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 A
well rounded individual making a mark in the fishing industry, Jeremiah has
a number of irons in the fire. “I have the opportunity to be on a number of
Pro Staff’s for some of the best companies in the business,” bagwell stated.
“Things are all starting to fall into place. I am writing for a number of
websites, a magazine and I even have other writers doing articles about me
on a fairly regular basis. One of the best feelings I have had recently, was
after a friend emailed an article to me, from a California newspaper. I was
reading the article and it was talking about Aaron Martens and his drop shot
skills. As I got further down the page, the article started talking about me
drop shot fishing for spawning bass. It took a few seconds for it to hit me.
Then I was like, holy cow that’s me. I had never even heard of this town in
California, but the author was nice enough to send me a copy of the
newspaper. The article was then used by several other newspapers throughout
the country.”
Bagwell
is also a Tournament District Director for the American Bass Anglers
Tournament Trail in North Western Illinois. “Being in charge of a whole
season of tournaments is a lot of work,” Jeremiah explains. “Having to build
a district from scratch, in a brand new market, makes the whole process that
much more difficult. I have had good turnouts and I have had bad turnouts.
The thing is I am always trying to come up with new methods for marketing
the tournaments.”
 Competing
is what Bagwell really enjoys best. “For me even
the meetings prior to the start of the tournaments will get me pumped up.”
Jeremiah said. “Just being able to walk through a room crowded with great
anglers and feeling the intensity in the air is awesome.” Jeremiah has won
multiple tournaments, had several top 10 finishes and has a few big bass
awards under his belt. “This is something that I had always wanted to do,
but for some reason I had my priorities wrong. After high school, I let work
and other things consume me. For a period of about 7 years, the fire service
occupied most of my time. When I wasn’t at a fire, a car wreck or some sort
of other emergency, I was in a squad car doing work with the police
department. When I was at home, I spent all of my time studying and
mastering my love for Fire and Arson Investigations. I was given a great
opportunity to attend some excellent training facilities. I attended an FBI
Explosion Investigation Program and a Fire and Explosions Investigations
Program put on by the ATF and the U.S. Department of Justice. It was a great
experience that most people in their early 20’s will never get to
experience.” Bagwell proclaims. All of that came to a halt when a serious
shoulder injury required surgery and nearly 2 years of physical therapy.
During the recovery period, Jeremiah spent a lot time watching television
and talking on the phone. This combination ended up being a blessing in
disguise. “I was sitting in my recliner one afternoon watching a bass
tournament on television and talking to my grandmother on the telephone. I
told my grandma that I bet I would be good at fishing bass tournaments. My
grandma then said, you know you are not too old and so you better just go
out and do it (fish tournaments) before you are as old as your grandpa and
me. The very next day, I paid my first 10 entry fees for bass tournaments.”
Bagwell said. “I had to completely adjust the way I cast because of the
recurring shoulder pain, but now everything is ok and I am not turning
back.”
I guess
you could say the rest is history, because now Jeremiah is developing a
great network of friends and contacts in the fishing industry. Not to
mention having a lot of fun and success competing in bass tournaments.
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