Brotherly love has crossed the boundaries of two Western states via the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.
A pair of brothers, Brian and Tim Myers, have been helping the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation grow in the West through their dedication and hard work. Brian has served in various capacities, including club president, tournament director, publicity director and Webmaster, the past 15 years for the Southwest Colorado Bassmasters. Tim founded the Nevada B.A.S.S. Federation Nation and served as its first president.
The brothers grew up in Southern California and mostly fished for trout at the family's summer cabin in Utah. Brian got interested in bass fishing when he moved to Durango, Colo., and joined a club in Cortez, Colo. When he found out several bass anglers from his area frequently fished Lake Powell, Brian helped form the Southwest Colorado Bassmasters club in Durango.
The transplanted Californian eventually qualified for a Western Divisional by making the Colorado state team, and he fished six Bassmaster Western Invitationals from 1997 to 2000. In addition to his fishing accomplishments, Brian helps his club every year with its annual CastingKids event and Take a Kid Fishing Day in June. He and fellow club members also cooked a barbecue dinner for the competitors and BASS staff at last year's Western Divisional at Lake Powell. Plus, because he and club member Chris Douglass were Coast Guard-licensed captains, they served as the operators of two houseboats that took the wives and children of Western Divisional anglers on a tour of Lake Powell for a couple of days.
Even though he convinced Tim to become a state president, Brian believes location probably prevents him from doing the same in Colorado. "It's really so hard the way Colorado is set up because we are so far southwest from Denver, where most of the membership comes from," he said. "For me it is closer to go to Albuquerque, N.M., than Denver."
Tim moved to Las Vegas in 1989 and began spending his time duck hunting and trout fishing in central Nevada. Tim's interest in bass fishing kindled when Brian started fishing the Invitationals. "That's when I thought about how these guys were catching little green fish and winning $50,000 and I wondered, 'How hard could it possibly be?'" recalled Tim. So he started fishing as a nonboater in pro-am and team events in various Western circuits.
Brian introduced his brother to the Federation Nation in 2005 by inviting him to join the Southwest Colorado Bassmasters and compete as a nonboater in the state championship. "I developed a monster there," said Brian. His little brother finished seventh in the state championship to qualify for the Western Divisional, where he nearly won a berth to the Federation Nation Championship.
"Basically, my brother is the one who stuck the hook in me and actually introduced me to what the Federation was," recalled Tim. After the Western Divisional experience, Tim went back to Nevada and decided to start a new Federation Nation for his state.
Tim formed the first B.A.S.S. Federation Nation ever in Nevada when he convinced four unaffiliated clubs to join the state chapter. When he became the state's first president, Tim received some advice from his older brother. "I told him to beware that it was a thankless job and that he was never going to make everybody happy," Brian said. "I told him if he made the rules, stick to them and don't try to change anything for one person because you are never going to please everybody."
Tim's accomplishments with the Nevada Federation Nation have made his big brother proud. "I brag about him all the time," said Brian.
Although he has resigned as the state president, Tim still serves as his state's secretary and is the president of the Nevada Federation Nation's five-member executive board.
"I'm still passionate about it," Tim said. "I'll always be involved. To keep this thing going, it takes somebody who can be involved every minute of the day. It's hard. It's the hardest thing I have ever done."
While both brothers remain deeply involved in their state Federation Nations, Tim would like to join forces with Brian in tournaments some day.
"It would be nice if we could fish together as a team, but it is hard to do because I have a family in Las Vegas and he is in Colorado," lamented Tim. "With his financial support and my fishing abilities, we would kick some rears."
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