ROGERS - Michael McDonald’s co-angler championship Saturday at the FLW bass tournament at Beaver Lake was a celebration of fishing, a celebration of friendship and a celebration of life.
McDonald brought in four bass in the co-angler division’s final round that weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, for a three-day total of 24-10 to win $25,000 and a trophy.
That’s all that will appear in bass fishing annals, but the story runs much deeper.
McDonald was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2008. He endured 28 radiation therapy treatments, seven months of chemotherapy, and surgery to remove part of his pancreas and spleen. Those procedures left him diabetic.
Faith in God’s grace healed him, McDonald said. Fishing sustained him.
“I never quit fishing,” he said. “I went every week, even when I felt so bad, because I love the outdoors. I feel like I’m awarded to be able to be here. It’s a blessing. It takes my mind off all my medical problems. This has been a big part of my recovery.
“I’m really close with a lot of people in FLW, and it’s a blessing to have them on my side.”
One of his close friends is Matt Arey, his roommate and traveling partner. They were paired together Saturday and dominated the pro and co-angler divisions.
“When I found out I was fishing with him, my first thought was, ‘Oh, no,’ ” Arey said. “We fish so much alike, and he knows all my stuff. I didn’t think it would be productive, but you couldn’t have written a better book.”
“We figured out how to catch them in practice,” McDonald said. “I threw a little jig, green-pumpkin and brown. The fish are moving up to spawn, and we fished deeper transition banks.
“Nobody has figured this out but him.”
McDonald fished with Jimmy Houston in the first round and Larry Nixon in the second round. McDonald caught big fish with those two legends that set him up for his grand finale with Arey.
“I’ve fished 165 events with FLW,” McDonald said. “I’ve won three BFL’s [FLW’s weekend circuit], and I’ve had 23 top-10 finishes. This means more to me than all of those together. This is a major victory for me. I’m 58 years old, and this doesn’t come along very often.
“This is the highlight of my career.”
Cancer made him a better angler, McDonald said, because it forced him to slow down.
“I fish slow and methodical,” he said. “I have to sit down every day in the back of the boat because I get really tired, but I think slowing down has helped my fishing 50 percent.”
There is no pressure in fishing competitively anymore, either.
“I just appreciate it,” McDonald said. “When I catch one, it’s a blessing to me. I talk to the Lord all the time when I’m on the lake, and I thank him for every fish I catch.
“I don’t ever get nervous anymore. I’ve been through a very traumatic thing. This isn’t stressful at all. This is just fun.”
Sports, Pages 38 on 04/13/2014