Without a doubt, Tommy Biffle got home field advantage when this week's BASS Elite Series event was changed to Ft. Gibson Lake, which is literally in his backyard. Biffle was dominating jackpot events and regional tournaments on the lake long before he turned pro in 1985.
Starting today, the 52-year-old angler who is credited with introducing the technique known as pitching, is certainly in the spotlight as the favorite for two reasons. First is his familiarity with the water, and secondly, because the entire field had only one practice day on the lake due to the sudden venue change caused by area flooding.
Tommy Biffle has more than 40 years of experience on Ft. Gibson lake.
As BASS history has proven, sometimes the local experts do well; sometimes they don't. But one thing is for certain, no angler works harder and is more competitive than Biffle. He has had a long and successful tournament career with four major title wins and surpassing the $1.5 million mark in winnings on the BASS trail alone.
Biffle finished the 2009 season "on fire," and had it not been for a couple of unconscious mistakes resulting in penalties in the final events, he had more than a legitimate chance of winning the BASS Angler of the Year (AOY) title instead of finishing just a few points back in third place. He enters this last regular event of the Elite Series tied for 17th in the AOY race. He currently is ranked 4th in the BassFan.com ranking of the world's top bass anglers.
While many who follow bass fishing know Biffle as an angler, few get to see the real Tommy Biffle because he doesn't get the television air time and magazine cover shots as does the newer generation of pros who take on a show biz persona when in the limelight. Those who know Biffle best, though, know he has a great sense of humor.
Many got to see that side of him when he did the Gene Larew television commercial that had him sitting in a bathtub playing with his "Biffle-O." The folks at Gene Larew Lures have some great See the Biffle bathtub commercial that aired on ESPN2 on YouTube.
stories about how the conversation exchanges went in describing the commercial scenario to the angler, but as usual, Biffle was the funnyman in the end.
With the cameras set up and everyone waiting on the arrival of Biffle, his wife Sharron called to ask: "Is Tommy really having to get in the bathtub with two naked models for this commercial?" Of course, that wasn't the case.
Then, when Biffle got down to his closing line, "Hey Sharron, come look at my 'thang' in the bathtub," the line rolled off of his tongue perfectly. When the production crew gave him grief about that line coming so easily for him compared to the rest of the script, he was quick to say, "Yeah, but I say that one all the time."
Where the Okie shows his true colors though is when the job is over and someone is interested in "talking fishing." Biffle often takes the time to answer every question and, in many cases, go an extra step to show a rigging technique or pass along a bait sample.
"Tommy is highly competitive when the game is on," explained wife Sharron. "But he's also the kind of guy that will give you the shirt off his back when someone is in need. He's a special guy that enjoys competitive bass fishing to the fullest. When the season's over, my full time job is trying to get some work out of him here at the dealership, whereas he'd rather be hunting or fishing."
The Biffles own Tommy Biffle Lakeside Polaris near the shores of Ft. Gibson Lake. The couple has been married for 30 years. Their daughter, Jennifer, lives nearby and still enjoys jumping in the boat with "dad" for some bass or crappie fishing together.
Up the road not too far from Ft. Gibson Lake, Biffle's primary lure sponsor, Gene Larew Lures, is watching anxiously for a high finish by the angler using the Biffle Bug signature bait they make for him.
"We have a wonderful relationship with Tommy and couldn't be any prouder than we are of how he represents this company and the sport of bass fishing," said Larew owner Chris Lindenberg. "Biffle is a true fisherman's man. We're behind him all the way."
When the Ft. Gibson tournament is over, the BASS weigh trailer will be gone and the Biffle household will return to some level of normalcy, Tommy Biffle will be back into his normal routine. He'll either be back on the lake, working at his dealership or playing with a new bait in the bathtub. Should you encounter him on any one of those occasions, you're likely going to hear, "Hey, you catchin 'em?"
For more information about Biffle, visit TommyBiffle.com or GeneLarewLures.com.
