APALACHICOLA, Fla. — Michael Frenette will experience a reunion of sorts at this week’s Bassmaster Yamaha Redfish Cup presented by Skeeter.
Raised on redfish, Frenette, 35, would like to keep his hot hand going when he teams with Mark Robinson in the three-day event. But he’s also excited to reunite with the JM Associates crew who were instrumental in helping the Frenette family make a huge impact in the redfish world.
“Interacting with the guys who watched me grow up will mean a lot to me this week,” he said. “I’m talking about the guys back in the Redfish Cup days who helped my dad develop his portfolio and learn how to market better.
“They were people I truly looked up to, Steve Bowman, Tommy Sanders. I want to show them, somehow, I’m still the person who my dad raised me to be. That’s why I’m looking forward to being with those guys.”
Frenette’s father is Mike Frenette, and he’s considered redfish royalty. His sons, Michael and Stephen, are heirs apparent.
“Michael’s dad is that kind of the man, especially in southwest Lousiana. He started so much of that,” said Bowman, who visits at their lodge frequently. “Big Mike’s not ready to pass on the crown. When he does, Michael is poised.
“This is almost like watching family. Michael’s almost like a surrogate son in some ways, so it’s awesome to see him do so well. He’s got a great future.”
Bowman added it was weird not seeing Mike and Michael competing together, as they had for almost a quarter century. Like his brother, Stephen, Michael guides out of the lodge, and still travels with his dad, but a switch from team to solo on the Elite Redfish Series forced them to split up.
“I didn’t make that decision,” Frenette said. “I would still want to be fishing with my dad.”
Last year, Michael Frenette won two tour stops and came in second in the championship. This season, he qualified for this week’s event via his clean sweep at the Frogg Toggs Elite Solo Tour National Championship at Lake Charles, La.
Frenette topped Gary Moreno in the event, which put them in a tie for Angler of the Year points. Frenette won the tiebreaker on heaviest bag of the season, earning $100,000 which will help pay bills on his new home in Baton Rouge.
He’d like to take the lion’s share of this week’s $100,000 payout, and he thinks he has a pretty stout partner in Robinson. They met 10 years ago but became good friends this year while fishing alongside each other at Robinson’s home waters of Port O’Connor, Texas.
“We got a pretty tight bond, talked the whole day,” Robinson said. “We each caught over 100 reds a piece that day. It was a great time and we became really good friends.”They battled back and forth all the season, and this will be their first time together on a boat.
“He’s never fished with anybody but his dad, or his brother,” Robinson said. “He’s never had an outsider jump on his boat and fish. He’s new to this. We get along good. We fish the same.”
One thing Robinson has learned is to check his shoes for pebbles in the treads as Frenette is a stickler about his gelcoat floors.
“I don’t have much, so I got to keep it nice,” Frenette said. “Mud is no issue, but little bitty pebbles and rocks poke holes in the gelcoat. If you have a dirty boat, that says something about you.”
Frenette was checking cameraman Bailey Mozo’s shoes before allowing him to board on Day 1 of competition. Robinson knew the routine.
“Mark and I are working together like we’ve been together for 100 years,” Frenette said. “We are funny, we are enjoyable to be around. There is zero pressure.
“I just got to rock free and I’m good, otherwise I get hollered at. ‘Hey, take them rocks out of your shoes.’”
Frenette said he hasn’t thought much about his windfall, that money won’t change him. He thanks his parents, Mike and Lori, for being well-grounded.
“I was raised, in my opinion, in the right way, by a mother and father who worked very hard to have what they have,” he said. “It came with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. We’re a very tight family.
“Winning means a lot. I proved it to myself. The dream that I’ve been chasing my entire life has come true.”
The hardware and prizes were just an affirmation of his hard work.
“I sat in silence for a long time just staring at what I had accomplished. It was just surreal,” he said. “Somehow, the little kid who spent most of his life walking up and down the dock, with a life jacket, catching bass in a one-vs.-one tournament with his brother, somehow he dreamed his way to where he is today.”
