Billy Westmoreland

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Bill McElroy

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Got this from the BPS website,....we were talking about him a couple of weeks ago!! Peace Billy,..you are in the land of the SuperToad Brownfish now.....thanks for all you did!!







In Memory of Billy Westmoreland: Mr. Brown Bass



Two weekends ago, the world suffered a tremendous loss.



The name Billy Westmoreland will stir memories of the early-day fishing heroes of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) Tournament Trail. During the beginnings of B.A.S.S., one man from the hills of Tennessee stood out for his sheer size and ability to catch his favorite fish, smallmouth bass.



Billy liked to call the bass "brown fish." He was a professional fishing guide at Dale Hollow Lake, and one of the masters of light-line, clear-water fishing.



As a big man, Billy attracted attention at the tournament weigh-ins, but most times it was because he seldom came to scale with a small sack of bass.



Billy Westmoreland, was not only an extraordinary angler, he was also an extraordinary person. If not for Billy, Johnny Morris might never have had the opportunity to mail his first catalog.



In 1974, Johnny Morris and his partner Bob Craddock from Kentucky were fishing a tournament. The water was extremely rough on the water that day, and it wasn't long before some waves swamped their boat. In those days, upright flotation wasn't required in fishing boats, so when it swamped, it went under. Both fishermen had on the standard tournament life vest, but in the rough water were having serious trouble. Suddenly, a six-gallon, empty gas tank dislodged from the boat, and popped to the surface. Johnny Morris managed to grab hold of the tank and his partner grabbed him by the neck.



The bright red gas tank, bobbing in the waves, caught Billy Westmoreland's attention from the safety of the protected cove. Billy told his partner: "There's somebody in trouble out there. Let's see if we can help." They discussed the dangers, but Billy didn't hesitate.



It seemed to take forever, but they got within reach of the two men in the water. Almost swamping themselves, and running two bilge pumps at full bore, Billy was able to grab Bob Craddock by the back of his jacket and haul him in. Then, he pulled Johnny Morris into the boat, still grasping the gas tank.



Few anglers are truly regarded as "legendary anglers." Billy Westmoreland will be remembered as such.



Billy Westmoreland died following an apparent heart attack. He will always be remembered as a great angler, and a wonderful person.









 
Rest in peace Billy. I regret that I never got to meet or fish with the true smallie master!
 
One can only hope that as we lose one "Great" somewhere coming up will be another...I doubt however that anyone will ever fill this void. Whenever a contest or trivia question or poll asked who I would most like to spend a day fishing with...Billy Westmoreland was always my first choice... I guess and pray that I will now have to wait a while to do that...But, as soon as I can I will. Rest in Peace.
 
Y'know, this sport has been around for centuries.....people have "fished" since the dawn of time,...but we've only seen the sport grow to the level it has,.. in the last 30 years or so since BASS/BPS/and Ranger Boats were founded,...bringing competative angling, mass tackle and product invention and merchandising, and the modern, specie specific boats and aireated livewells to the forefront. In a matter of speaking,....all the true "Legends" of the modern day sport as we know it, are all still alive for the most part!!..We haven't lost more than a handful of the really BIG names yet and we probably won't for a looong time to come!!,...Guys like Forrest Wood, Johnny Morris, Ray Scott, Homer Circle, Bob Cobb, and countless others...the true poineers of this sport, are all alive and STILL contributing their genius and helping to clear a path for future angler's all over the world! Other than the tragic loss of Bryan Kerchal, who was killed in that plane crash only months after winning the Classic,...I think the rest of the Classic winners are all still alive!! This sport, relatively speaking is still in it's infancy, and we're all lucky to be surrounded by so many "living legends"

...Billy was ahead of his time in being able to master the art of finding and catching smallies,..and now he's leading the way again,...for the rest of us to eventually follow...

He WAS a legend,..and he WILL be missed, no doubt. I can only hope that we all continue to learn and benefit from the contributions of our sports legends...both living and dead,...for many more decades!! We are lucky to see it all happen now,....very lucky!! We can tell our grandkids..."We were there when it all started!!"..That's cool.

Just reflecting.....

Mac
 
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