Catching trophy largemouths consistently was Pat Cullen’s payoff for combining perseverance and a focused strategy fine-tuned over time. (Photo by Craig Buddo)
In an era in which technology plays an ever-increasing role in tournament and trophy bass fishing, and intensively managed, private fisheries can charge $1,500 a day for a shot at a double-digit bass, perhaps it’s a good idea to tap the brakes. You don’t need to spend a fortune or glue yourself to a monitor on a bass boat to make your trophy dreams come true. Pat Cullen of Valdosta, Ga., proved it.
Cullen, who passed away in 2014, was one of the most successful trophy-bass anglers of all time. Over four decades of fishing exclusively for big bass, he racked up more than 1,200 fish weighing more than 10 pounds, including six over 15 pounds. His biggest weighed 18 pounds...