Story by Pete Robbins

Lacombe, LA - It was with a heavy heart that Louisiana pro James Kennedy competed in the two recently-completed Elite Series events in Florida. The night prior to the start of the season-opening Harris Chain tournament he learned that his father, 84 year old Joseph Kennedy, had passed away. 

"My wife didn't know how to tell me, so she called Janet Bell," he said. "Janet is like a sister to me. She does so much for so many people. I had a few kids in front of me waiting for autographs when I got the news. I was struck. I hung the phone up, signed the autographs, and when they walked away I started crying. I had to get away for a few minutes. Nobody wants to lose a loved one ever, but in that situation, before such a big event, he gave me that strength before I let my emotions go."

His road roommate, Ohio pro Glenn DeLong, was one of the first to know, and he was able to keep Kennedy on a reasonably level keel heading into the tournament.

"Trip mentioned it at the briefing that night and it was the hardest 30 or 40 minutes of my life. I tried to get out in a hurry but it was unbelievable how many guys stopped me and said their prayers were with me." 

"It helped me to really understand the family aspect of our sport. We are a big family. Kenyon Hill told me that his father was struggling. Gerald Swindle came up and told me about his brother and said if you need anything, anything at all, just come up and ask me. Eighty per cent of them did that."

The next morning, the anglers observed a brief moment of silence in Kennedy's honor before the National Anthem. When the anthem ended, Kennedy looked up and "eighty per cent of the anglers' eyes were on me. There was eye contact, that fist deal, every nod meant a lot to me. It was very touching."

Family Matters
Kennedy's father was in his forties when James was born, and his parents divorced shortly thereafter, but there was never any sense of anger or resentment.

"They remained friends," James said. "We always had Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house, and my mother and stepfather would pick up my dad and bring him here. Their relationship didn't work out for them, but they didn't think that should stop them from being friends."

His father raised James and his sister Susan, to whom he is also very close. "She has taken care of things in recent months," he said. "I can't tell you where my heart is for her. When I got the news that he died, I just wanted to be with her. I knew what she was going through and it hurt that I couldn't go over and put my arms around her."

His father had been in poor health for some time, but the family made the decision before the season that he would do whatever he could to fulfill his touring obligations.

"I started to back out of the Elites, but they talked me into staying," he said. "If I had gotten in the truck Wednesday and gone home, they would have been glad to see me, but they also would have said they'd wished I had stayed." 

Indeed, he had gone to see his father one last time before he set out for the Harris Chain, and his father had a few parting words before he dozed off: "I know you'll do good this year. Remember what you're out there for. Don't take it for granted. You can catch them."

Father and Friend
Kennedy's father grew up on the Louisiana/Mississippi border, and Kennedy's grandfather had a small farm pond.

"That's where he taught me how to fish," James said. "There wasn't supposed to be any largemouth bass in there, but I found out otherwise. He gave me a Rapala minnow, and I threw it on a Zebco 202 or 808 or whatever I had at the time. My fascination took off from there. From the first explosion you get, you're hooked."

They hunted and fished together, along with his grandfather, who shared his name, James Edward Kennedy. "He liked to hunt squirrels up in the country. They showed me what it was all about," James said.

Even though his father, an insurance salesman, lived on a fixed income, he always managed to make sure that his son was able to get quality time on the water. 

"When I was a teenager, he used to drop me off at the swamp or at local parks to walk the banks and then he'd pick me up after work. I always had the best equipment, even at the club level. He always made that happen."

In addition to financial help, Joseph was also there to help his son through difficult times. "I purchased my first bass boat when I was 18 or 19," James said. "It was a sixteen footer with a 70 on it. Six months later the motor blew. He did everything he could to get me a new motor. At that time, a Yamaha needed nine hours of break-in. The day we picked it up it was thirty-eight degrees, raining and sleeting and he came with me and we ran it all day long. He made sure I did the right RPMs for the proper amount of time, everything was by the book."

On the Road
One of the most overlooked aspects of the pros' itinerant lifestyles is that they often miss critical parts of their loved ones' lives.

"We miss weddings, graduations, stuff like that," James said, "But family is number one and it always will be. With my daughter, I never missed one dance recital or ballgame, but last year at Clear Lake, it was the same time as her senior prom. I just came apart onstage. I caught 27 pounds and I was excited that I made the cut, but when Keith asked me how I was feeling, I knew everyone was watching live on the internet, so I told her how beautiful I knew she looked and how much I loved her."

Fortunately, his father had been with him at the time of his greatest fishing achievement, when he made the Classic through the Federation Nation. "He saw me make the Classic, achieve my dream and get the opportunity to compete against the guys I had been reading about for years. When I qualified for the Elites by finishing 9th in the Wild Card, he said now I had to come up with $55,000 in entry fees, but he was never a negative person. He'd find the good in every situation and that sticks with you."

Kennedy was quick to give credit to his "other number one fan" as well – his mother. "She has more copies of Bassmaster and two or three copies of every issue I've been in BASS Times. She'll call me every three hours during practice to see what I'm doing."

Return to Florida
When the Harris Chain tournament ended with a less-than-desirable result (he finished 95th), Kennedy flew home for the funeral. He returned on Tuesday, the second day of practice, and got back to work, but he felt that his father was helping him on the water.

"It started already. My co-angler will back me on this, even though he probably thought I was nuts. I was struggling the first day at Kissimmee and I had only four fish with 20 minutes to go. I told him that I was going to die with the chatterbait. Every cast, I said I needed a big fish, Pops, give it to me. With three minutes to fish I caught a 5-05, which brought me up to over 11 pounds on a day that was really going the wrong way."

"On the second day, it was pretty strange. Things were going well, but I couldn't get a big bite. I caught a four and a half at the end of the day to put me in the cut to fish Saturday."

"My father had taught me that you can't ever hang your head. You always have to be focused on fishing when you're on the water, that's my job. But when the days are over, you have to focus on what is really important and that's your family."

Dedication
Kennedy still carries a heavy dose of grief with him, but he is ready to get back on tour and pursue the best course of therapy he knows – fishing. 

"Fishing is what is going to make me feel better about everything. Is my season dedicated to him? All of my seasons will be dedicated to my dad. If everybody could have the relationship he and I had, the world would be a better place."