BASS REPORT: Goldston finds himself living the angler's dream at FWC
NEW Aug. 1, 2009 / 10:30 a.m. EST

PITTSBURGH, Penn. - “Starstruck” might be a strong word, but as Tommie Goldston stands on the floor of Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Penn., site of the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup, that’s the only word the Gardnerville, NV angler can come up with.

“Absolutely starstruck,” Goldston repeats. “I can’t believe I’m here, I can’t believe I’m doing what I’m doing … I just can’t believe any of this.”

“This”, for those of you who don’t follow professional bass fishing, is the World Series, Tour de France and US Open of the fishing world, all rolled into one dazzling display of lights, smoke, sound, and Jumbotron video. A total prize pool of $2 million is on the line. Thousands of people from western Pennsylvania – and, for that matter, throughout the country – will file into the same arena in which the Stanley Cup currently resides, where, on Saturday and Sunday, they’ll boisterously cheer the weighing of fish.

And Goldston, a quiet, unassuming roofing contractor from west-central Nevada, will be right in the middle of it, alongside the mega-superstars of the bass-fishing world.

“Look over there … that’s Mike Iaconelli,” Goldston points to the weigh-in stage, where the sport’s most identifiable personality stands. “Look, there’s Larry Nixon … I fished with Larry Nixon yesterday! Larry Nixon? Are you kidding me? I pre-fished with David Fritts. Can you believe it? I have David Fritts’ number on my cel.”

The father-and-son beginnings: Goldston’s sincere appreciation for the position he finds himself in – second place entering Day 3 of competition, the last day for the Forrest Wood Cup’s co-angler competition – is both refreshing and heartwarming. He’s a lifelong angler, but he’s only been competing in regional bass tournaments for three years. And, the only reason why he started to compete in the first place was so he could share the experience with his 23-year-old son Denny.

“I just wanted to have that experience with my son,” Goldston says. “He told me ‘Dad, we ought to buy a boat,’, and I told him that, if he could find a boat for under $8,000 we’d go for it. So he got on the internet, and I’ll be damned if he didn’t find a boat in Amarillo, Texas for 8 grand. We had it shipped up (to Gardnerville), and we competed in that thing for two years.”

They competed pretty well, too: Goldston and Goldston hit the road for a handful of regional competitions, and eventually reached a point where the $8,000 “Amarillo Special” and mix-and-match tackle weren’t going to cut it.

Off to the Ranger dealership. Off to the tackle store. Welcome to the expensive sport of uber-competitive bass fishing. It’s an investment that Goldston was happy to make.

“Oh, man, it can be all consuming and expensive,” Goldston says. “I run a business, so I can’t afford to take three weeks at a time to go fish some of these events, but we cashed a little check (in 2008) at (the FLW Stren Series event) at Shasta, and then another check at Clear Lake, and then another on the Delta.  “But, it got to a point there where I finally decided to go for it. I called my wife Jeannie coming home from Clear Lake and said ‘Honey, we’re going to get the big boat.’ It’s a pretty major expense at first with the boat, new rods and reels and all, but, here we are.”

A Day 3 lightning bolt of luck?: And Goldston’s “here” on Day 3 is about the best place a guy competing for $50,000 cash could be: on the back deck of Ranger pro Dave Lefebre’s boat. Lefebre, who hails from nearby Union City, Penn., is the odds-on favorite to win the $1 million professional purse for the Forrest Wood Cup.

None other than bass icon Jimmy Houston has declared Lefebre the man to beat, thanks to his complete familiarity of the Three Rivers system and her smallmouth.

Again, Goldston is starstruck.

“I’m fishing with Dave Lefebre tomorrow,” he whispers into his cel. phone shortly after hearing about his Day 3 pairing.

He’s not whispering because he’s trying to keep it a secret. He’s whispering because, frankly, he can’t believe his luck.

“I hear (Lefebre) has been saving his spots,” Goldston says. “I mean, to draw him on Day 3? That’s pretty cool, don’t you think?”

Larry the Legend: Goldston’s draw on Day 1, though – the legendary Bee Branch, Ark. native Nixon (who has banked nearly $3 million in a 32-year career) – was the stuff of dreams. Like shooting alongside Jack Nicklaus at a golf pro-am, or teaming with Bjorn Borg for a spot of doubles at Wimbledon.

It was, to put it frankly, one of the best days of Goldson’s life.

“Oh, man, he was so cool,” Goldston says of the revered Nixon. “We started out and I was casting off to the side, out of his water, and he turned to me and said ‘Why are you casting out there? They’re all up here, up front. Go ahead, let ‘er rip.’ He was catching them on a certain bait, and he wasn’t shy at all about sharing that with me. He was really a classy guy.”

Blind calling a Classic champion: Goldston’s introduction to the Three Rivers fishery was just as classy, thanks to a former Bassmaster Classic champion and another millionaire superstar of the sport. After finding out that he’d qualified to fish the 2009 Cup, Goldston went in search of a pre-fishing partner. And, he did it the old-fashioned way: he opened up a phone book and called David Fritts.

“Once I got the list of who was fishing, I started looking around to find someone to fish with,” Goldston says. “I found out the town down South that David Fritts lived in, called information, and, darned if I didn’t get his number. I called his house and his wife answered. She told me ‘Oh, yeah, David’s out on the tractor right now, farming. But I’ll give you his cell. Phone number and you can give him a call. Now, if he doesn’t pick up, it’s because he’s farming, but he’ll call you back.’.”

Fritts did call Goldston back, and, to Goldston’s surprise, welcomed him aboard his boat during the four-day practice round the week before the Cup.

“I’ve fished with two Bassmaster Classic champions (Nixon and Fritts),” Goldston says. “I’m here doing something I never in a million years thought I’d ever do. I’ve been following these (pro anglers) for years, and there they all are, right in front of me. What else could I ask for? It’s a dream come true."

Day 3: Follow Goldston's pursuit of the co-angler title of the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup at FLW Live.
-JS

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