Davis showing he still belongs

Following a poor performance in the Bassmaster Classic in February, Mark Davis of Mount Ida has gone on a run, finishing in the top 10 in four consecutive tournaments.
Following a poor performance in the Bassmaster Classic in February, Mark Davis of Mount Ida has gone on a run, finishing in the top 10 in four consecutive tournaments.

By his own admission, Mark Davis has a lot to prove at the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament this weekend at Lake Dardanelle.

The longtime pro bass fisherman from Mount Ida wants to prove he can compete with a new generation of young anglers who have come to prominence, as well as his prominent contemporaries. He wants to prove that he is still relevant. That he really is elite.

Bassmaster Elite Series

WHEN Today through Sunday

WHERE Lake Dardanelle

TOP PRIZE $100,000

FIELD 108 anglers

ARKANSANS COMPETING Mark Davis (Mount Ida), Mike McClelland (Bella Vista), Stephen Browning (Hot Springs), Billy McCaghren (Mayflower), Kevin Short (Mayflower) and Scott Rook (Little Rock).

DAILY WEIGH-INS 3:15 p.m. at Lake Dardanelle State Park

He'll have to do it against a field of 108 anglers competing for a $100,000 top prize when the tournament kicks off today. It's a group that includes fellow Arkansans Mike McClelland of Bella Vista, who won the Elite Series tournament April 6 on Table Rock Lake, Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Billy McCaghren of Mayflower, Kevin Short of Mayflower and Scott Rook of Little Rock.

Davis, 50, was once the cream of the Bassmaster elite. He won the Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Angler of the Year in 1995, a feat which wasn't repeated until Kevin VanDam did it in 2010. He also won Angler of the Year in 1998 and 2001. BASS used to have a series of tournaments called the Elite 50, and Davis so dominated those events that his nickname was E-5-0.

Somewhere between here and there, Davis lost his way. His passion for fishing dimmed. He lost his competitive edge, and he quietly slipped out of sight, out of mind.

"I almost won a tournament at the end of last year but didn't," Davis said. "I thought I was going to do well at the Classic at Guntersville [Ala.] but didn't. A few members of the media singled me out and said I can't cut it with these young kids.

"You get two or three guys making remarks like that and it kind of ruffles your feathers a little bit. It makes you want to prove them wrong."

After finishing 43rd in the Bassmaster Classic in February, he's roared through the regular season with one of the best runs in recent history. He has finished in the top 10 in four consecutive tournaments and has built a plush lead in the race for Angler of the Year race.

"Every one of us has to prove ourselves," Davis said. "Nobody really remembers what you did last year or 10 years ago. That's all part of competition, and that's what I like about fishing. A good finish here, I would feel like I'll be on my way."

It seems like Davis has always had to work a little harder to earn respect. Early in his career he was best known for his weight, which at one point ballooned to about 390 pounds. Ray Scott, founder of BASS and longtime Bassmaster tournament emcee, made it a long-running comedy routine at weigh-ins.

Davis eventually got his weight under control in the mid-1990s, losing approximately 150 pounds, and it was long before the fishing honors followed. His run from 1995-2001 is among the greatest. He left BASS in 2005 and spent a few years fishing the FLW Tour. He has been competitive in his return with BASS, but he's gone largely unnoticed.

"I was guilty of this so I can say this: If you let fishing become just a job, you lose passion and it gets to be something you have to do to make a living," Davis said. "You've got to keep yourself motivated. You've got to stay current with the sport.

"Techniques change. Trends change. You've got to try new things."

Davis said winning a fourth Angler of the Year title would be the sweetest considering what stage he is at in his career.

"I think it would be far sweeter than it was the other times I held it," Davis said. "There's a lot of people that kind of forgot about me. I've gotten along. I've been doing OK. I make the Classic and make a living and all that, but I haven't been a front-runner.

"To go ahead and finish it out with the Angler of the Year title, it would really be special."

Sports on 05/15/2014

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