Tournament Fisherman, Shawn Norfolk, Depends on K&N to Get Him To and Fro
- Apr 25, 2014
Raised on a Maryland farm, Shawn Norfolk acquired a passion for the sport of fishing at an early age. Referring to the family's property, he recalled, "We fished in the pond as much as possible. My grandmother lived on the Patuxent River, and we fished there all the time as well."
Eventually moving to California, Norfolk was introduced to a totally different environment from the life he had grown accustomed to. However, it didn't take long to figure out that fishing was good on the west coast as well. In fact, that's when his passion for bass fishing increased exponentially. "Once I move to California and caught a few of these big hybrid bass out here," he explained, "I really got into it hard." And "get into it hard" he did. Norfolk eventually began to compete in tournaments held throughout his section of the state. In fact, he has been fishing against fellow anglers for in the neighborhood of 15 years. When asked how he got introduced to competitive bass fishing, he said, "One of my fishing buddies suggested I do it. I had always just fished for fun prior to that. I finished third, and that was that. . .I was hooked," no pun intended. Still a California resident, Norfolk has the luxury of living in an environment where the temperatures never dip to a point that will adversely affect fishing. "Luckily you can fish year around," he shared. "The tournament schedules vary widely, but that's what's cool about fishing in Southern California. The water is never frozen, and the bite is always on. The best time of the year, out here, though, by far is March April and May. That pre-spawn reaction bite is fun, and once the spawn starts, that's when you catch the big 'uns." In the middle of raising a 12 and a 15 year old and with a full time job, the angler strives to fish as close to home as possible but that's no indication that fishing opportunities are sparse. Norfolk manages to juggle his time in a manner that he can fish as a co-angler in Top Stick sponsored events, and is also scheduled to compete in the Castaic Float Tube tournament series. Judging from previous success, the angler will likely be a force to be reckoned with during his upcoming tourneys. His largest catch during a tournament weighed in at 9 pounds and eight ounces. This is an impressive number, no doubt. However, the angler has managed to coax three fish, tipping the scales at double digits, from the water during his recreation time. "I caught all three at Castaic Lake. Two years ago, on a weekday, I hit the lake for two hours before work, and spotted a big shadow in the water," recalled Norfolk. "So I tossed out my Zipper ZitZit to find out if this shadow was a big fish or a stump. I saw the shadow head out to deeper water, so I decided to stay there and figure this thing out." Watching as the shadow continued to reappear and swim back into the depths he cast his white lure in the general direction of the fish. Watching as his lure disappeared, he set the hook, landing a 10-pound largemouth bass. Returning to the same section of the reservoir at the workday's end, the angler enticed another trophy into biting. She was the biggest catch of his life, weighing in at a staggering 13-pounds and 15-ounces. Norfolk also managed to catch another double digit bass, on a different date, at the upper lake in Castaic. Well, the proof's in the pudding, and Shawn Norfolk is an obvious candidate for success in the tournaments to come. And even though he is a co-angler in one series and paddles a float tube in the other, he must still consider keeping an engine fine tuned and in tip top running condition. Without the aid of his Honda Ridgeline, he could not make the tourneys prior to their designating starting times. He is a firm believer in K&N products and depends upon their expertise and quality to ensure his vehicle performs to its best ability. "I'm on my second Ridgeline and have used the K&N intake system on both of them," he ensured. "K&N stands for quality. You never have to worry about performance when K&N is involved. It's a no-brainer. "I use K&N filters on my motorcycles, and have since the early 80s. I don't get to ride like I used to though, mostly because I've replaced my seat-time with fishing time and family time. . .I've been using K&N since I was a little kid (in the neighborhood of 35 years) on my 80 cc two strokes." Looking to the future, Shawn Norfolk concluded, "I'm going to win a float tube tournament this year, win a big-fish award, be in the box in a Top Stick tournament, and outfish the guy on front of the boat every time. That's how it's going down this year." |
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