NEWS

Cummings and Davis take GoPro Anglers of the Year

Davis, Cummings win Go Pro Overall Team of the Year

Any anglers who still doubt the power of social media needs to talk William Davis and Tim Cummings. Davis, of Sheffield, and Cummings, of Waynesnboro, Tenn., are the Go Pro Overall Team the Year for the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series. Davis and Cummings, who competed in the Bass Trail’s North Division, edged the South Division team of Jeston Anderson and Robbie Robinson by sixteen points to claim the title. Cummings and Davis will receive their $5,000 prize from Go Pro at the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series Championship on Smith Lake in Jasper Oct. 10-11. Had it not been for a Facebook post from Kay Donaldson, program director for the Bass Trail, Cummings and Davis would not have fished the tournament series, much less emerged as its top team. “Sandi Cox of Hammer Rods saw on Facebook where Kay was looking for another team for the North Division after a late cancellation,” Davis said. He and Cummings had registered for only the Pickwick Lake and Wheeler Lake tournaments, but were initially bumped from the inaugural season of the Alabama Bass Trail series after 200 teams registered for all five tournaments in the North Division. “Sandi knew William and me were trying to get in. She called me one minute after Kay posted it on Facebook, I called Kay and the rest is history,” Cummings said. The late entry left he and Davis little time to prepare for the season-opening tournament at Lake Guntersville. “It was the Tuesday before the tournament that we got in,” Cummings said. “We went over to Guntersville with zero pre-fishing on the lake.” After a 64th place finish at Guntersville, Cummings and Davis rebounded to finish third at Pickwick Lake. After an eighth finish at Neely Henry Lake. and fourth place at Wheeler Lake, they moved atop the North Division season standings. Davis and Cummings’ 13.97 pounds catch at Logan Martin Lake earned them 21st place in the season-ending tournament and clinched the North Division Angler of the Year and Go Pro Overall Team of the Year titles. While their skill earned them the titles, Davis and Cummings credit the phone call from their friend and the Facebook post by Donaldson for making those titles and a trip to the B.A.S.S. Team Championship in December on Arkansas’ DeGray Lake possible. The top eight teams in the North Division and top six from the South Division advanced to the Arkansas tournament where they will fish for an opportunity to advance to the Bassmaster Classic. If Cummings or Davis make it to the Bassmaster Classic, expect them to post lots of updates on Facebook about fishing in most elite bass tournament in the world.