A Lot's Changed For Cup Winner Suggs

They say a million dollars can change your life. Maybe so, maybe not, but a million-dollar championship win sure has changed things for Scott Suggs. He's gone from mere notoriety in the sport of pro fishing to the status of household name, and out in the world at large he's getting a bunch of attention too.

According to Suggs, things have been so crazy that after the Labor Day weekend, he plans to head for his cottage with his family, turn his phone off, and just "check out" for 5 days.

In the Q&A that follows, Suggs talks about the Forrest Wood Cup aftermath – how things have changed in his personal and professional life, and the support he's received from his fans and peers.

BassFan: What's the one thing that's changed the most in your life since your Cup win a few weeks ago in Hot Springs, Ark.?

Suggs: My schedule. Before this happened, I knew pretty much what my plans were for the next 2 months. I had my own little schedule laid out. I knew when I was going fun-fishing. I knew when I was going golfing. I knew when I was going hunting. Since this happened, every day there's a new schedule.

I'm having to schedule so far in advance, and I'm having to change my lifestyle so much, because of the demand.

I guess what I'm trying to say is there are people tugging and pulling, and wanting me to be there, and be here. It's something I'm not used to. It's pretty wild. It's pretty fun. And trust me, it's worth a million dollars to be in demand.

What are some of the demands on you, specifically?

A lot of photo shoots, and I've done several live-satellite shows. I've done some radio, and other TV things. I have another chatroom deal. There's constantly something. It's pretty neat.

How about national media? Anything cooking there?

Oh yeah, I've been getting a lot of that. I just got through doing The Best Damn Sports Show Period last week. I've been contacted by several other talk shows, and I'm working on scheduling those. Like I said, I do something every single day.

Have you been fishing lately?

I've been out one time, and I went for only 2 1/2 hours. I'm used to going a minimum of 5 days a week. And I'm so scheduled up now, I'm missing the last two (Eastern) FLW Series events. I'm just so covered up, I have no time to do anything.

Now I see why they automatically qualify you for the next (Bassmaster Classic) in BASS. You get a lot of yourself taken away.

But there's no automatic berth for you in next year's Cup, so you have to qualify again.

There's no automatic for me.

Over the years, there have been a lot of instances of post-championship letdown. Are you worried about having another strong season next year?

That's a good question, and it's already been asked of me. I always felt one of my strongest points was being able to focus so well on the things at hand.

I'll tell you right now that I've already scheduled how to do everything during this winter. I've got quite a bit of time set aside to stay sharp and focused, and fish around here like I do every winter. The plan is not to change too much of anything.

Will you dedicate some of your time to upgrading your sponsor portfolio?

I'm already upgrading. Things are going well with that. There's a lot more to come on that, and I'm going to spend part of my off-season working on it, upgrading it, and just trying to make it better and better.

Everybody knows it and it's nothing out of the ordinary – this is a golden opportunity to get to where everybody dreams of going. To be able to have (a Cup win) on your résumé, and to make money while you can – that's what the sport's about. So I'll pursue it the best way I possibly can to support myself and my family.

Are there any new sponsor deals you can announce?

I'm not sure how many people know about it, but I changed already from Shimano to Berkley, Fenwick and Abu Garcia. That's already done. It happened during the Cup. It was happening before the Cup ever took place – it was going to be a done deal beforehand – but the way the timing worked out, we knew we were all going to be at the Cup and we had it pre-scheduled.

They're great companies. We've been butting heads for years in trying to get together. I can tell you right now that the one thing I'm most looking forward to next year is the way different things like that seem to spark you. I'm so excited about this that I'm ready for next year right now.

Are you with Berkley for baits and line?

No, not line. I'm still with Gamma line.

You won the Cup in your hometown. How about your local notoriety? Are people approaching you more in public now?

I don't think it's any greater than it was before I won. I'd won so many tournaments here in the past at different levels. When I was a little younger I was fishing three to five tournaments a week – that's how I paid for some of my boats and stuff.

But when this (Cup win) happened, it was so big that all these people wanted to make sure they let me know how proud they were. It's just more noticeable now than it was winning a weekend event here and there.

I'm telling you, you can't believe how many people in the state of Arkansas are behind me. It's just amazing. And I really didn't realize it until I got over to the arena and saw all the people at the weigh-in and everything. The phone calls we've received, the tubs of fan mail we've received – it's just absolutely incredible.

How has the reaction been from your peers? Have a lot of the other pros reached out to congratulate you?

My phone's ringing off the wall. Most of them have been through something kind of like this, and the funny thing is, they kind of do it in stages.

Peter T. called me yesterday and said he wanted to give it a few weeks to die a little bit. Same with Marty Stone. It's unbelievable how fired up and excited the BASS guys have been. They're all calling, and showing support. I felt like I was part of a great family over there, and I love those guys.

Some of the first calls I got, the people sitting at home would be appalled to get. The first one who called the morning after was George Cochran, then right after him was Larry Nixon. I think Larry and George were as excited as I was. To get calls like that – it's just been unbelievable.

Even old sponsors called. The first night, when I won, Kevin Luebke (of Mercury Marine) was the first person who called me. That just shows what kind of class this sport has in it. And some of the service guys, like Big Joe from MotorGuide, called. That's just the way the fishing industry is as a whole.

Are you going to watch the Bassmaster Major this week at Dardanelle?

I'm planning on trying to be there. I have a 3-day photo shoot at Ranger that ends on Friday, and I plan on leaving and going straight to the weigh-in at Dardanelle. I'm anxious to go see some of them.

After you won the million, you said you were going to buy your two girls a swimming pool. Is that in yet?

We haven't got it in yet, but we're working on it. We only have another 3 or 4 weeks left in this swimming season. I don't know if we want to tear up the yard and get it all muddy in wintertime. We might wait until April. That's the debate right now.

Notable

> Suggs is currently 115th in the Eastern FLW Series points after two events. He would need to finish in the Top 30 to qualify for the East/West Fish-Off, which will send the winners of those head-to-head matches to the 2008 Cup.