GULFPORT — Asked to name a pro angler in Mississippi, most people would respond with Paul Elias, Cliff Pace, Pete Ponds or Alfred Williams.
Maybe even Kathi Hurst, a longtime participant on the women's pro tours.
It would be a mistake to overlook Susan Gregory of Pass Christian, a regular on the Women's Bassmaster Tour and an employee of the Harrison County School district.
Her burning passion to catch bass is beaten by none, and she proved she can find them on a day in Gregory's tricked out bass boat on Gulfport Lake. The fishery, actually the upper end of Biloxi Bay, is home to fresh and salt water species, and can be a bass challenge.
Her first fish came quickly, and it was a speckled trout.
"Well, it's a fish, but the wrong kind," Gregory said. "You can catch specks, redfish, flounder and bass here. The key is finding where the bass are and the others aren't."
Not a problem for Gregory, who cut her fishing teeth on salt water species.
"I got the fishing bug growing up in New Orleans," Gregory said. "I fished from the seawall at Lake Pontchartrain and mom would hold the back of my shirt to make sure I didn't fall in.
"Dad worked for company on the Industrial Canal and when I'd go to work with him, I'd always take a rod and reel to pass the time. One time I hooked an alligator gar that was probably 80 to 100 pounds and it took off with my rod and reel."
Her past included more salt water when, at 14, Gregory's family moved to Pass Christian.
"I learned to fish mostly out front from the piers," Gregory said.
Bass didn't become her passion until much later, after she had married Kenny Gregory, who worked for Dupont. The company's employees had a recreational club that held regular tournaments on Gulfport Lake. The Gregorys did good.
"I bought my first bass boat, a 17-foot Express, but when I started fishing those night tournaments and doing good, that gave way to a full-sized Triton," she said. That was an important step up to the WBT three years ago.
To eliminate the other species, Gregory ran up to a small creek where her flawless casting skills quickly produced. A Fluke pitched into a tight spot lured her first bass. The second came a few moments later on the same pattern.
The next move was up the Biloxi River to a dead lake, where the bite was on. Gregory started scoring on a trick work and I added some on a spinnerbait.
Her fish-catching ability and the growth of the ESPN Outdoors/BASS-backed Women's Bassmasters Tour has helped Gregory secure major sponsorships with fishing industry companies Academy Sports, KeelShield, StayNCharge, Triton Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide and Lowrance, as well as local sponsors Bob's Machine Shop and Magnolia Honey Jelly.
All are important to Gregory, helping her chase a dream as a pro bass angler.
And, as she proved on Gulfport Lake, Gregory has the ability to earn her place among the who's who of Mississippi anglers.
Rob Doherty of Hattiesburg is a tournament fisherman, radio show host and an outdoor writer. Read his blog regularly at clarionledger.com/outdoors. <//span>
