Jeremy Scott Zmolik

My two mentors have been Lonnie Stanley and Tommy Martin , I have fished with Lonnie several times and have read and studied Tommy's style of fishing , I got to fish with tommy some this summer for the first time ,he was on a good swim jig bite on Rayburn and we had a blast two weeks later my brother and I won our club tournament , following his advice , the man does know his stuff ,I feel very lucky to know both of these men ,I have also found a lot of info on the fishing web sites to be very helpful.

My mother was the one that got me started fishing. She would take my brother and me fishing as much as she could.

After joining the Navy I got stationed in Memphis, TN. Watched Bill Dance and Jimmy Houston on TV. Got me going again and specifically fishing for bass. Fished my first tournament in 1978 while stationed there and haven't been without a boat since.

Gerald was also an inspiration as well; miss him too. I learned from him that fishing Monticello was actually more productive during the hottest days of the summer if you knew where to go...........

My dad got me started but it was Virgil Ward that really got me interested in bass fishing. I loved watching his shows. Early on I went to a seminar held by the Linder's and I was totally hooked after that.

My own dedication. Nothing was handed to me. I moved to texas to fish for #%# sakes.

I guess Hank Parker and Roland Martin.....but I sure could use a live feller that didn't come with commercials, dad was a minner fisher and beer drinker, we'd set there all day or until we ran out of "bait".

I will have to say that WCLBASS here on this forum has been by Bass fishing mentor!

Growing up in Colorado, I fished mostly for trout. Then after joining the military I didn't do a lot of fishing other than the occasional bank trip or salt water trip. After I retired from the military and settled in Texas I acquired my first boat and fumbled and stumbled for about 6 months trying to learn what I could on my own. I then discovered the TFF and my first post was in the partner finder section looking for someone to go to EML, WCLBASS answered and said he would take us out in his boat. I learned so much that first trip, and still learn from him every time I have the pleasure of sharing a boat with him.

none that you would think of.

my mentoring came from fishing draw tournaments as a non-boater. While some were real a-holes most actually took the time to explain why they were beating the pants off of me.

a few even shared a bait or two.

My dad and grandfather man do I miss them. Also a BASS federation club member who took me under the wing from the time I was 16 until I moved. Too bad he lives in PA because I could really use the help here in TX. I really miss fishing with him as well. I hope to be a mentor to my kids, they have fishing poles but still very young. We get them out of the house to local parks and sometimes on the boat. Man if it was not for fishing I would be a totally different person. I would not have basically lived at my grandfathers house in the summers because he had a 17 ft bass tracker and I loved to fish. I learned a lot a not just fishing and stayed out of a lot of trouble as well. I am very very blessed. Great post and man do I love TFF best thing ever put on the net. You all have a great 2014. Maybe I will get a chance in 2014 to come donate in some tournaments and find another new mentor not just in fishing but life as all my past mentors of fishing were. God bless guys taking time to pass along their knowledge and wisdom.

My fishing buddy Mike. Still teaching me stuff every time out.

Ole Hoyt Fincher taught a lot of us young guns a thing or two back in the day.

THE ol'man....taught me it don't matter what lives, eats, or swims...its got to bite. You just got to go getm' boy.

Ken, I will also state that Ronnie Byrd was one of the best jig fishermen I've ever shared a boat with. Jerkbaits in spring, too.

One Mr. Gary Paris and he's still teaching me to this day.

I actually try to learn from everyone I fish with. It's been a great journey so far.