I was at Neely-Henry because of a promise that I had made to my dad before he was tragically killed in an auto accident. He had just recovered from a five-month hospitalization with staph infection and all of its complications. He worked diligently doing everything asked of him so that he could return to work. It was on his way home one afternoon that he ran off the road and flipped his van in a ditch. Being an only child, I had been with him every day watching over medical affairs as well as his personal affairs and had given up two chances to fish my first professional bass tournament with the WBFA before it folded. When dad learned of this he made me prom ise that I would try a professional tournament the next time I had the opportunity. I had been shaken to the very core of my being by the accident but was standing firm on the foundation of my faith. So six months into my grief I was at Neely-Henry keeping that promise.
I had fished my tournament and had no plans past that. But about a week later I found out the answer to my friends’ question. My husband came to me and told me I would be going to Dallas to fish. He felt like it would be a great experience for me as well as another chance to see how I would do fishing against some of the top lady anglers in the world. I was overwhelmed with excitement, which helped keep me looking ahead to the future instead of dwelling on dad’s accident. This is how my very unexpected journey as a professional lady angler began.
I am Susan Dameron from Chattanooga, Tennessee. I am your typical housewife and mother, and I love the great outdoors. Hiking is my outdoor passion, and my fishing was born from that. My hiking partner introduced my husband and me to bass fishing in spring 2004. After several invitations we finally agreed to go, and it has been a work in progress ever since. Apparently, it was evident that I had a desire to learn more about fishing so one day after coming off the water I had a stack of Bassmaster magazines placed in front of me. I took each and every one reading it from front to back making notes about ever ything. From this, I began forming my own style of fishing and learning how to make my own decisions. Different types of fishing soon became one of the topics of conversation as we hiked many miles in the wilderness. My trail name is “Sunshine”.
In fall 2005 I attended my first Georgia Peaches Bass Club meeting and soon became a member. It is a ladies’ bass club located in Atlanta, Georgia. I had a desire to fish with ladies and they were the closest to home so I joined and still make the drive each month for our meeting and again for our monthly club tournament. I am thankful for these ladies as they have shown me great patience and have provided me great competition, which helps me be better prepared on the water. I also now fish as a co-angler with the Women’s Bassmaster Tour working hard to build a firm foundation for my fishing career.
I will be sharing some of my thoughts and experiences from the past two years as well as during the upcoming 2008 WBT season. You will read of the good times as well as the bad. There have been many lessons learned about life as well as fishing. What began as a promise has transpired into quite an adventure. I kept my promise to dad and then doors continued to open that have lead me this far into a career. What is the purpose? I am not really sure how to answer that. I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing and that each time I travel to a new tournament site th at I am right where I am supposed to be. Again, doors continue to open for me. What is my dream? I can’t honestly say that fishing professionally was always a dream of mine. Now that I am involved, my goals are to represent the sport of bass fishing, the WBT, my sponsors, and myself as professionally as possible. My dream is two fold – to someday hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and to become the best of the best on the Women’s Bassmaster Tour.
I must thank my family and friends for their support and encouragement as I travel this journey. I also want to thank my sponsors –
Triton Boats
Cleveland Boat Center
About Fishing
Kick’n Bass Fish Attractant
I’m fishing and working hard for all of you.
