James Brown, of Lodi, won second place and a $52,000 boat in a bass fishing fantasy tournament. (Courtesy photo)

Reeling it in

Lodi man wins $52,000 fishing boat in fantasy tournament

When James Brown took up the game of fantasy bass fishing, it was a way to remain involved in a sport that the husband and new father could only dream of making a full-time job.

The Lodi resident got one step closer to that dream o Thursday, finishing in second place and winning a $52,000 boat in a contest with millions of players.

"It was awesome; it was a great experience," Brown said by phone from South Carolina shortly after the awards ceremony put on by FLW Outdoors.

Brown, 26, didn't win the $1 million grand prize, but coming in second place wasn't exactly a loss. The odds of winning were slim, and he was up against players from around the world.

Earlier in the virtual tournament, which is played like other fantasy sporting games that follow the real sport, Brown won a $5,000 Wal-Mart gift card.

He used the gift card to buy a new laptop, so he could better track bass fishers. His wife, Tessa, bought a new high-end digital camera, and Brown said with a laugh that she has mostly taken over the laptop, too. The rest of the gift card went to taxes and baby supplies for their daughter, Taitam, now 9 months old.

So, now that Brown will soon be the owner of a Ranger Z19 boat powered by a Yamaha engine, what is he going to do with the prize?

"I guess you could call it a 'get out of jail free' card," he said.

Brown will probably sell his prize and keep his current bass fishing boat. Once the IRS collects its share of the taxes, Brown plans to pay off the credit card debt he and his wife have, then put the rest of the money toward his dream job.

"I'll be able to really concentrate on the fishing career. They've pretty much given me an opportunity to fish for a living," Brown said.

However, that doesn't mean he's going to quit his job with Central Valley Septic, where he installs and maintains sewer systems. Unless he actually makes a career out of bass fishing, Brown's not making too many life changes for now.

His immediate plans were to get home to his daughter. Brown and his wife flew out of Sacramento at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, leaving the baby with grandparents.

The Browns spent most of Wednesday traveling, finally landing in Charlotte, N.C. There they boarded a bus headed for Columbia, S.C., the location of the awards ceremony.

The couple got in around 6 p.m., checked into their hotel and had just enough time to get to dinner at 6:30. That was followed by a rehearsal for the awards ceremony, where the top 15 winners had been flown.

"I haven't slept since Sunday," Brown said, referring to the day he got a call that changed the week's plans.

The months of playing had ended, but FLW kept the results secret, telling players that finalists would be notified Sunday. When the phone rang and a man on the other end of the receiver said, "James Brown?" he knew what it meant.

"It was a great call," Brown said earlier this week. "Then I called everybody in the world."

Brown didn't have much trouble taking time off work, since his cousin runs the company. In fact, his cousin lived up to a promise he'd made months earlier — Brown was a finalist, so his cousin and wife also traveled to the awards ceremony.

Thursday was a blur of excitement, with more rehearsals until the big announcement, which was broadcast on the Internet and TV.

Wearing a Duracell jersey and a Ranger hat supplied by FLW, Brown had plenty of photos taken. Then he got to meet the chairman of the fishing tournament, as well as pro bass fishers — names and faces Brown knows well.

An avid bass fisher, Brown spent six months analyzing the pro fishers through seven tournaments. The fantasy game mirrors the real one, just as fantasy football games follow the NFL schedule.

Because it doesn't cost to play and everything is done online, Brown had a lot of competition.

FLW doesn't release the number of players, spokesman Stephen Dupont said, but the tournament had players from 122 countries. Prize winners have come from as far as Estonia, South Africa and Japan, Dupont said.

As for Brown, the former Tokay High School student said the whole experience was "pretty awesome."

He finally got a brief break from the madness — which he didn't really mind — Thursday afternoon and had a beer at a restaurant called the Flying Saucer.

He and his wife might get to do a brief bit of sightseeing today before flying home, but Brown said he really wants to get home to see his daughter.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.