick to play the role of marine police officer, advising that 20 mph be an angler's maximum speed in monster rollers that Lake Michigan is serving-up this week.
“To be real honest, 20 mph might be too fast in these waves – you simply can’t go anywhere quickly in waves like this. If you do you’ll tear up your equipment.
“It’s frustrating not to be able to go look at more and different places to fish, but you can only take what Mother Nature gives you, and if you try to take more, you better be wearing nothing but flip-flops and a snorkel because you’re fixin’ to fill up your bass boat."
In the rare and unexpected instance the wind should lay calm this week and allow the pros to run at faster speeds, Swindle and Lee have a backup plan.
“If it gets calm and we can run 60 mph, Jordan will pack us Smucker’s Uncrustables. They’re 210 calories apiece, and best of all, the edges on them are sealed so you can run wide open without your jelly blowin’ out."
