IGFA Awards

One Man. One Goal. One Lure.

Worden’s® Rooster Tail

Being indoctrinated into IGFA’s Bass Grand Slam Club is an angler’s dream, and no easy feat. In 2017, Chad Summers did it not once, not twice, but five times. And that was just the beginning of his quest. In the same year, Chad achieved one Bass Super Grand Slam award and two Bass Royal Grand Slam awards. Eight coveted IGFA awards in a single year.

Even more unbelievable, but also true, is the fact that all eight awards were earned using the same brand of lure – A Worden’s® Original Rooster Tail Spinner. Designed by Howard Worden in the 1950’s and still produced by Yakima Bait Company of Granger, Washington, the Rooster Tail is rightly known as “the world’s most versatile, multi-species lure.” While different colors and sizes were used, Chad’s collection of Rooster Tails caught all eight species of bass: Largemouth, Spotted, Smallmouth, Rock, Shoal, White, Striped and Whiterock.

IGFA Bass Slam Criteria:

The IGFA’s Slam & Trophy Clubs recognize outstanding angling achievements through the Trophy Fish Clubs, Grand Slam Clubs, and Royal Slam Clubs.

All catches, past and present, can be submitted for IGFA’s Slam & Trophy Fish Clubs provided that all of the necessary documentation can be provided and the catch was made in accordance with IGFA’s International Angling Rules. The IGFA encourages all fish in these clubs be released alive whenever possible.

Members of the Slam & Trophy Fish Clubs receive a custom, hand-signed, embossed certificate depicting their achievement, and are permanently listed online and in the IGFA’s World Record Game Fishes book.

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Chad Summers Bio:

Being born and raised on the Alabama Gulf Coast, it is not hard to believe that Chad has a huge obsession, and an even greater passion, for fishing. The light switch turned on at the age of 5 when he received his 1st rod and reel. Even though it had the image of a favorite cartoon character, the knowledge learned in the sport fueled a never-ending fire that would only grow bigger through time. For most anglers, it is the quest for that big fish that gets them out of bed with no hesitation before a fishing trip in the morning. Rather it be for bragging rights among friends, or a IGFA World Record, big fish are the push for that last cast.

This seems to be true with Chad as he fishes in tournaments and is extremely competitive. The bigger quest for him is the chance to catch many types of fish. Though it didn’t seem like there were any rewards or recognition at the time, those did seem to excite him the most versus catching a big fish. Luckily his business allows him to travel all over the United States. Chad doesn’t go anywhere without a rod and reel. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big body of water or a small ditch; if he has the opportunity to catch a different fish species than what he has in his hometown, he jumps at the opportunity every chance he gets.

One day Chad was looking through his annual IGFA magazine and noticed different Slam categories for a few species of fish. There is the IGFA Royal Slam, Fantasy Slam, Super Grand Slam, and the Grand Slam. This opened a new door of opportunity for Chad. The overall goal was to complete the Royal Slam. The trick was to find a bait that could get the job done without fail. Sometimes after work Chad only has an hour or so to fish, so fishing with something that he felt confident in was extremely important. Only one bait came to mind. That magic lure was Worden’s® Rooster Tail. The color variety and patterns gave Chad the edge in diversity needed to complete the slam. It didn’t matter where he fished, which bass he was fishing for, and what time of year it was, Chad knew there was a Rooster Tail to “match the hatch”.