Harmoun, ‘Bass Professor,’ leaves lasting fishing legacy

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Doug Hannon, 66, a preeminent name in bass fishing known as “The Bass Professor,” died March 28 in Florida.

Hannon’s name appeared in this space last week in a pre-review of his unique WaveSpin spinning reel. That’s just one of many innovations that Hannon brought to fishing. He also invented the weedless trolling motor blade, which is now standard equipment for millions of anglers.

“Hannon Moon Times” was a staple in newspapers and magazines for decades. Many anglers use his “Moon Clock,” a pocket moon guide that is similar to the old proportion wheels that newspaper editors once used to size photographs for publication.

His latest invention was the MicroWave Line Control System, an innovative guide train for fishing rods. Supposedly, it reduces line friction and vibration, allowing you to cast farther and more accurately. It is not yet prominent in the marketplace, but you can see it at wavespinreel.com.

Inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2000, Hannon was one of Outdoor Life’s 25, a distinction it gave to 25 people whose achievement has had the “greatest positive influence” on hunting and fishing. Among anglers, he achieved near mythical status for catching and releasing more than 800 largemouth bass that weighed at least 10 pounds.

Dave Precht, editor of Bassmaster magazine from 1984-2003, helped establish Hannon nationally as a bass fishing authority. In fact, Bassmaster originally dubbed him the “Bass Professor.”

“He was a unique individual who was totally consumed with bass,” Precht said. “He was one of the most passionate fishermen and students of the sport I have ever known. He was in dozens of stories in Bassmaster over the years. He approached the sport from almost a scientific angle, like filming bass with scuba gear to see how they behaved and how lures worked.

“He was a great guy, and there’s a great void in the sport with him gone.”FISHING REVERIE

Whit Light of the Nixon and Light Law Firm shared some reflections from a recent fishing trip he took on the upper Ouachita River.

Light hoped to catch some walleyes or stripers in the skinny waters above Lake Ouachita. He was a little late for that, but he reported that he had fun catching big white bass. He did it the right way, renting a cabin on the river so he could fish at his leisure. The place he stayed was secluded, and he saw no other anglers or boaters. At night, he said the stargazing was magnificent.

“Since I was by myself, I chose to just wade fish, as it was easy and productive,” Light said. “I caught about 10 to 12 white bass - and lost about 3 or 4 - most approximately 1 to 2 pounds, caught in the slackwater on the resort side of the whitewater.”

My favorite place to fish on the upper Ouachita is atthe site of the old low-water bridge at Sims. I enjoyed three of the most spectacular days of smallmouth bass fishing ever at that spot in 1995. I caught 35 smallmouths in one afternoon, and then caught about 20 the next day. On the third day I caught only one, but it weighed about 4 pounds.

The hydraulics of that spot changed when the state highway department removed the low-water bridge and replaced it with a modern span. The fishing has never been the same, but Light gave it a try. He said he was disgusted to find the place defiled with 60-70 beer cans (all of them the same off-brand).

He found something else that I had never seen, a grave above the fishing area with a simple stone that reads, “As you wished, Daddy.”

“I intend to clean that site up the next time I go there, which I hope will be in the next month or so,” Light said.

Light also spent a couple of hours fishing and reading at the Dragover Access, one of the float camps that Montgomery County maintains.

He finished up in style, with a country breakfast at the Mt. Ida Cafe.

“My eggs were cooked to order, and the sausage was quality, both critical elements of a successful breakfast stop ‘post woods’ for me,” Light said. “The waitress was friendly and sincere, and she kept my coffee hot. There was a table of men and women playing some sort of game after their meal. Kind of a sense of community that was nice, and not much seen anymore.”

Counselor Light made a persuasive argument for visiting this part of the Ouachita. I do believe a trip of my own is soon in order.

Sports, Pages 18 on 04/04/2013