By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

For all Charlie Evans has seen and been a part of over the past 30 years in the world of bass fishing, he says he’s now having more fun than ever as a competitor on the pro side of the FLW Tour.

He’s seen the sport go through all of its growing pains from all different angles, mostly on the administrative or executive side, but his worries nowadays center mostly on filling his livewell in tournaments – a challenge the 65-year-old relishes.

At a recent media gathering in Alabama where Garmin showcased some of its newest product innovations, Evans was among the pros on hand to answer questions and cast a line or two. More so, he looked the part of a grown man living out his dream of being able to pursue his passion.

“I enjoy everything in and about this sport,” Evans said.

Seen It All

Evans was there when Mike Whitaker launched the Redman trail in 1983 and has been a fixture in the sport ever since.

He was there when Irwin Jacobs purchased Ranger Boats and later launched FLW Outdoors as a means to market the boats to a broader angling audience.

“The sport would look a lot different today if not for Irwin saying 'this is how I can sell boats,''' Evans said.

He was there when wrapped boats and bright logos invited more corporate sponsor involvement from outside the fishing industry, namely Walmart.

“Give Irwin credit for convincing Walmart to get involved in 1997,” Evans said. “It opened up a lot of opportunities for their vendors.

“One thing people have different opinions on Irwin is that he realized really quick that if you’re going to sell boats – in his case do it through tournament angling – that TV would be the key. At the time, B.A.S.S. had TV, but it was just covering the tournaments. Irwin figured out how to have tournaments designed for TV rather than having TV coverage designed around the tournament.”

Evans was there for it all.

He started his FLW tenure as vice president (Whitaker was president) and ran the first FLW Tournament in January 1996 that was won by Mike Surman. After Whitaker’s depature, Evans rose to executive VP under Charlie Hoover. He was subsequently promoted to the president and chief executive post.

As part of the gig, Evans also took on the role of weigh-in emcee and TV host. Not only was he the head of the organization, the one who called the shots, he suddenly had to be the organization’s front window and engaging personality who drew people in.

For years, he lived for the drama, the emotional ebbs and flows that are inherent to bass fishing. He saw them up close at weigh-ins, mostly under the strobes and spotlights on stage. He was the one with the mic, eliciting the best info he could from the competitors in the heat of the moment.

“From the TV side of it when you’re wearing the ear bug and the producer’s talking to you, the producers love those lows,” Evans said. “The emotions that are shown is something they love for television. My job was to rub salt in the wound about what’d just happened. I know it was probably the last thing someone having a low wants to happen.”

His role as tournament weigh-in emcee was only supposed to be a short-term gig, but the longer he did it, the more he enjoyed it.

“We decided we needed someone hip up there, so I was just temporary while we’re looking for somebody,” he said. “They basically told me, ‘Charlie, you do this.’ I enjoyed it. I’d already done a lot of weigh-ins over the years so it wasn’t like it was a big stretch for me.

“Working with Tommy Sanders is the greatest school you can go to in order to do that job. He’s the benchmark in this sport. I learned a lot of from him and (Jerry) McKinnis and it was something I enjoyed doing.”

Paid His Dues

Evans didn’t stay out of the game for long after leaving his post as FLW president in August 2010.

“It’s part of the sport,” he said of his disappointment about the end of his tenure. “I don’t care how long you’re in it. You’re going have some crow served to you. It’s never tasted good, but you’re going to get it sooner or later. If your ego isn’t set up for low points, this is not the sport for you, but the highs make up for it.”

He got his first taste of tour-level competition as a co-angler during the 2011 season. He called it an incredible learning experience that convinced him to stay involved in tournaments, only this time as a competitor.

“I’d been around the sport and knew that to be on the pro side and be anything more than a bottom dweller, you needed to have your stuff together,” he said. “There are a few groups of pros now. You have the savvy old veterans like Larry Nixon and Rick Clunn, guys who have been to every body of water 37,000 times and are still sharp. Then you have the young guns, who are sharp and young and do their research and are tremendous with their electronics and mapping. Those are the Brent Ehrlers of the world.”

He tried to be a sponge in the back of the boat that first season, making note of any little tactics or tricks his pro would use to catch fish in a variety of situations. He fished 10 Tour events (six Majors, four Opens), made a check in nine of them and qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup, where he finished 25th. More than anything, he relished the chance to share the boat with 20 different pros.

“I did a lot of question-asking, but not particularly about what they were fishing, but about their philosophies and tactics,” he said. “It gave me chance to figure out if I belonged. I knew I wouldn’t be a major threat, but knew I wouldn’t finish dead last or zero. I’m a competitive individual. I love the competition and always have.”

He finished 9th in co-angler points in 2011 and earned an invite to fish as a pro the following year.

“I had the age of the grizzled veteran, but I didn’t have the experience or quality tournament experience,” he said. “In this sport, you have to be willing to set aside your ego. My ego got stroked by titles and TV.”

Now in his fourth year as a pro, he has one Top-10 finish (Beaver Lake in 2012) and has cashed checks in two of the four events so far this season.

“I’ve had my ups and downs like everybody else,” he said. “These guys are really, really good. What amazes me is how fast they adapt to changes at this level. Back when I was fishing clubs back home, we’d say, ‘I bet we can beat Roland (Martin) or Bill (Dance) on our home lake.’ Then I got to see these guys up close and I thought, ‘No, you wouldn’t, and it’s because they’re that good.’”

Notable

Evans is working on a book about his time spent in the fishing industry. He started it in October 2010, a few months after his departure from FLW’s executive team, but took a break from writing. He’s hoping to finish it soon. “There are a lot of things I know about the origins of (FLW) and the evolution of the sport that I think somebody ought to get down so we don’t lose it,” he said. “As years go by, people need to understand why we have two organizations rather than one and how they’ve both evolved. It’s been such a great journey and I want to share it with some people.”