Longtime professional bass fisherman Zell Rowland decided to give away an autographed jersey for his 60th birthday. On his Facebook page he asked for those who were interested to enter and the lucky winner chosen was Patrick Rainey of Orange.
Rainey has been a big fan of Rowland, going back to 1984 when he had a chance to meet him. “My grandmother had a camp at San Augustine park on Sam Rayburn. Me and a buddy were at the boat ramp watching the boats coming in. We noticed a bass boat coming across the lake that was moving mighty fast for how big the waves were, but the driver was making it look easy. When he pulled the up to the bank, I made a remark about how he must be in a bit of a hurry and he grinned and said that yes he was. He introduced himself and shook our hands then talked about fishing with us for a couple minutes. I’ve never forgotten that,” he said.
“I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Mr. Rowland again earlier this year. He was a guest speaker for at a meeting for the LC-M Bass Team. Watching him talk to those young men and ladies about fishing was incredible. He even stayed around after the meeting to talk with them one on one and posed for pictures with them.”
Rowland owns the honor of being the youngest to fish a professional bass tournament at age 13. He has qualified for 16 Bassmaster Classics and has earned more than $1.2 million.
Above, Rainey proudly models Zell’s jersey.
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