Story contributed by Alan McGuckin
Florida’s John Cox has been in Oklahoma for two weeks competing in tour-level tournaments. Last week, at Lake Tenkiller, and this week with the NPFL on Lake Eufaula.
Eufaula is muddy, lake levels are nearly 8 feet above normal, and Day 1 was postponed due to dangerous weather. Nevertheless, Cox’s boundless enthusiasm endures despite tough conditions and the loss of his shoes.
Rooming with legends
Cox was invited to stay with two Bass Fishing Hall of Famers this week — Tommy Biffle and David Fritts — at Biffle’s home, about an hour from Eufaula.
“I started rooming with those two legends at NPFL events last season, and I love it. They were two of my heroes growing up,” says the 39-year-old Vexus pro.
“I play them YouTube videos of some of their career highlights — stuff they’ve never seen. And I swear to you they narrate every minute like it happened yesterday, and they get tears in their eyes watching some of the best days of their lives,” smiles Cox.
Shoeless John Cox?
“No surprise I tried to drive my 21-foot aluminum Vexus over a beaver dam to get into a backwater pond. But I got stuck on top of the beaver dam. The whole boat was high centered on top of the beaver dam, so I had to get out and push,” grins Cox.
“I would have spent the night there stranded, had I not got out and pushed. But when I planted my feet to push the boat, one of my flip-fops got stuck in the dam and never re-surfaced. So then, I was down to one flip-flop, and that one broke. I finally got un-stuck, but had no shoes, and only caught two non-keeper bass,” says Cox.
What to expect at Eufaula
Cox admits that dealing with two solid weeks of constantly changing water levels has become mentally exhausting, but physically he feels fine, and he’s excited for what will now be a two-day shootout.
“Somebody’s going to find a magical stretch or two, but I don’t think it will be dirt shallow. I think it’ll be won on deeper flooded bushes or from one magical laydown or small boulder. That’s how I caught them the last time we were at Eufaula. I had a magical rock that produced close to half the fish I weighed-in. I think 30 pounds for two days will win.”
The $100,000 first-place prize money will buy a lot of flip-flops.
