April 18, 2008
Spend any time in the presence of nine-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Gerald Swindle and two things become undeniable about the lanky bass pro from north-central Alabama -- he's gut-busting funny, and he's not afraid of hard work.
Swindle's humor is supreme to the point of seemingly being a natural gift, much like exceptional artists need not be taught how to draw. However, his work ethic was instilled the old fashion way, through lots of practice with family members, including his dad Tommy who now competes as a co-angler in BASS Elite Events. Gerald swears to this day that his father purchased a small farm just so he and his two brothers could sharpen their work ethic as teenagers. Momma Swindle has also been known to help bail hay.
When Gerald graduated high school he went to work in the heating and air-conditioning business. He was among the youngest of all the full-time techs that the company had ever trusted with a service truck. But when he suffered a back injury at age 21 that required surgery, they wouldn't give him his job back. The company believed that he would no longer be able to run a service truck by himself as the job often required.
'I argued to get my job back, but arguing wasn't providing any paychecks, so I did what simply seemed natural at the time ...I went to work with my uncle and my older brother framing houses. They didn't care if I was hurt or not, just so I showed-up for work every morning,' said Swindle, the 2004 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
'I framed houses for 6 years, and anytime we got rained-out, I went fishing. Fact is, I didn't know what it was like to catch a bass on a sunny day. Plus, because of the summer heat, we'd work from 6:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m., and then I'd head to the local evening jackpot tournament at Smith Lake or Logan Martin. I was fishing four nights a week,' said Swindle. 'I was also doing really, really well in the Jerry Rhyne's Hungry Fisherman's Trail every year, and eventually I won enough money to start entering B.A.S.S and F.LW. events.'
'I lost more than I won when I first turned pro, but finally in 1998 I won $150,000 in a tournament at Beaver Lake, Arkansas that provided me the financial stability to secure a full-time career in pro fishing,' explained Swindle.
While there was nothing funny about swinging a hammer in Alabama's smothering summer heat, it may have very well been the best tool for building the tremendously successful career that Gerald is enjoying now.
