Tennesee’s Wild Side Weekly Pro Staff

David Gnewikow

I guess I’m not your average tournament bass fisherman. My passion for fishing began has a young child. My dad always had a bass boat and we went fishing about 10 times a year. I can still remember sitting in middle school at 11:30 on a Friday waiting for Dad to come “check me out” for an “out-of-town trip” at noon. The minutes seemed to drag on and on. So far the story is not that different from the average individual, but it was when I was in graduate school working on my Ph.D. in Audiology at Vanderbilt University, that I really got started fishing bass tournaments. I guess a Ph.D. tournament bass fisherman is probably not the norm, but it is a dichotomy that suites me well. In many ways I look at tournament fishing the same way I look at a scientific problem that requires research to solve. I can’t seem to gather enough data to quench my thirst for knowledge about bass and what makes them do the things they do. Everyday on the water is a data gathering mission for me. I hope with a little more experience, to continue to put my scientific background to the task of figuring out how to find and catch bass and hopefully win a few tournaments along the way.

I am 31 years old. I have been married for 10 years to my wife Melanie. We have two kids, Millie (5) and Dawson (3). I love spending time with my family and it is often hard to balance my job, my love for fishing and my love for family. They are extremely supportive and I could not be successful without them. As a family we enjoy going to church, hanging out at home, and, of course, going to the lake for some swimming, boating, and fishing.

I have been fortunate to have achieved success in tournament fishing at the regional level in a relatively short period of time. The accomplishments I am most proud of include: qualifying for the BFL All-American 2 out of the last 3 years, winning the BFL Regional Tournament on Kerr Lake in October 2005, winning the points championship in the Professional Bass Fishermen team trail in 2005 with my partner Jason Sain (we finished 2nd, 3rd, and 5th in the previous three years) and several other tournament victories over the past few years. I consider off-shore ledge fishing as my primary fishing strength and patterning pre-spawn fish as my biggest weakness. I guess that’s why summer and fall are my favorite times to be on the water.

God has truly blessed me with a great family, education, and a passion for catching fish. I pray that my successes and failures will bring Him the glory.