Editor's note: This is the first in a series of stories on the 2021 inductees to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are Aug. 28 in Natchitoches.
Bo Dowden's joyous scream that day along the choppy St. Lawrence River in upstate New York could almost be heard all the way back in Natchitoches.
The professional angler had just hauled in a 6-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass for his fifth and final fish on a blustery, rough day on the water — which clinched his first professional bass fishing tournament victory.
It also happened to be at the sport's most prestigious event — the 1980 Bassmaster Classic.
"I was really happy when I stuck my thumb in that fish's mouth," Dowden said. "When I grabbed it, I knew I had won the darn tournament. There was no way that anybody could catch me at that time."
Yes, it was a bit of an embellishment that anybody heard Bo's "YAHAAHOOOOOOOO" back in his hometown. While it would make a good fish tale, it was much more as Dowden had just won the Super Bowl of fishing.
"It was pretty amazing," said Dowden, who defeated 40 of the top bass anglers in the country for the coveted title of Bassmaster champion. "It was a thing I had always wanted."
Dowden will receive another prestigious honor when he is inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches on Saturday, Aug. 28 to cap a three-day Induction Celebration.
Dowden's love affair with fishing began as a small child growing up on the corner of Williams Avenue and Sirod Street in Natchitoches.
He was taught how to fish by his grandfather, V.S. Pugh, as the two would spend many afternoons and weekends fishing on nearby Black and Saline Lake.
Dowden used a cane pole to snag those early stringers of fish before moving on to rod and reels.
The young Dowden instantly fell in love with the sport — and the difficulty that comes along with it.
"It was challenging," said Dowden, who began fishing at the age of 4. "You know you can fish by being a dope or you can fish more by being a little bit better.
"You had to stay with the program," he added. "You couldn't be lollygagging around out there. It didn't matter to me whether it was the goo or channel catfish, I just liked being out there along the water."
Dowden's passion for fishing continued to grow — sometimes even taking him away from his studies at Natchitoches High School where he graduated in 1959.
In fact, fishing played such a vital role in Dowden's life that it was a contributing factor in why he attended Northwestern State University.
"The campus was 30 minutes from Saline Lake and the duck blind," Dowden said.
Dowden graduated from Northwestern State in 1965 with a degree in industrial arts but his pursuit to become a professional bass fisherman didn’t come right away.
His first pro bass tournament wasn't until 1972 on Lake Sam Rayburn.
After that tournament, Dowden was hooked on becoming a professional fisherman, all the while running a successful maritime business and raising three children with his wife Gladys.
That meant there were many weekends where Bo was out of town at tournaments, but the Dowdens made the patriarch's passion a family event.
"I always saw it as an opportunity," Gladys said. "Our three boys got to travel with him a good bit. They got to see this country from one end to the other and meet people. It was a great education for our children."
Within a few years, the slow-talking Dowden would develop a reputation for being one of the best and most respected professional fishermen in the United States.
Dowden competed in 14 Bassmaster Classics, including finishing in third in 1982. When he retired from competitive fishing in 2001, he had collected career winnings of $235,261.79 in sanctioned BASS events.
ESPN Outdoors and BASS named him among the 35 greatest anglers of all-time in 2004.
Now he will be enshrined into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame joining his good friend — the late Grits Gresham, a Natchitoches icon.
"I was pretty amazed," Dowden said of joining the state’s sports shrine. "Most of the people I have known that have gotten in were basketball players or football players. It is truly an honor."
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