"I can't fish it," long-time BASSMASTER pro Lendell Martin Jr. said of the 2003 Tour. "I can't wear that patch. I'll have to sit out."
For personal reasons, Martin refuses to endorse alcohol sponsors. So because of ESPN/B.A.S.S.'s requirement that all BASSMASTER Tour pros wear a Busch Angler of the Year patch on their shirts and display a Busch decal on their boats (or accumulate no points), he won't fish the Tour.
"I can't wear that patch," he said again. "I raised my kids not to smoke or drink, and tried to be an example to them. I felt like if I had that patch on I'd have a hard time looking them in the face after all these years of telling them to leave that stuff alone. Not only that, with church and all the people I'm around, I just feel like I can't do it."
He noted that all of his children are grown, and he now has 5 grandchildren (he's 49 years old). "None of my kids drink and none of them smoke, and I think one of the reasons is that they've never seen their daddy do that. That's the problem with kids now," he said. "They're told, 'Don't do this and that,' but they see their moms and dads do it."
Personal Promise
Martin's strong feelings about alcohol don't stem from rhetoric alone. "It basically is religious," he said. "The Lord took alcohol away from me years ago.
"I guess I'll tell you this: at one time I was basically an alcoholic. I asked the Lord to take the booze away from me, and I made a commitment that I'd stand firm for it and I have.
"I will not let something like this change my mind," he said. "I don't think it's standing firm if I wear a beer patch. I'd feel like I was slapping Him in the face and I'm just not going to do it.
"So it's a religious deal and a personal deal."
Believing in Sponsors
Like many pros, Martin also believes strongly in the companies and products he endorses.
"I don't put sponsors on my shirt just because they pay me," he said. "I put them on there because I believe in the products and feel like I can represent them well.
"I don't think I can represent a beer company well because I don't need it. You need to be able to stand for it -- it doesn't matter what it is. For example, Yamamoto Lures is one of my sponsors. I believe they have a great product, one of the best products out there, and that's why I have them for a sponsor."
Curveball
After 15 years as a professional bass angler fishing B.A.S.S. events, Martin said that next year is uncertain. "I don't know what I'll do yet, to tell you the truth. I'm in (Texas Tournament Trail) tournaments and I'm trying to get into the EverStarts. I'll have to start over again.
"Fishing is my job and it's been that way for years," he said. "I guide (hunting) in the winter, but (fishing is) my income. Realistically I'm out of a job right now and I have to figure out what to do.
"All your life you think you know what you're going to do," he said. "I had no intentions of not being involved in B.A.S.S. or the sport. It just happened overnight. (The Busch patch requirement) really threw me a curve. It was an easy decision to make and a hard one too because I thought I'd always be fishing.
"I don't know right now what will happen. I will continue fishing. More than likely I'll try to qualify to get into the FLWs."
No Hard Feelings
"I don't have any hard feelings toward anybody over this," Martin said. "This is something I had to do. A lot of fishermen feel good about (Busch's involvement) and feel it's positive for the sport, but this is something that's me.
"I have no hard feelings toward any of the fishermen. The only way I can stand firm is to make my own decision."
He said he did think about fishing the first six BASSMASTER Tour events without wearing a patch. "But if I went and fished it would sort of be like I was still supporting (Busch). I really thought about that, but got bad vibes about it.
"I'm just one of those people who realized years ago that if you do something, you need to feel good about it. If you don't feel good about it, don't do it. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had the patch on.
"Other guys don't have a problem with it, but I do. The Lord will open other doors for me, I'm sure."
Notable
> Martin has fished 5 BASS Masters Classics, the most recent of which was in 2000 on Lake Michigan.
> He finished the 2002 season ranked 95th in the world.
> He said he hasn't talked with his sponsors yet about his decision. "I'm going to wait until after the first of the year to tell them what I'm doing because I don't know yet. I don't know if I'll be able to get into the EverStarts at the last minute. I haven't heard anything from them. And I will get into the FLWs, but it probably will take me a while." His sponsors are Stanley Jigs, Tracker Boats (Nitro), Yamamoto Lures, All Star rods and Mercury outboards.
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