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Ultimate Dream comes true
Like thousands of other Northeast Ohioans, Frank Bartholomew loves to fish for bass, and like hundreds in that special clan of anglers, he thrives when the chips are down and his money is on the line in the tournaments on local waters.
And like many who follow the professional side of competitive bass fishing, Frank would be bowled over by the opportunity to rub elbows and trade casts with the sports stars. With that in mind, he entered the Ultimate Dream Sweepstakes organized by Jack Link’s Major League Fishing earlier this year.
His hope was he might get to meet Kevin VanDam, Aaron Martens, Skeet Reese or any of two dozen bass pros who compete in the Outdoor Channel’s Jack Link’s Major League Fishing. But he tempered his hope with this hard fact: 1.4 million people entered the sweepstakes.
Bass tournament anglers are accustomed to long odds. The fish more often than not are the big winners. Ninety-nine out of 100 tournament anglers go home disappointed.
So imagine Frank’s delight when he learned he was one of the select few whose name was pulled for the ultimate dream – to fish and hang out with the world’s best bassers.
Fresh from his return from the ultimate trip to a chain of lakes in Central Florida, Frank was still bubbling about the experience: “Everybody should enter and win the MLF Ultimate Dream Sweepstake. It was absolutely the most awesome time I could imagine.”
Twenty-seven people were drawn to make the trip. They were showered with gifts and dined, socialized and shopped with the pros who compete in the unique all-keepers-count format of the Jack Link’s Major League Fishing tournaments on the Outdoor Channel.
Frank was paired to fish with former Bassmaster Classic champion Alton Jones of Texas. He quickly learned not all of the sweepstakes winners were accomplished bass anglers.
“We had a woman from Illinois, Bethina Sampson, in our boat and it turns out she’d never fished in her life – never even held a fishing pole,” Frank said. “It was pretty cool because within a half hour, Alton had her casting and reeling and she caught her first ever fish. She ended up catching six bass and she was so thrilled. It was a joy experiencing all of that with her.”
Frank grew up in Youngstown and graduated in 1994 from Ursuline High School. He, his wife and son today live in Southington, and he fishes bass tournaments when he has time to spare from family and his work for Banner Supply.
He’s a member of Mohawk Valley Bass Club in Youngstown and Girard Lakes Bass Club, and fishes the full competition schedule of both organizations, along with open tournaments such as Mosquito Madness and the popular Do Bass series on local waters.
Many of the pros who were part of the recent Ultimate Dream Sweepstakes trip were familiar with Youngstown area waters after competing in July in the MLF tournaments on Mosquito, Milton, Evans and Pine lakes. TV shows produced from that action will be on the Outdoor Channel in 2016.
Mosquito tops Frank’s list not only because he lives nearby. “It’s a super flipping lake and the state does a great job maintaining the facilities such as the park areas and the ramps,” he said.
As for his MLF trip to Florida, Frank said the experience truly lived up to its name: Ultimate Dream.
“It was top-notch in ever regard, from the hospitality to the pros. They all are the most awesome and nicest guys you can imagine and I’d do it again tomorrow if I could.”