(Editor's note: This short feature comes from Alan McGuckin of Dynamic Sponsorships.)
As the all-time leading money winner among female bass anglers, it’s no surprise that Pam Martin-Wells recently won the Lady Bass Anglers Association event on Bull Shoals. Far more astonishing, however, was that she claimed victory with a Toyota sun buff covering her bald head because just days earlier she had received her third chemo treatment to defeat ovarian cancer.
“There is no doubt in my mind that I am here because of the Good Lord," she said. "So many factors took place from diagnosis to surgery that could have only been from the hand of God. I had a CT on a Tuesday followed by an MRI and a CA125 blood test all in one day. All of which was pre-certified by insurance the same day. That doesn't happen, only God can make that happen,” she insists.
Ten weeks after major abdominal surgery, buoyed by faith, her family’s encouragement and competitive determination, Martin-Wells put a Stanley Top Toad and Spro Popping Frog to work on Bull Shoals to generate explosive topwater strikes that lea to victory and a Toyota Bonus Bucks check.
“My last Tundra had 300,000 miles on it before I traded for the 2021 Tundra I’m towing with now. You just can’t beat the reliability, towing capacity and comfort you get from a Tundra, and as a tournament angler, Bonus Bucks makes Toyota the only logical choice for a tow vehicle,” says Martin-Wells, who continues to serve as coach of the Emmanuel College bass fishing team.
Often associated with her ability to hold her own among male anglers, including making the final-day cut at the 2010 Bassmaster Classic, perhaps Martin-Wells is creating an even more admirable chapter to her storied career. Not only is she sharing great bass fishing wisdom with her college anglers, but more importantly, inspiring them to live life well, while never forgetting to give credit to those who buoy and guide us when life’s inevitable storms hit.
To learn more about the Emmanuel College Lions fishing team she coaches near lakes Hartwell, Lanier and Clarks Hill, visit https://goeclions.com/sports/fishing. And to make sure you’re eligible to win Toyota Bonus Bucks, please visit https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/.
