12/24/07
Mark Jeffreys Is ProBassAnglers.com-Person Of The
Year For 2007-No single person affected the sport of
professional bass fishing during the year 2007, more than BassZone.com's Mark
Jeffreys. Jeffreys joins professional angler and PAA Founding Father,
Kevin VanDam, (2005 PBA POY) and BassFishingHomePage.com's Gerry Lebing (2006
PBA POY) as the third winner of this title created in the inspiration of Time
Magazine's Man Of the Year.
While Jeffreys will be quick to remind you that he has help which includes semi-retired tournament veteran, Harold Allen and a series of behind the scenes reporters, it is Jeffreys' vision that has pushed the standard bar higher and higher with his continued reporting from inside the game of professional fishing.
Jeffreys remains the only independent embedded reporter in the sport today, as he consistently travels to both FLW Tour and BASS Elite Series events to bring up to the minute live coverage for fans of the sport. A nominee in 2006, Jeffreys added an "on line chat" this season, allowing fans around the country to be updated the second something happened on the water. In addition to his on the water coverage of the sport, Jeffreys bond with the personalities around the sport, the anglers, tournament officials and support crews established a credibility that no other reporting agency has. "Jeffreys is there at every event, in the trenches, just like us, living the moment. This is why most guys give him their story first," noted one professional angler. 2007 also marked the year that Jeffreys introduced us to "In The House," an MTV inspired look at the homes and fishing workshops of some of today's greatest stars. Fans of the sport get to take a unique inside look at the way professional anglers work and live.
Mark Jeffreys established himself as one of the true pioneers of the sport in 2006 when he took his BassZone.com web site to these professional events. Before that, independent reporting on professional bass fishing was done by telephone, while the reporter sat in front of a warm fire place, asking questions of anglers who had to take time out from packing for the next event, eating or conducting some other important phase of their days. "Anglers don't just work 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, tackle needs to be done, packing, and getting ready for the next day goes on literally until we go to bed at night," stated another tour professional. In 2007, Jeffreys took his own pioneer efforts to the next level.
Jeffreys' BassZone.com has left other independent bass fishing news web sites in his "prop wash." While other news outlets continue to gather information the old fashion way, Jeffreys continues to go to the source, daring others to try what he has mastered.