Some fish for fun. Others, like Seymour’s Derick Pendleton, fish for large prize pools.
Fishing began as a hobby for Pendleton. It was something he enjoyed that he was able to do with his father, but he always considered himself more of a hunter.
“It was something I enjoyed, but I was much more into hunting at the time,” he said.
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Eventually, after fishing so much, he developed a passion for it and now currently prefers it to hunting.
“Over the past eight or nine years, I’ve been dominantly fishing over hunting,” he said.
Pendleton eventually was asked by a friend to join a local fishing group called Hoosier Hawg Hunters. The group is based in Seymour and allows members to compete in tournaments, not only against each other but at the state and national level.
Pendleton was drawn by his competitive nature to join the group.
“I like to be competitive. I’m very competitive,” he said.
After doing well within his club, Pendleton began competing in tournaments conducted by the Indiana Bass Federation. Those span the entire state and feature larger pools of competitors.
Pendleton also found success there, which led to him competing at the national level.
In 2019, he competed in The Bass Federation’s national semifinal tournament and placed second. That qualified him for the national championship tournament held from March 9 to 14 in Grove, Oklahoma.
Pendleton competed in the tournament’s co-angler division, where he maintained a lead throughout the entire tournament and ultimately took home the first-place prize.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “The first day of the tournament was my birthday, and on my birthday, I weighed in 20 pounds, heaviest bag of the tournament. Boater and co-angler, nobody had a bigger weight than I had on the first day.”
Solid preparation and support from friends, family and sponsors were key to his success, he said.
“I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to throw. I already knew what I was going to throw if the conditions were right. I prepared well,” he said. “Without the support of my sponsors, it would be much more difficult to do this. I had a lot of people pulling for me, and that was a confidence booster for me to keep my head down and grind. That’s what I did.”
His $33,000 in winnings was split between $20,000 cash, a $500 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s gift card, a Power-Pole certificate, a Minn Kota trolling motor, a clothing package and entry into the Fishing League Worldwide Series Championship with the top prize of $30,000.
Pendleton has big plans for his cash winnings.
“I’m going to buy me a vehicle and a good down payment on a house,” he said.
Pendleton said his current vehicle has more than 240,000 miles on it, so he will be looking to get a new truck. He also said he currently is staying at his parents’ house, which is why he’s looking to make a down payment on a home of his own.
Next, Pendleton will compete in the 2020 Bass Fishing League All-American Tournament. The top prize is $50,000 plus $5,000 of paid entry fees into the affiliated circuit of his choice.
He closed by showing appreciation to his fellow members of Hoosier Hawg Hunters.
“They’re like my brothers, and they mean a lot to me because they’ve been with me since Day 1,” he said. “Without those guys, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”