The Memphis, TN teenager came in on day 1 with a 3-pound 5-ounce bass, while his partner, Bob Branson of Springfield, MO, had only a 13-ounce catch to show for his efforts that cold November day.
According to newspaper reports, Bill Dance was leading after the first day, with Roland Martin in second, Tom Mann in fourth, and Shorty Evans tied with Johnny Morris in 13th place. Zell was in 20th after the first day but failed to cash a check at the event. And, unfortunately, there are no records available that show where Rowland ultimately ended up.
B.A.S.S. changed the rules right after this event and enforced an age limit for anglers, who now had to be over the age of 16 to compete. This means Rowland could have competed in 1973 as a 16-year-old, but his name doesn't show up in the bassmaster.com database until the 1979 Alabama Invitational. At that time, he would have been roughly 22 years old.
In the years since, Rowland has gone on to become a legendary fisherman...one who always has a legendary bait at his side. That bait, of course, is a popper.
Most anglers are familiar with the story of the Rebel Pop-R and how Zell would sand the bait down to create a unique sound...a "spit," as he calls it. He'd shave the lure millimeter by millimeter until it had just the right look--a more oval head, a more pointed tail, a smaller bait overall.
Some, however, might be less familiar with the story of Booyah's Boss Pop, a lure carried over from the Excalibur brand that brings with it Zell's own personal touch. It started as an accident.
Said Rowland, "I accidentally shaved too much off the face of a Pop-R, and it made the mouth of the bait flatter than I wanted it to be. I tried it out anyway, though, and found that the bass ate it just as good, if not better than the Pop-R. That's how the Boss Pop was born.
"The best time for Boss Pop action is just after the spawn, or when shad themselves are spawning," continued Rowland. "It's also good in the summer, when you find bass in the back ends of creeks. If you see shad flickering on the surface, the Boss Pop will catch them," he said.
The biggest fish Rowland has caught to date on the Boss Pop weighed 10.5 pounds. Right after that, however, he hooked a much larger fish, but it straightened the hooks.
A reporter once asked Rowland what was the worst moment in all of his tournament fishing. He responded by saying it probably was the final round of the 1982 B.A.S.S. North Carolina Invitational at Albemarle Sound, near Elizabeth City. He was fishing from an Eldorcraft bass boat and was making a 20-mile run to his fishing area each day. He and his partner had found the fish biting particularly well on the last day.
"By 8:30," said Rowland, "I had 25 pounds in the livewell. I felt like I had the tournament won at that point, but they were biting so good that we stayed and fished right up until the last minute. My partner had more than 20 pounds, too.
"On the way back to weigh-in, the hull on the boat delaminated, and it filled with water. It was only four feet deep, and the boat went down to the gunnel. I was able to idle over to a boat ramp and get help, but we didn't make it to weigh-in. By the time we got back, it was over. I would have won by more than eight pounds.
"I'll never forget seeing Forrest Wood standing there when I got in. When I told him what had happened, he told me it sounded like I needed to get in a Ranger. I fished out of one for the next 18 years."
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