Spencer Shuffield’s got a story to tell. It ends just about the way you’d imagine. Son of a legendary bass pro, excelling in a sport he was brought up in, taking down the big championship.
But it’s the story leading up to that point that’s so compelling because it’s not what you’d expect.
Every pro fishing fan of moderate age recognizes Ron Shuffield. Spencer’s father was a household name in the '80s and '90s, a period when he won seven times on the B.A.S.S. circuit, qualified for 15 Classics and later went on to a solid stint with FLW.
It was there, during Ron Shuffield’s FLW tenure, that Spencer started to tag along. Fresh out of high school, the younger Shuffield made an impact as a co-angler, qualifying for the FLW Cup five years in a row, culminating in a co-angler AOY title in 2011.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, they say. But, in the case of fishing techniques that defined a career, nothing could be further from the truth.
Father Ron was the epitome of old school, jig and spinnerbait in hand everywhere he went. And Spencer admits those are winning tactics, but less than thrilling.
“We fished team tournaments together when I was younger, and I remember winning everything. But we got like six bites a day. It was miserable. We just didn’t catch any fish.”
And so the table was set.
“My dad was good friends with Taco (Fred) Bland (a prominent pro at the time from Alabama),” Spencer continued. “Taco invented the shaky-head. So that’s all I would use. We’d go to lakes around the house and catch 150 a day.
“I became obsessed with catching numbers. With dad traveling, I didn’t get to go (fishing) a lot. So, when I did, I wanted to catch all I could, and I loved it.”
To the younger Shuffield, this was bass fishing. The thrill of the catch, any catch, firmly planted in his mind. It was a complete 180 of the winning methods he was taught early on.
Looking back, I wonder how much this had to do with the father-son relationship. Was this the younger Shuffield’s version of coming into his own?
Back to our story. Spencer Shuffield’s came out of high school, a new appreciation for bass fishing firmly planted by way of a spinning rod.
Fans of fishing would assume the next step was easy; grab a boat out of the back yard and hit the circuit. But that’s not the way it worked.
“I had saved up some money through high school. A guy was selling a used Sprint bass boat for 8 grand. I offered him $7,000 cash, and he took it,” the younger Shuffield gleamed. “It was a great boat, man. I won a ton of money out of that thing.”
For Spencer’s early success, finesse fishing was becoming key. He completed high school courses early in order to travel and fish, where his move to FLW as a co-angler helped secure his destiny.
“I fished (through the draw format) with a bunch of West Coast guys and learned a ton about finesse fishing,” Spencer continued. Then, in 2011, FLW offered a lucrative Co-Angler of the Year prize with the award of a new boat. “I had to win that boat,” Shuffield declared. “My plan was to win that boat, sell it, and pay my entry fees for the next season as a pro.”
Entry fees? While the younger Shuffield admits his father was paramount in establishing his career, providing much-needed advice and some hand-me-down gear, dad wasn’t flipping the bill, as many would assume
“My dad wasn’t, in any sense, paying my way.” Through a combination of incredible determination and talent, Shuffield fulfilled his dream, wining the Co-AOY.
So in 2012 Spencer was off. Spinning rod in hand, his career foundation built by hard work and a strong financial ethic, it seemed nothing could stop a Shuffield from again making headlines. But, after four short years, despite consistent success, the wheels fell off.
Through an ugly divorce and corresponding economic ruin, Spencer Shuffield was forced, again, to start over. Back to the house and the local circuits he went. Fishing with cash for cash. A chip and a chair.
“I never officially got a job,” Shuffield offered proudly, though he spent some time as a “professional” pressure washer, a business he carved out of necessity and a knack for face-to-face salesmanship.
Local tournaments, though, garnered most of his attention. Then in 2020, after a five-year absence, Spencer Shuffield again hooked up his boat and hit the road.
“I don’t know how to do anything else, to be honest,” he confided. “It’s all I knew. I had it in my mind, I’m either going to do this or be homeless.”
For his second campaign, Spencer came out swinging. A near miss at the 2020 Pro Circuit TITLE Championship put a bitter taste in his mouth. A taste Spencer would be rid of two years later.
We all now know the story. A self-taught finesse specialist and self- proclaimed smallmouth junky, Shuffield took down the 2022 TITLE Championship with a massive final-day stringer, pocketing the big check and finally truly fulfilling his legacy to become a professional bass fisherman.
In 2023, we’ll observe Spencer’s next move as he adds the Bass Pro Tour to his already busy fishing schedule. “That’s where I want to be. That’s my format,” Shuffield confirmed.
But, in the end, I’m convinced Spencer Shuffield would be happy fishing any circuit, anywhere. In truth, it’s in his blood.
“Someone could offer me $5 million for a desk job, but I’d rather do this and make 50 grand.”
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
