GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The journalist Tim Tucker brought the outdoors to readers worldwide, and Sunday his fans got to say "Thank you" one more time.
Tucker, who died in July 2007, was awarded the 2008 BASS Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday during the final weigh-in of the Bassmaster Classic. The crowd that packed Greenville's Bi-Lo Arena cheered as Darlene Tucker and her twins, Rachel and Kyle, of Hawthorne, Fla., accepted the award.
Known as a prolific writer, Tucker was also a photographer and consultant to pro anglers. He was a long-time senior writer for Bassmaster Magazine and BASS Times. A regular contributor to scores of newspapers and national-circulation magazines, Tucker was also the author of eight fishing books. He won more than 100 awards for his writing and photography.
"Tim was introduced to the sport of bass fishing about 25 years ago," Darlene Tucker said. "He told me, 'This sport is going to be huge, the next NASCAR.' He felt a passion for the sport, and everything he did was to make the sport better."
SOUTH CAROLINA WOMAN CASTS FOR $50,000
Rebecca Miller of Greenville, S.C., was lucky enough to have her name drawn to be the person selected for the $50,000 Berkley Cast for Cash contest at the Bassmaster Classic - but she missed the target.
The 26-year-old hospital social worker was randomly selected from 14,000 fishing fans in Greenville's Bi-Lo Center to be the sole contestant. She had one chance to cast a practice plug 60 feet into a 12-inch target in the center of the mouth of a 20-foot-tall inflatable figure shaped like a bass leaping out of water.
Miller was given her pick of Berkley rod-and-reel combos to perform the cast. She chose a spincasting outfit, then was coached by 1979 Classic champion Hank Parker in a practice period in a parking lot before making her one cast.
The practice plug - a lure without hooks - fell short of the target. Berkley made sure she didn't go home empty-handed, however. Her consolation prize was several Berkley combos and a big Berkley tackle pack.
PFLUEGER A HOT SPOT
With several Bassmaster Classic contestants fishing the company's products, it's not surprising that Pflueger had one of the most popular booths at the show.
"This has been a very good event for us," said Gary Remensnyder, president of the company.
The company showed off cool new products, and among them was the new 11-bearing Patriarch reel. The wide-spool reel holds seemingly a mile of line, casts a like a dream and is a reasonable $200.