New York Knicks captain Lance Thomas is a hardcore competitor on the court at Madison Square Garden and pursues his passion for fishing with equal intensity. One thing I learned sitting down with Lance is that he has an ultimate dedication to fishing, he engages in the same competitive drive that has brought him success to this day, and approaches fishing with a surgical like intellect and application.
As he states,” I’m always listening and picking up on every little thing I hear from captains. I’m like a sponge, I soak it all up and apply the knowledge.” Thomas has assembled his Slang Magic fishing team to fish the competitive offshore fishing tournaments from Louisiana to New Jersey, but let’s get down to business and understand why an NBA player loves to fish.
NH: So you’re born in Brooklyn, played high school ball in New Jersey, played college ball at Duke, live in NYC, but your boat is based in Louisiana right? What made you localize the boat there?
LT: I’ve been fishing hard in the Gulf of Mexico for about 6 years now, starting when I was playing for the New Orleans Hornets. I fell in love with the area. After I caught my first tuna with Captain Peace Marvel, that was it. I wanted to have that experience over and over again. I prefer the Gulf because there is such a wide diversity of species available – tuna, tilefish marlin, grouper – you name it. The variety is always what keeps me here.
NH: Most memorable fish?
LT: One of the fights that sticks out in my mind was being doubled over with a 90-pound amberjack. You can’t believe the power on those fish, especially when they get that big.
NH: Why do you fish?
LT: It’s very therapeutic, it’s a way of life. From a basic level, it’s the challenge of setting a goal, targeting a certain species and achieving that goal. When I reel in any fish, I respect that fish because it’s a fighter and a survivor, it won all its battles in life up to the point I hooked and caught it and I respect that. Other than that, it’s the competition. I’ve always been a competitor and entering the offshore tournaments drives me to win.
NH: What’s your favorite type of fishing?
LT: I’m purely offshore. In the open ocean you can’t beat bottomfishing and deep dropping. Without a doubt, my favorite fish is the yellowedge grouper, but I’ll take any grouper, tilefish, snappers, etc. Deep dropping always keeps you guessing on what’s coming up.
NH: What fish is on your hit list?
LT: In the Gulf, I have yet to catch a big blue marlin or bluefin tuna. I want to see that 50 wide get dumped and land a fish that big. It’s got to be a major challenge. Outside of the Gulf, I gotta say roosterfish is on my hit list. From what I hear, it just seems like such a challenge to target roosters and the battle is heavy.
NH: What’s next for Slang Magic?
LT: We’re going to be fishing the tournament circuit, starting with all the billfish tournaments along the Gulf Coast and hopefully competing in all the big tournaments on the east and west coasts. Keep an eye on us and see what we’re doing. We’re hoping to create a winning presence on the tournament circuit.
Keep up with Lance Thomas and all his fishing exploits on his 40-foot Invincible catamaran equipped with a mind-blowing foursome of 350 Merc engines at www.slangmagic.com; a see more of Nick’s interview with Lance at www.saltwaterunderground.com.
