Randy Howell started as an 18-year-old budding professional fisherman, what must go through your mind when you wake up in a hospital bed to see that you’re covered with bandages and scars, discover that you’re fitted with an ileostomy bag, and listen as doctors describe a long road ahead paved with surgeries and challenges? Randy Howell 2014 Bass Master Classic Champion

This is a story of promise and obstacles. Of faith and tests of faith in this MidWest Outdoors Podcast

It begins in the February, 2018 issue of MidWest Outdoors magazine, with a classic country childhood filled with fishing. By the time Randy Howell was graduated from high school, he’d chosen professional bass fishing as a career.

Newly married and clawing away at the ultra-competitive tournament scene, he fell ill on the second day of an event and drove himself home. A bad flareup of ulcerative colitis, a condition he’d known about since age 15.

But this was different. This time, three holes in his colon had leaked poison into his body for 12 hours before emergency surgery saved his life.

From this tipping point, a tricky path would test his resolve and shape nearly every facet of his life. There are better times ahead for the future 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion, but let’s let Randy Howell tell the story… in his own words.

If you enjoyed this podcast, check out this podcast with Gary Klein! Want more on bass fishing? Checkout Bill Lowen’s Bass Fishing Tips.

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