An expanded
excerpt from On Tour with Dee Thomas, by Derrek
Stewart, October 2011
One Stood
Out
The final day of the Top 10, FLW National Guard Professional
Bass Tournament on the California Delta 2009. On stage is a 'Who's Who' from
the western region upper echelon professional touring bass anglers.
Dee Thomas, in
his 70s with an oxygen tank and a handrail on his boat, said braid and today's
super-sharp hooks kept him in the game. "You don't have to rock the boat
with your hookset; fish like an old man," – Dee Thomas.
The Father of Flipping
Flipping sticks, as we know them today, have not
changed drastically since Dee Thomas developed the first one. But now they are
much lighter, more sensitive, and have better guides. Dee's insight, with
braided line and modern hooks, "You don't have to be fast and
strong." Modern equipment enabled an older angler like Dee to get in the
ring with younger talent.
Thomas
pointed out that top talents like Brent Ehrler or Skeet Reese don't rush. They
fish methodically, treating every cast as if it were their last. They also
don't overfish. According to Dee, this strategic approach was his modus
operandi throughout his career.
When I asked Dee
what keeps him fishing and winning, he switched to a matter-of-fact reply,
"Dude, this is what I do; I fish." I doubted that Dee would ever give
up. As he put it, if his body allowed, he would continue to fish and succeed in
competition.
Legendary
Dee Thomas,
arguably, is the original west coast bass fishing pioneer, an inductee of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, the
California Outdoors Hall of Fame, and the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of
Fame. Another of Thomas' significant contributions was the development of the Flipping
Stick, a game-changer in bass fishing. In the mid-1970s, he
took his flipping technique back east to the Bassmaster Trail, the pinnacle of competitive bass fishing, where he
dominated, forever changing tournament bass fishing.
Author’s
Notes Postscript
After
meeting Dee Thomas, on the California Delta in 2010 for an interview, Thomas
continued to successfully compete and make an impact in the bass fishing
community until the 'King of the Delta' passed away on July 18th, 2022, at the
age of 85.
If
you are interested in Dee's perspective on competition, please read the full interview/article
for his progressive insights. Clickhttps://dstewartfishing.com/on-tour-with-dee-thomas-2/ to
dive deeper into Dee's extraordinary world of competitive bass fishing and
industry-changing innovation.
Except for the National Guard Top 10 image (pic two), these
never-before-seen images have been released exclusively for this DSF piece.
Glossary
Flipping –The
flipping technique, a short-range method designed to present lures with precise
accuracy into or under heavy cover, was invented by legendary bass angler
Dee Thomas, known as the 'Father of Flipping,' and revolutionized bass fishing. This angling method, which employs a long stout
rod, involves the angler pulling a specific amount of line from the reel by
hand, creating a pendulum swing with the rod and softly placing the bait into
cover elements as they release the line. The goal is to achieve bites from bass that are holding tight
to cover elements, such as submerged trees, tulles, brush, vegetation, and
docks, that anglers can’t effectively target with other techniques.
