As the day-4 weigh-in wound down at the recent FLW Tour Championship, Anthony Gagliardi was the last angler to weigh in, and was the only one who could beat Brent Ehrler. Before Gags weighed his sack, FLW Outdoors CEO and emcee Charlie Evans called the fathers of the two anglers up to the stage. Here's what the fathers had to say about their sons' early fishing years.
Mr. Ehrler: "I gave him a fishing rod for Christmas when he was 3 years old. He fished all winter in the pool. From then on, whenever we went anywhere, if there was water around, we knew where he'd be."
He then joked: "Brent, can I have $100 to go to dinner tonight?"
Mr. Gagliardi said: "When he was 4 years old, I was a traveling salesman. My boss came down to go fishing, and Anthony was standing at the door with his rod and tacklebox, crying as we were leaving to go to Santee Cooper. My boss said, 'Mike, I can't go.'
"He (Anthony) loved it so much."
> This was the first tournament Ehrler's parents had ever attended. They chose a good one.
> Gagliardi's father noted that he's never missed one of his son's tournaments. "And I'll never miss one as long as I'm alive," he added.
