Travis Johnson felt a tug on his line while he was getting a bass-fishing lesson Saturday morning from Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Poche.
“I felt something, so I pulled on it a little bit, and it pulled back,” Johnson said. “I went to set the hook and it darn near took the pole out of my hands.”
Johnson, a retired U.S. Marine lance corporal from Greenup, Ky., had an 8-pound, 7-ounce largemouth bass on the end of his line.
“It made me nervous,” Poche said. “But Travis did an awesome job working the fish and not letting it jump or break his line. I kind of coached him and we landed the fish.”
Johnson was one of six veterans who were brought to Montgomery, Ala. by Hope for the Warriors to compete in a tournament on a private lake. Each veteran was teamed with an Elite Series pro.
Johnson and Poche won the event with an 18-02 limit. Army sergeant Paul Walter of Selden, N.Y., and pro Terry Scroggins finished 2nd with a 13-15 bag that included a 4-06 kicker.
The team of Skeet Reese and Marine corporal Bobby Davis of Mobile, Ala., finished 3rd with 13-13. Aaron Martens and Army chief warrant officer John Lightsey of Atlanta, Ga., were fourth with 11-14. There was a tie for 5th with 7-14 between the teams of Steve Kennedy and Marine corporal Daniel Mullins of Gainesville, Fla., and Greg Vinson and Navy HM2 Dean Carr of Jacksonville, N.C.
