My brother and I with Aaron Martens at the 2017 Bassmaster Classic Expo in Houston

Courtesy of David Xiong / AnglersChannel.com

In this sport we call bass fishing, we all have our personal favorites. For many it was Clunn, Nixon, Parker. For me, it was VanDam, Iaconelli… Martens. That last one means a bit more to me. It was definitely about what happened off the water than it did on.

I didn’t get into the sports-side of bass fishing until the mid to late 2000s. I attended my first professional bass fishing event in 2011 as part of a wedding gift from my wife, the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans. My favorite angler ended up winning that event but little did I know that the guy who ended up bridesmaid would leave a more impactful memory.

It was Day 2 of the 2016 Bassmaster Elite event in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. I’ve met Aaron Martens a handful of times prior to this but the interaction I had with him that day would be one that changed me forever.

Having been to the past Elite events in Wisconsin a few years prior, I’ve had mixed interactions with anglers. Some were pleasant, others somewhat cordial and a few that probably didn’t know I existed. On that September day, I didn’t expect anything different.

The weigh-in had just concluded and my brother and I were about to make our way back to the car to begin the 3 hour drive back home. For some reason, we decided to take a stroll through the parking lot where the anglers parked. Rigging up tackle in their boats were Mike Iaconelli and Aaron Martens. My brother had recently gotten into bass fishing and like any basshead, we had some questions and figured we can ask them. For the next hour or so, my brother and I chatted up a storm with Aaron. Mind you, Aaron had qualified to fish the next day and did not eat dinner yet. I believe he was in the mood for sushi. Not once did Aaron make us feel like we were wasting his time or that he had something better to do. He talked fishing, sharing some of the information from the immense database in that head of his. Even though I knew and felt that we should leave him alone so he could go on with his day, Aaron kept talking to us, roping us in like a moth to a flame. From that moment I became an Aaron Martens fan for life.

It was from this day that Aaron, intentionally or not, taught me the importance of treating people like they’re important, regardless of who they are. He didn’t have to spend that time talking to me when he was trying to win $100,000, was hungry and maybe had to use the bathroom. In doing so, he taught me more about being a human than the tips and tricks we discussed about that day. He made sure to make my time with him special. They say that you should never meet your heroes but I’m glad I met Aaron.

Since that day, every time I’ve talked to Aaron, he always spoke to me like I was one of his close buddies. It’s like the conversations you have when you don’t see a friend for quite some time but you seem to pick up where you left off the last time you saw each other.

When I saw the most recent posts from Aaron, I had a feeling that things weren’t looking too good. Having lost my dad to cancer, I knew that Aaron was still fighting but could see that the cancer was beginning to take it’s toll on him. Upon hearing of his passing, I promise you that it didn’t sit well with me. Though saddened, I rejoice knowing that Aaron is now home where he’s cancer-free and furiously catching some hawgs in the pristine lakes of Heaven. I look forward to the day I get to catch my personal best with Aaron and my dad.

-DX