Yesterday (Saturday) marked the conclusion of co-angler competition at the Forrest Wood Cup and in the end, Dereal Rodgers of Camden, S.C. won the co-angler title with a 14-fish, 27-03 total. The win paid Rodgers $65,000 and caps a season in which he also won the FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year title.
"I swear this is about one dollar for every morning I woke (my wife) up early getting ready to go to a tournament," Rodgers said. "It's been a long time and I've been trying hard. I'm just happy. That's all I can say."
He also noted, in an emotional address onstage, that when he told his wife he wanted to become a professional fisherman, she asked how long it would take.
"About five years ago my wife and I dedicated our lives to Christ. I was praying one night and the Lord told me, 'I'm going to make you a professional bass fisherman.' I told my wife and she looked at me and said, 'How long is that going to take?' I said, 'Give me 5 years.' That was 5 years ago."
J.R. Wright of Truckee, Calif. finished 2nd. Not coincidentally, Wright's buddies and practice partners with Cody Meyer, who's currently 2nd in the pro division.
