When Shannon Devere was a young boy, he loved fishing outings with his father and uncle-as most young boys would. But for Shannon, the outings went beyond the normal fun that fishing usually holds. He loved being one of the guys, receiving no favors, no stares, no slack.
Devere was born without a left hand. He was fortunate growing up in rural Berea, Ky., where the community is part of an extended family. He never endured much kidding from his classmates, nor did he receive-or expect-special treatment. Still, on the water he has found even more solace and equity. Fish did not know or care who caught them, he says. And young Shannon caught plenty of fish.
“I’ve never felt like I was different, because I was never treated like I was different,” Devere says. “I never think about (not having a left hand) because I’ve never known any difference.”
Devere credits his father with never letting the door of self-pity open-not even a crack. While Devere, whose first name is actually John-after his father-goes by his middle name to avoid confusion, other aspects of his life closely follow his father’s footsteps.
Like his dad, Shannon operates his own construction company. He specializes in home construction, finding most of his work in the nearby college towns of Lexington and Richmond. His father, a mainstay on the Red Man Tournament Trail and other Operation Bass circuits for many years, led his son into competitive bass fishing.
But just like his dad, Devere keeps his fishing goals secondary, instead focusing on providing for his wife, Sheri, and two sons, Andrew and Matthew.
While he believes the absence of a left hand puts no limits on him, Devere remains grounded. “Everybody seems to be trying to make their living fishing,” he observes. “I’ve got a family to raise. I can’t take that chance. But I do love to fish.”
Much like his father, he is passing his love for fishing down to his sons, who accompany him to local ponds in search of bluegill. And like his father and his uncle Mike Devere, he is among the most consistently tough competitors in the Red Man Tournament Trail’s Mountain Division.
Prior to joining his dad and uncle on the tournament scene, Devere, 25, began to carve out a different path, earning a degree in construction technology with a minor in business from Eastern Kentucky University. He hoped to build a career as a chemical engineer before the great outdoors called him away from life in a cubicle.
“I was kind of a nerd,” he says. “I just got tired of studying all of the time and being indoors. It just wasn’t for me.”
But as his business continues to grow, he finds himself fighting those same obstacles, spending more and more time handling the business management end of things rather than being outside hammering nails or fishing. Still, he remains focused on nurturing his business and his family.
“I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and enjoying it,” he says. “I believe you have to be home to be a good father, and I’m not willing to take a chance with my family just to try to fish full-time. I’m not a roll-the-dice kind of guy. I’m just your regular working man trying to make a living.”