Back Story: Roland Martin returns

Perhaps you’re a young, aspiring FLW fisherman steeped in bass-fishing history. Since you were a kid, you’ve followed the careers of all the greats of the sport, and maybe you pattern your fishing style after one or more of them. In fact, maybe you’re confident you could hold your own against any of them. Wouldn’t it be cool to have had the chance to fish against some of those heroes and role models from that first generation of professional bass fishing?

No problem, given that the likes of Larry Nixon, George Cochran, Guido Hibdon and Jimmy Houston are regulars on the Walmart FLW Tour. And now another whose name resonates throughout professional bass fishing will join those legends: Roland Martin. Martin, who won his first national tournament title in 1970, has signed on to fish the six Walmart FLW Tour Majors and the Lake Okeechobee Open in 2012.

Martin isn’t a newcomer to the FLW ranks. He fished five seasons with the tour beginning in 1996, but then dropped out of competitive fishing following the 2000 season, which was also the year that Scott won his first FLW tournament (on Mississippi’s Pascagoula River; his father finished sixth). Roland’s best year with the circuit came in 1999, when he placed second in the Angler of the Year standings behind David Walker.

As Martin admits, he’s not out to prove anything by rejoining the Walmart FLW Tour. Numerous tournament victories and Angler of the Year titles speak volumes about his stellar career. He’s a member of every fishing hall of fame and was the first bass pro inducted into the International Game Fish Association hall of fame. Many consider him to be the best bass fisherman to ever cast a lure; without question, taking into account his combined expertise in salt water and fresh water, he is arguably the best all-around fisherman of our time.

As the host of a popular long-running television show, Martin doesn’t need the money or the fame. So why is he coming back? Mainly because he wants to spend some quality time with his son, Scott, on the tournament trail.

“That whole deal with Scott at the Forrest Wood Cup really brought a lump to my throat. That was really something, to see him with so much success,” says Roland, who was in attendance there with his wife Judy. “You might say he inspired me to do this. We’ve talked about it before, but this time I went ahead and signed up.

“Scott and I are going to travel together, so I’ll be spending a year on the road with him. That’s what I’m really looking forward to. I don’t have any axes to grind or any ambition other that to do my best and have a good time with my son.”

By his own admission, Roland Martin isn’t the fisherman he was back in the 70s and 80s when he dominated the sport. He’s an old-fashioned “power fisherman” who loves nothing better than to fish wood cover and weed mats in the backends of coves and pockets with a flipping stick and a jig or craw worm. Of course, he’s versatile and knows how to fish drop-shot rigs and such, but he’d rather burn a bank with a spinnerbait.

“I know I’m in the twilight of my career and I’m not the fisherman I used to be, but I’m still competitive,” notes Martin, who turned 71 last summer. “I’ve been walking and exercising and trying to get back down to 195 pounds. I want to improve my stamina. Tournament fishing is pretty grueling, but it still beats sitting around pining like I’ve been doing for the last few years.”

Martin, like his son, will always give his best in a tournament. And perhaps the trail will be more tolerable for him, knowing that, win or lose, he’s with Scott. Who knows, perhaps father and son will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup?

You might have mixed feelings about Roland Martin. You don’t get to the top and stay there for as long as he did without ticking off some rivals and picking up a few enemies along the way. So be it; he’s got his regrets and doesn’t wish harm to anyone.

Give him credit for this: He paid all his dues to the sport long ago. He could have stayed in the rocking chair and wiled away the hours with his grandchildren. But nobody loves the whole tournament fishing scene more than does Martin; even after all the long years and mileage, nobody feels more affection for the sport than he.

Roland Martin honors tournament fishermen everywhere by his presence in the Walmart FLW Tour ranks.