Published: June 20, 2008 12:45 am            

Murphy helps others first

With the passing of a recent cold front Ken Murphy knew that the bass bite would be slow, making it even tougher for first time anglers. Murphy had taken time out from his busy schedule to volunteer to guide novice and first time female anglers during an NWTF Women in the Outdoors event this past February. Bass fishing is tough enough under ideal conditions, but can be downright hard during poor weather conditions.

This talented angler has a love for fishing and introducing new people to the sport of fishing, especially young children and first timers. Facing poor weather conditions Murphy opted to use finesse type baits such as Zoom Flukes, and soft plastic jerk baits that would glide to the bottom on a slow fall.

It didn’t take long before Murphy found the pattern and bass and the ladies started catching them. As the day wore on, Murphy’s ladies caught more and more bass. Though there were too many to name, more than a few lady anglers caught the first bass of their lives. Fourteen-year-old Emily Giust caught her first bass and many others caught the biggest bass of their lives.

This event was the second such activity that Murphy had been a big part of during the last few months. Prior to this event Murphy spent a couple days guiding and instructing many disabled youths. The excitement in their eyes and howls of delight left no doubt that they were having the time of their lives while fishing under Murphy’s tutelage and in his professional class Ranger bass boat.

Helping hand



While many anglers are too busy to take time out of their schedules, Ken Murphy is always quick to lend a hand and pass on valuable fishing knowledge gained through years of hard work and on the job training. Fishing is sometimes boring for some, but always exciting when you’re catching fish, and catching fish is what Murphy does best. He’s about as close to a sure thing as you can get!

Coming off what some deemed the greatest year on the professional tournament circuit for a co-angler, Murphy was primed and ready for action once again. This time he planned to go for the gusto at Lake Norman where he had performed well in the past.

A couple days before Murphy was to depart for the tournament in the Carolinas, he felt ill and washed out. “I felt as limp as a dish rag, and very weak,” related Murphy. Murphy was in top notch physical condition, without even an ounce of fat on his body. “I worked out with heavy weights for several months and knew something just wasn’t right,” he continued.

One day before leaving for the FLW event at Lake Norman, Murphy checked himself in to Rush Hospital for a “routine” stress test. The stress test was anything but routine, and was so bad that they scheduled Murphy for a heart catheterization that same afternoon. The results were nothing short of devastating for the all American boy who had recently begun to live his dream of competing on the national tournament circuit, while beating many of the top anglers in the country. On the day Murphy was to leave for the tournament, he found himself being wheeled into s urgery for a triple bypass!



Counting blessings



Fast forward now eight weeks later and we find Murphy with a new lease on life and blessed beyond compare! Through a combination of events and by the grace of God, Murphy has come through a life or death crisis and is well on his way to recovery. He’s already back fishing, though not yet on the national tournament trail. Murphy’s three arteries were blocked to such an extent that the doctors couldn’t believe he had been working out and carrying on such a “normal routine”. Dr. Dan Van Cleave performed the heart bypass surgery and Murphy passed the test with flying colors!

Though some might dwell on the negatives of such a thing, Murphy is quick to see the positives and fully realizes that his life might have been prematurely cut short if not for the turn of events that led him to Rush Hospital and Dr. Van Cleave. In essence Murphy was told that if he had gone to the tournament, one bad wave might have been enough to jar his heart into a complete blockage and it would have been all over!

Only 8 weeks out of surgery Murphy can look back now and understand just how bad the blockages were. If not for being in top notch physical condition, he probably wouldn’t have recognized something was wrong until it was too late.

Many middle age men perform little or no physical work and have heart attacks when put under sudden extreme stress. “I’d advise everybody to exercise and get in the best shape you can and pay attention to your body,” exclaimed Murphy. “You may only get one chance and it could be a matter of life or death, so find a doctor you can trust and get checked out if you’re having any problems!”

Have you got stress in your life? Then take it from Ken Murphy and head to the nearest lake or river and engage in one of the best stress relieving activities of them all; fishing. You just might have the time of your life while relieving a little stress of your own!

        

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