A ROUGH RIBBON of asphalt unfurled before Pam Martin-Wells as she lifted her fingers from the radio dial of her black Chevrolet four-wheel drive. Bouncing her way from the Georgia pine forests wrapping her home on Lake Seminole toward Texas, the 21-year-old angler was driving to a date with destiny.
The year was 1985. And though she could have barely dreamed it then, 25 years later the Bainbridge, Ga., native would stand before a crowded 18,000-seat arena in Birmingham on the final day of the Bassmaster Classic. She would share that spotlight with all-time legends of the sport like Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli and Aaron Martens. In a final cut littered with former Bassmaster Angler of the Year and Bassmaster Classic winners, Martin-Wells more than held her own — she set a standard for excellence still being chased by both male and female anglers today.
“She earned her way there,” said Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Mark Menendez, who fished the Bassmaster Classic alongside Martin-Wells in 2010. “Kevin [VanDam] dominated that event from start to finish, and it may have slid under the radar that Pam was actually the first woman to ever qualify for the finals that year. But there is no doubt in my mind she absolutely earned her right to be there.”
But before qualifying, setting records and
