Bassmaster Elite Series veteran David Fritts will miss the first event of the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series season with the possibility of missing the second event as well. Fritts tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 4 but never felt the negative affects until roughly 11 days later. After those 11 days, Fritts’ heart rate rose dramatically.
“I went four days with my heart rate in the 180s. It felt like I was running a marathon for four days,” said Fritts. “Luckily I went to the hospital right as it was happening. I was in the emergency room for two days because a lot of people die from this exact same scenario.”
The former Bassmaster Classic Champion has felt much better over the past few days but will still undergo surgery to get his heartrate issues squared away. The procedure is set to take place on Feb. 15, just one day after the end of the St. Johns event. Fritts is still uncertain if he will be able to compete in the second event of the season on the Tennessee River.
“It’s still up in the air right now,” Fritts said. “The doctor told me it could take 10 to 20 days to fully recover from this procedure.
“The bottom line is I’ve got to get healthy, and I’ve got to have some energy so I can compete,” he said. “Fishing takes a lot of energy, and it also takes a lot out of you and right now I have not got that.”
Fritts hates to have to miss the first event of the season but plans on doing everything he can to get healthy and get back on the water.
“I told Lisa (Talmage), as long as I’ve been fishing B.A.S.S., I’ve never missed a tournament to my knowledge, but I just don’t feel like I can do it.”