I’D NEVER MET “Ol’ Bob” Downey, as Elite Series emcee Dave Mercer has nicknamed him, until his scheduled Day on the Lake outing, but after reading his online bio, I discovered we had two things in common: We both attended the University of Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!), and we’re both native Midwesterners who learned to fish during idyllic childhood vacations “up North.” “I grew up near the Twin Cities and loved going to my grandfather’s cabin on a lake way up in northern Minnesota,” Downey recalls. “My earliest memories are me sitting on his dock for hours soaking nightcrawlers. I was only 2 years old when I caught my first largemouth! I was casting lures by the time I was 6, then at age 12, I was fishing by myself from a johnboat.” Growing up, Downey devoured every issue of Bassmaster and studied the techniques of the pros featured in the articles. That expertise came in handy when he began fishing tournaments at age 14. “That same year I finished second in a statewide event, which really sealed the deal — I’ve been passionate about tournament fishing ever since!” he says. Early spring invariably means cold fronts, and cold-front bass can be tricky to figure out regardless of where you’re fishing. Stay tuned to learn how Ol’ Bob fared on Lake T on a frigid March day.
It’s foggy and 28 degrees when Downey and I arrive at Lake T’s deserted boat launch. “This region has had crazy weather all month — it was 85 here last week!” he
