Roland Martin

Roland Martin — When Roland Martin entered his professional B.A.S.S. tournament in 1970, his reputation had preceded him. Some expected he’d win that first event. He didn’t. He finished second. But he did win the second B.A.S.S. tournament he entered — the 1970 Lake Seminole event — and followed that with another second-place finish in the next event.

From that auspicious beginning, Martin dominated tournament competition. In 15 seasons, between 1971 and 1985, he won nine Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles — an amazing feat that has never been, and likely won’t be, equaled.

In 2005, Martin retired from Elite-level B.A.S.S. competition after 35 seasons on the trail. By that time, he had racked up 19 victories (including three in a row in 1980-81) and another 19 second-place finishes. He qualified for 25 Bassmaster Classics and, although he wasn’t able to win the championship, he finished in the Top 10 in nine Classics. In 306 B.A.S.S. tournaments, Martin finished in the money in 193, including 102 Top 10 finishes, and earned more than $1 million. Martin also competed on the FLW circuit, winning another $139,000 there and qualifying for two FLW Cup championships.

In a ESPN’s months-long campaign in 2005 to select the World’s Greatest Angler, based on fan voting, Martin was named the runner-up, just behind Rick Clunn. Apparently, Clunn’s four Classic championships trumped Martin’s nine Angler of the Year titles, at least in the minds of fishing fans.

Off the water, Martin had a profound effect on the growth of the sport. He and John Powell were the two full-time pros participating in the nationwide B.A.S.S. Seminar Tour, which jump-started membership in Ray Scott’s organization and drove national support for tournament angling.

He was hired by Darrell Lowrance in 1970 to help with research and development of early Lowrance depthfinders.

On May 4, 1971, Martin was having dinner with Forrest Wood and his family when Wood received a phone call telling him his Ranger Boats plant was on fire. Martin and Wood reached the blazing building in time to drag a file cabinet through a window just before the roof collapsed. The file cabinet contained unfilled orders for Ranger Boats and enabled Wood to stay in business.

For decades, his “Fishing With Roland Martin” TV show has entertained and educated millions of bass anglers across the country. His popular how-to book, Roland Martin’s 101 Bass-Catching Secrets, has been a staple in anglers’ libraries since its publication in 1980.

Martin is given credit for coining and defining the concept of pattern fishing in 1969, when he was creating a bass fishing map of the Santee Cooper lakes, where he guided fishermen. He explained the term in his book: “A pattern is the exact set of water conditions, such as depth, cover, structure, temperature, clarity, currents, etc., which attracts fish to that specific spot and to other similar spots all over the same body of water.”

Martin was the first professional bass fisherman to be inducted into all three fishing halls of fame: the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Hall of Fame, the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.

His legendary career almost didn’t happen. After stints as a U.S. Army officer, a schoolteacher and a fishing guide, Martin decided to try tournament fishing in 1969. He visited the weigh-in of the Eufaula National B.A.S.S. Tournament in July of that year, arriving in time to see Rip Nunnery and Gerald Blanchard weigh in daily limits of 90 pounds, 15 ounces, and 88 pounds, respectively. Upon seeing those hauls, Martin told Ray Scott, “I have no business here!” Fortunately, Scott was able to convince Martin to give it a try.

Martin, who turned 80 on March 14, 2020, is the father of Scott Martin, an outstanding bass angler in his own right who has enjoyed success on both the FLW and B.A.S.S. circuits. Martin named his son after his friend, Ray Scott.