It’s funny how sad news can make you think about positive things. I was fun fishing on Lake Tenkiller the day that Ken Cook passed away. We were out of cell phone range for much of the day, and the friend who gave me the news had been trying to reach me for a couple of hours.
When I got back into range and I finally received a call, it just changed the whole mood of the day.
It felt like something was gone.
I stopped fishing, sat down and started thinking about what I should do in the future.
That might seem kind of strange since I can’t say that I was close friends with Ken. But I can say that he was one of the guys I idolized when I was growing up and learning about the sport of bass fishing.
Ken got out of professional fishing right about the time I was getting into it, so our paths never crossed a lot, but I’ve come to appreciate his huge contribution to the sport that allows me to earn a living and support my family.
A lot of things have impressed me about Ken, but one of the character traits I appreciated the most was how down-to-earth he was. For a Bassmaster Classic champion and an icon of the sport, he was a good example of how you can be successful and still treat people well.
Last summer, out of the clear blue, the phone rings and when I pick it up, I hear: “Jason, this is Ken Cook. I need to talk to you about electronics.”
It was just a good ol’ boy conversation. He didn’t act like he knew everything and after we discussed the electronics, we spent 30 minutes just talking about fishing; what he was doing, what I was doing.
That’s what has always made guys like Ken Cook so popular — they don’t act like they’re above anyone. That’s what made him so likable.
I think that’s what a professional fisherman should be like. You’re supposed to be approachable.
In this area, as well as the fishing side, Ken Cook influenced my fishing career even though we weren’t close.
When I was growing up, he was part of a group of guys that were the examples of what I wanted to be. Him, Denny Brauer, Larry Nixon — I watched them on TV and wanted to be like them.
Those guys have shared a ton of knowledge and insight with folks who want to know how to fish. I find that motivational, because passing on what we’ve learned and talking to fans is how our sport grows.
That’s especially true with kids. The day we pros stop encouraging kids to get involved, we can expect to see a decline in participation.
Kids today have so many other options that we have to keep telling them about guys like Ken Cook and what the tradition of this sport means.
Realistically, about 95 percent of them won’t become professional anglers, but they’ll be the guys and gals who fish on the weekends and take their kids fishing. They’re just as important to the sport.
All of us professional fishermen must do our part to keep the sport going. I want it to be around long after I’m gone, so we have a responsibility to keep giving these kids a positive influence on how the sport should be.
For those who do want to consider a career in professional fishing, I think the biggest thing is that you have to do it the right way. There really is a “right way” – that’s hard work with a family-oriented approach.
If a young angler has a question on what is the right way, I’d tell them to just look at the life of Ken Cook.
One of the biggest things I always appreciated about what I knew of Ken was how he involved his family. I try to keep my family as involved as possible. I think that’s what we all should do – family first and then fishing after that.
Speaking of family, nothing would please me more than to share a Bassmaster Classic win with mine. Winning this year in my home state would mean everything under the sun to me.
That would be a great honor, but everybody has to understand that there’s a stout field of anglers on a really good fishery. Just because I’m a local doesn’t mean I have a better chance than anyone else; I just have to do it better than anyone else.
I just have to do it the Ken Cook way.