Up and down week delivers EverStart Northern victory for Florida pro.
21.Jul.2012 by David A. Brown
(FLW Press Release)
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – His week was the clichéd "emotional roller coaster," but Straight Talk pro J.T. Kenney considers that a price well paid, as his ride ended with not only an EverStart Series Northern Division victory on Lake Champlain, but a significant career milestone.
 |
| JT wins at what he love doing; fishing grass. (Photos: FLW) |
The Champlain win – Kenney's third top finish in FLW competition – pushed him past the prestigious mark of $1 million in career earnings – $1,060,828, to be exact. Making his home in Palm Bay, Fla. Kenney shared a reflective moment while holding his trophy and contemplating the enormity of his achievement.
"When I first started fishing, I never would have believed I would win a million dollars with a fishing rod in my hand," he said. "I was just a kid from Maryland who loved to go fishing when somebody said there's a tournament and we out to go fish it. Fifteen years later, here I am."
Now, for the roller coaster explanation, Kenney was the only pro to break 20 pounds more than once, but he had a toe-stubber in the middle. On day one, he weighed the event's second-heaviest catch (21-8), but stumbled a little on day two with a 14-pound, 14-ounce bag that dropped him to ninth. In the final round, he stormed back up the leaderboard and took back the lead with a bag that weighed 20-6 and finished with a tournament total of 56-12 and a 3-ounce margin of victory.
"Ninth to first – I would have never thought," Kenny chuckled once his win was official. "I thought maybe ninth to third or fourth, but not this."
