The more you fish the better the odds of all the stars lining up sooner or later and of it happening more than once

Story and photography by Matt Williams

I’ve bass fished, hung around tackle aisles, followed tournament weigh-ins and interviewed countless others who share the passion for more than four decades now.  This gig has taken me to some of very best fishing holes in the world, and some of those trips have culminated with some wild rides — 200-plus fish days plus raw thumbs tattered and torn from unhooking fish until I was literally tired of catching them.

I’d be lying if I said every fishing trip turns out great, because they don’t. The truth is if you stay at it long enough, all the stars are bound to line up sooner or later. The more you fish the better the odds of it happening more than once

It was the dead of winter, and the ice was just beginning to melt on the heels of the January 2026 Arctic blast that turned East Texas into an icicle when this story idea was hatched. It is built around few of my memorable fishing experiences; the folks I shared them with and a few details that make them so unforgettable:

The Legend of Big Bass Billy

I lost one of my favorite fishing partners this past year when old age finally got the best of Billy Gene Rogers. He was 91.

Billy loved the outdoors, but his passion for bass fishing was as strong as anyone I have ever met. He was the epitome of old school. Just about everyone in his hometown of Nacogdoches called him “Big Bass Billy.

I first met Billy in 1984 at a memorial benefit tournament at Sam Rayburn. He won the big bass pot and trophy with a seven pounder he fooled bumping a plastic worm around a brush pile the only way he knew how — slow.

Billy and I fun-fished dozens of times over the years, mostly at small gems like Lake Nacogoches and Pinkston. He fished from just about every boat I’ve ever owned.

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