Posted: 11/7/07
Climbing the bass fishing ladder
 Derek "The Wolverine" Remitz holds up his Rookie of the Year award from the Bass Master Elite Series, Remitz, the son of Steve and Judy Remitz of North Branch, beat 12 other rookies for the award. |
By Steve Morris
For a guy who was just going to give professional fishing a try and see what happens, he is doing all right for himself.
In September, Derek Remitz was named Bass Master Elite Series 2007 Rookie of the Year.
Remitz, nicknamed "The Wolverine" because of sideburns that resemble a character from the X-men series, beat 12 rookies in the Bass Master Elite Series to earn the title.
Remitz is the first Minnesota native ever to win such an award and is one of the youngest in a field of professional fisherman.
With the title, came a check for $25,000.
Add to that other winnings from tournaments and Remitz earned nearly $225,000 in his rookie year.
His early success has earned Remitz some sponsorships. So far, Remitz is sponsored by Triton, Mercy and Omega Tackle and as times goes on, he would like to get more.
"He can make a career out of this with the right sponsors. That's the key to this whole process," his mother Judy Remitz said.
In the bass fishing world, the Bass Master Elite Series is the NFL or NBA. It's where the all the top fisherman compete, and Remitz is there, at the age of 25.
Remitz, the son of Harley's Sod owners Steve and Judy Remitz, became a professional bass fisherman in October of 2007.
In the fishing world, the 2000 North Branch High School graduate has become somewhat of a celebrity.
"As soon as he gets off the stage after a tournament, he gets mobbed," Judy Remitz said.
She said he often gets pulled aside for photos and to sign autographs.
Now that he knows he can make fishing a career, Remitz has settled down in the south. He recently purchased a house in Grant, Alabama to be closer to the bass fishing scene.
Aside from winning Rookie of the Year award, he took first place in a tournament in Del Rio, Texas, on March 11. It was his first tournament win as a professional. For his performance, he took home a $100,000 purse.
For Remitz, his first year as a professional bass fisher was a roller coaster. He competed in 11 Bass Master Elite series tournaments all across the country, logging countless miles on the U.S highways. In addition to his 1st place finish, he took 2nd, 5th, 19th and 20th. Yet, Remitz was humbled quickly when he had a 118th place finish in one tournament.
One of the problems Remitz had to deal with was lakes as big as oceans, something he wasn't accustomed to growing up in North Branch and fishing on Rush Lake. Bass Master Elite rules state competitors are not allowed on a lake a month prior to the competition.
By most standards, Remitz had a solid first year as a professional, but is already setting his sights on the spring. Now, he is busy preparing for next season, which starts in March.
"It was a good ride all year," he said. "It's still pretty unbelievable and hard for me to believe," he said.
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