By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

If Fabian Rodriguez were still in his 30s when he got his invitation to compete on the Bassmaster Elite Series, he likely would've turned it down, figuring he needed to tend to business at home and wait for another opportunity when he was in a better position to take such a risk. At 50, however, he felt he had to give it a try.

"At my age, it's kind of like you take your shot or you don't get another chance," he said. "I talked with my fishing partner, Jim Short, and he said if my only worry was the financial part, if that was all that was holding me back, don't let it.

"It's the chance of a lifetime and if I turned it down, I was going to regret it."

Rodriguez's opportunity came about when 2015 B.A.S.S. Nation champion Albert Collins declined the slot that's made available to the grassroots organization. Rodriguez, who topped the Mid-Atlantic Division in November at Louisiana's Ouachita River to earn a Classic berth, had just a day and a half in December to make his decision about whether to accept.

The plumbing contractor from the resort town of Ocean City, Md. endured some restless nights during the holiday season after he'd made the commitment to fish at the sport's top level.

"It was hard to sleep and it was pretty much an emotional roller-coaster. I was glad I had my family around is all I've got to say – they helped take my mind off it a little bit.

"I'm happy and excited, but I'm a bit nervous at the same time."

Been Around Some

Rodriguez has an extensive background in the sport. He made his first Federation Divisional way back in 1993 and has competed in a few triple-A events with both B.A.S.S. and FLW, along with a couple of FLW Tour derbies back in the days when the circuit wasn't closed to jackpotters.

"One of the mistakes I made was I only did a short time as a co-angler – I signed up for three tournaments back when B.A.S.S. had the Top 100s," he said. "Right after that, I jumped in as a boater. I probably should've done about 5 years (as a back-seater).

He considers himself a pretty versatile angler. Throwing topwaters and jigs are his strengths and he's fairly proficient with crankbaits.

"Probably my least favorite way to fish is with a Senko or a spinnerbait, but at Nationals I caught everything on a spinnerbait. How I prefer to catch them and the best way to catch them are often two different things."

The Pocomoke River is his home water. It's a tidal fishery, and he's at least somewhat buoyed by the fact that there are three of those on this year's Elite schedule (the St. Johns River in Florida, Winyah Bay in South Carolina and the Potomac River in his home state).

"I've been to Palatka (the St. Johns) once and, of course, I have quite a bit of experience on the Potomac. August is one of the toughest times to fish there, but I'll still have confidence.

"All the other lakes will be new to me."

The primary objective for his debut season will be a modest one.

"I'm not the type who says I'm going to go out and try to win every tournament – that's never been my mindset," he said. "I'm more of a realist.

"As a rookie, I think a good goal would be to requalify (finish among the Top 70 in the points), even though I get a bye for 2017. With the caliber of guys who are out there, even that's not an easy thing to do."

Timing Not Ideal

From a financial perspective, Rodriguez would've been better equipped to step up to the Elite Series 8 or 9 years ago, when his plumbing business was booming right along with the entire building industry. The firm, which is under the direction of Rodriguez, two brothers and their father, once employed as many as 35 workers, but is now down to eight.

He's still in search of a wrap sponsor and has submitted a proposal to his hometown city council, hoping it'll pony up and allow him to promote Ocean City's many vacation attractions that include clean beaches, a 2 1/2-mile boardwalk and superb white marlin fishing.

"That's one of the toughest things that's been thrown in my lap," he said of the wrap-sponsor requirement. "Being a plumber who fishes, I don't have a lot of experience with the marketing side of the sport. It's nothing I'm used to doing, and the worst part is I don't have the time.

"Once I finally get that done, that's when I'll be able to take a deep breath. And then once I start fishing, I can forget about that stuff and start doing what I really want to do."

Notable

> Rodriguez has had very little interaction with Elite pros to this point, but Mike Iaconelli once sang "Happy Birthday" to his son over his cell phone when both were competing in an Open at Lake Champlain. "The best part was that my son was doing a report on Ike's book at the time," he said.

> His current list of sponsors consists of Ranger Boats, Mare Inc. (a Ranger dealership in Thurmont, Md.) St. Croix rods, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Southern Lures Scum Frog, Big Mouth Lures and Reelsnot (a reel and line lubricant) and Blue Water LED.