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Valpo woman reeled in world bass fishing title

“You get a line and I’ll get a pole, honey.

“You get a line and I’ll get a pole, babe.

“You get a line and I’ll get a pole; we’ll go down to the crawdad hole, honey, baby mine.”

—George Jones

Sylvia Graham has lived in Valparaiso 55 years and is an incumbent running for her third term on the Porter County Council. She’s a Democrat who also was a world-class bass fisherman.

She has been married to Jack for 60 years. They raised two daughters who graduated from Valparaiso High School.

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Spell your last name for me, please.

“Graham, like the cracker,” she said

Age?

“Ancient. I’m 78, and I was born at Mercy Hospital in Gary. I was the fifth of six siblings.”

Maiden name?

“Larson. My grandparents were Swedes who met each other on the boat coming to America. My dad was a union carpenter. We ended up in the Liverpool area. We had a house on Deep River. I graduated from Hobart High School. We used to rabbit hunt all that ground where Southlake Mall is today.”

Your working career?

“I started working at a hospital as an assistant. Then I went to Indiana University Northwest and graduated from their nursing program. I went to work in intensive coronary care at Porter Hospital. In the meantime, I went back to school at Purdue Calumet and became a family nurse practitioner. I was the first family nurse practitioner on staff at Porter Hospital.”

OK, enough small talk. Bass fishing?

“I joined a woman’s bass fishing club and we would go to different lakes in Indiana. One day, I saw this paper that said ‘Bassin’ Gals’ was coming to Potoka Lake in southern Indiana. I decided it would be fun to fish a week on Potoka Lake with these ladies. That was the first tournament that I’d ever been to. It was like Daisy Mae going into Hollywood. I drove in there with my 16-foot aluminum boat and 40 (horsepower Mercury) and here comes 225 sponsored women dressed to the hilt with patches sewn on their shirts from all the tournaments they’d competed in. It really opened my mind to another world that I didn’t know existed. That was 1985.”

How did you fare at Potoka?

“I came in 50th of 225. Jack Parry devoted a whole page to my first tournament. In two days, I was exhausted because I had fished so hard. I literally fell out of my boat onto the cement. A couple of veteran anglers from Oklahoma told me I had to pace myself, but I was catching huge fish. The thing of it is, I had no idea where I was on the lake. It was a two-day tournament with three days of practice.

“I was throwing Rapalas and lures that I was used to fishing with. I started out with four Zebco 33s and I thought I was on top of the world. I was really green.”

How long were you allowed to be on the water?

“From daybreak to 3 p.m.”

How do the women competitors get along with each other?

“It was cutthroat. But it was friendly cutthroat. You said hello, but you don’t say much more.”

Loose lips sink ships.

“You don’t divulge your honey holes.”

What’s the most money you ever won at a tournament?

“I believe it was $7,500.”

Name a few lakes where you’ve competed professionally.

“Lake Dardanelle in Arkansas; Grand Lake and Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma; Lake Seminole in Georgia; Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri; Kentucky Lake; Neely Henry Lake (Alabama); the Red River in Louisiana, the St. Johns River in Florida …

“I used to compete in five to seven tournaments per year; 2006 was my last tournament. I was sponsored by Javelin boats, so I got a new boat every year. When I was ready to quit, I was running 20-footers with 225 horsepower outboard motors. I switched from a Merc to a Johnson. With a hole shot, I could be up and running 65-70 mph in a matter of seconds.”

What strength line did you use?

“Being from Indiana, I always fished with 10-pound test. However, I was on Lake Fork in Texas one time and had the biggest fish I’ve ever had on in my life and that 10-pound test snapped. From then on, if I was fishing north of Kentucky Lake, I’d use 12-pound test. If I was fishing south of Kentucky Lake, I’d use 14-pound test line. The bass get bigger as you head south. But always remember, the lighter your line the more fish you’re gonna have hit your lure. The heavier your line, the more you’ll land.”

Tell me more.

“With professional fishing, you baby-sit those five bass. You don’t want those fish to die because you get penalized. After they’re weighed, they’re immediately turned back to the lake.”

Catch and release.

“That’s right.”

What was your total poundage when you won the championship?

“Almost 34 pounds.”

Nice. Your biggest bass?

“That would be this lunker right here — 9 pounds. Caught him on a 10-inch black neon curly worm with red flakes and a chartreuse tail.”

Are nightcrawlers allowed?

“No live bait. I’ve caught a lot of fish on Rattletraps, top water, buzz baits. Top water is fun, but it will give you a heart attack. The trick to bass fishing with a plastic worm is when you feel a tap, set the hook. You feel tap, tap, the fish is usually gone. You feel a tap when they’re suckin’ it in and you feel a tap when they’re spittin’ it out.”

Any other tips regarding professional bass fishing?

“You want to catch five fish as fast as you can. Then you start to cull.”

Releasing the smallest fish of the six.

“You got it.”

I realize when you entered those tournaments you were there to catch fish and win money, but name a body of water you deem the most aesthetically picturesque.

“Lake Tenkiller was beautiful with its cliff walls of stone. They’re all beautiful. What’s sad is most people aren’t even aware those gorgeous lakes and rivers are there.

“One of the things I’m most grateful for is that my dad took the time to take me fishing. Give your kids the opportunity to discover what outdoor life is all about.”

Why did you get out of competitive fishing and get into politics?

“Because Mitch Daniels sold the toll road. I got mad.”

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Back in the day, fish feared her. Our man Mitch probably did too. Not only did Sylvia Graham win the 2000 WBFA World Championship, she took first place in five Big Bass Tournaments and was a nine-time Classics qualifier, where anglers have to be ranked in the top 35 to compete.

Jeff Manes is a freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune.

jeffmanes@sbcglobal.net