A Day on the Water With...

Now everyone knows. My friend, Mark Ingram (pictured above at the helm of his Nitro bass boat, with his 18-year-old son, Colton, riding along during an event I photographed some time ago), is the angler I asked to kick off this new series on my blog. He graciously accepted my invitation and proved to be an equally gracious host yesterday, as we tested the waters in both West Neck and Pocaty. Although I originally envisioned spending my day just taking notes and shooting some pictures during my interview with Mark, he insisted that I bring along a couple rods, and I happily obliged. As it worked out, I was able to get everything I needed for this story and do a little fishing, too. The way I see things: That's one of those always welcome win-win situations.

The 51-year-old Mark is a husband, father and grandfather. Besides son, Colton, Mark and his wife, Bonnie, have two daughters: 15-year-old Isabelle and 28-year-old Tara, who is mother to her parents' only grandbaby so far, Ella.

A native of Norfolk, VA, Mark has fond recollections of his youth, especially spending the summers with his late-dad, a retired Navy master chief machinist's mate at the time. The senior Ingram lived at a marina on the James River in Williamsburg, VA, and when Mark visited, his dad obtained weekly fishing passes for him. "I fished all day every day, only coming home to eat," said Mark, who also shared the story about when he caught his first bass. It was during one of those summer visits with his dad.

"I was 7 or 8 at the time," Mark explained, "when I caught this fish I couldn't identify. It weighed about 2 lbs. I ran around holding it up, asking everyone what it was until someone finally told me it was a bass. Back in those days, I didn't care what I caught; I just liked to fish."

The rest of the time, Mark lived with his late-mom, who owned and operated a hat shop in Granby Mall. He graduated from Norfolk's Brewbaker Academy--"in a class of only 48," he added. Shortly thereafter, he set out to learn life's lessons as a roadie, traveling on tour with different bands.

A farrier by trade today, Mark told me he got seriously hooked on bass fishing about 10 years ago, when he started entering tournaments--"and I've been serious ever since," he noted. Competition, though, has been in his blood a long time. To wit: He used to enter a lot of different horseshoing competitions.

When asked what his biggest bass to date is, Mark was quick to tell me he caught one from a local private pond about five or six years ago that had to have weighed about 8-6 (see photo at right). He didn't have any means to weigh this fish at the time, but using the length-and-girth-measurements formula, he came up with that approximate figure.

He also proudly points to another bass that tipped the scales at 7 lbs. (see photo at left), one which he caught a few years back in Albright's Creek--and to think that y'all have the nerve to keep asking me why I spend so darn much time down there during the spring and summer. Don't reckon I'll have to explain myself ever again, huh? After all, I know Mark is a catch-and-release man, so I'm still on the prowl to "catch this one another day," as they always say. Good golly! Now I'm a poet and didn't even know it.

Only joking around with those comments, folks, so please forgive me. I'm just trying to keep the mood light--like I feel pretty sure Mark would want it. By the way, for the benefit of anyone who thinks you can't catch fish in the rain, take note that Mark caught this fish in what appears to have been a drenching downpour. To say he's wet would be an understatement--on that, I think we all would agree.

"Do you have any aspirations to turn pro?" When I asked Mark that question, he simply turned to me, grinned, and responded, "Doesn't everyone?" He went on to explain, though, that he's realistic about his chances. "Given my age, and the fact I once had some serious back surgery (including some metal rods and a fusion procedure), I know my odds aren't very good." That realization, however, in no way affects his passion for the sport, and he takes advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to spend time on the water, trying to improve his skills. And if there's a little competition involved, so much the better.

Take yesterday, for example. Granted, I had asked Mark when it would be convenient for him to go fishing , so I could glean the information and photos I needed for this story, but as luck would have it, there was a Goody's Big Bass Tournament yesterday out of West Neck, and Mark's competitive drive quickly kicked into overdrive. Both of us tossed a few bucks in a pot for the chance of bringing the biggest fish to the scales. I realized my odds--at best--were a long shot, but it was a whole different ballgame for Mark.

I watched him methodically pick the water apart for seven hours with all kinds of baits, including a Pop R (once the sun had been out a spell), some jigs, a spinnerbait, different soft plastics, and an array of crankbaits, looking for a big bass. Among the crankbaits I saw him throw yesterday was a Spro Crank 25, which had me mesmerized by the way it E-V-E-R so slowly rises when you pause the retrieve--and, wouldn't you know, they don't even make the lure any more. Just my luck! His most productive lure yesterday, however, was another crankbait--a Bomber Square A in lemon lime, a color that, as I reminded him, has to date failed to put a fish in the boat for me. He ended up with four fish, including two keepers and two dinks, and he also missed a couple, but he was totally engaged in what he was doing the whole time.

He refers to himself as a "junk fisherman," but the way I see it, Mark is considerably better than that. He's driven to excel, and that never was more evidenced than weekend before last when he and his partner won their club's annual Classic, two-day tournament on Chickahominy River with more than 14 lbs. total weight.

In an effort to further improve himself, Mark has decided to fish the 2014 regional tournaments as a boater, rather than as a backseater for another year. His brother-in-law has agreed to hold down the backseat of his Nitro for him, and I look forward to following their numbers.

Mark explained that he and his brother-in-law think a whole lot alike when it comes to bass fishing--to the point that they often reach for the same bait at the same time, without ever saying a word to each other. Sounds like a good partnership in the making to me, and I wish both of them well. Tight Lines!

Incidentally, Mark, thanks for the ride yesterday. I enjoyed every minute of it. You're truly a gentleman, a scholar, and one heckuva bass fisherman.