Fishing Legend Tom Mann

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BASS FISHING LOOSES A LEGEND
…TOM MANN DEAD AT 72
by Steve McCadams
www.stevemccadams.com
February 18th, 2005

Bass fishing lost one of its pioneer anglers last weekend. Alabama’s Tom Mann passed away at the age of 72. A few days before Mann had undergone his second open-heart surgery.
Credited with discovering and manufacturing the famous “Mann’s Jelly Worm”, the legendary angler and entrepreneur started Mann's Bait Company in 1958. The business grew into a multimillion-dollar company when he sold it in 1979.

In addition to the famous jelly worms he molded a piece of lead and attached a treble hook and spinner to it for casting deep depths where big bass resided in summer months. It was 1960 while Mann was a conservation officer in Alabama.

It would later take on the name “Little George”. The lure sold by the millions and Mann named it after then Alabama Governor George Wallace.

Riding his popular name, Allied Sports Company asked Mann to endorse its new flashing depth finder. The marriage was good for both parties as Tom Mann’s “Hummingbird” depth sounder hit the market and sold like hotcakes.

The company later took on the name Hummingbird and still operates today, although Mann sold out in 1979. A year or so later the company made history with the introduction of the Liquid Crystal Recorder (LCR) and its first unit was the Hummingbird 4-ID.

Mann was perhaps the first one to use “scented” baits in mass production as his variety of plastic worms were packaged in different colors with such fragrances as blueberry, strawberry, and watermelon, just to name a few.

    Those of us old enough to remember those days may recall opening up a tackle box filled with packages of his baits that sent an aroma thrusting through the air. The whole boat would smell like a flower shop.
    A true southerner with quite a sense of humor, Mann was often asked if the bass could really detect the different scents he used on his lures. With a sheepish grin he frequently replied that bass weren’t the ones coming in the stores and buying the lures off the shelf! He discovered early on that you have to catch the fishermen as well as the fish and he used the marketing concept quite well.
    He started out as a fishing guide on Lake Eufaula, a reservoir that quickly gained a reputation for growing big largemouth. His accolades as a successful guide served as a stepping-stone to both the lure business and fame on what would soon become a national tournament trail for competitive anglers, the Bass Anglers Sportsmen’s Society (B.A.S.S.).

For a southern boy wanting to make a living in the fishing arena, the timing couldn’t have been any better. He arrived on the scene in the infancy of tournament fishing and the exposure in newspapers and magazines made his name synonymous with the sport.

He showed legions of anglers that you could indeed, have fun and make a living fishing. Needless to say, he was the envy of thousands who dreamed of having the life he had.

A two-time B.A.S.S. Tournament winner, Mann was a consistent top contender for 17 years, competed in the first seven Bassmaster Classic Tournaments and was named the Pro's Pro by his peers before retiring in 1984.

While most of the early bass anglers were tossing heavy bait casting tackle, Mann was one of the few who used spinning rods and reels. He endorsed Zebco reels for many years.
Tom Mann Outdoors was broadcast on ESPN, TNN, Sports Southern, the Sunshine Network, The Outdoor Channel and most recently, Tom and Tina Outdoors with co-host Tina Booker on the Sportsman Channel.

I was fortunate to appear on his show in years past when he visited Kentucky Lake. Prior to that I met the fishing legend several times in the mid 1970’s at the Great Lakes of the South Outdoor Show at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium where his Hummingbird booth was displayed adjacent to the Buchanan Resort booth.

He was quite a character and his dark complexion and Indian blood, combined with a tall frame and handsome physique, made him look like a movie star. It seemed everyone wanted to meet him and share a fishing tale or two.

It was quite an honor to appear on his show and meet him through the years at various events. We swapped several tales and every time I saw him, whether at a distant outdoor show up north somewhere or at some media event he always called me “crappie man” and asked how the fish were doing.

It kind of made a young boy feel good, if you know what I mean.

    Mann returned to Kentucky Lake several times over the years both on the tournament trail and during the heyday of the Fish Formula Leukemia benefit bass tournament here at Paris Landing.
    Tom Mann's Fish World on U.S. Highway 431 sported a large aquarium and was a popular tourist attraction until it closed in 2003.
    Mann was inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame and served on the advisory board of the Bass Angler Sportsman Society.

He was a dandy who helped chart the waters for many of today’s professional bass fishermen. A lot of guys took their hats off this week and saluted the bass fishing icon. And, rightfully so.

Steve McCadams is a professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area. He has also contributed many outdoor oriented articles to various national publications.

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