Like a lot of boy growing up in Florida in the '70s, I caught more than a few giant largemouths vicariously through Doug Hannon. I grew up reading Bassmaster Magazine and Florida Sportsman, and I while I don't remember specific articles, I do recall reading about this fishing guide known as the Bass Professor who had caught hundreds of 10-pound bass and who made an ongoing study of big fish's behavior. I pondered his theories and tried to think about how they applied to the lakes around me, I often daydreamed about remote little lakes in the Ocala National Forest and the giant largemouths that called those waters home. Those dreams were spawned by the ongoing adventures of guys like Hannon.
I never met Doug Hannon and had no direct ties with him, but I felt a sense of loss in hearing yesterday that he had died in his Florida home at the age of 66. He was one of the fishermen who helped build my interest in fishing and writing fish stories and therefore helped shaped what I do for a living today. For that, I am very thankful.
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