ESPN

Some retirees have trouble finding things to do after they have been gone from the work force for a couple of years, but Gary Bradford just keeps getting busier in his retirement.

For more than 32 years, Bradford served as a fireman for the city of Long Beach, Calif., and now the 56-year-old Southern California native is trying to spark more interest in his state's BASS Federation chapter.

Bradford never fished when he was a youngster; until recently his favorite pastime was golf. A fellow firefighter got Bradford interested in trout fishing in the late 1960s. "I started fishing with him, and as our families grew we started taking our kids out," recalled Bradford. "I caught my first bass at Lake Mohave. We were setting marshmallows out for trout, and I decided to throw out a grub and I caught a nice bass. That's what got me into bass fishing."

In the late 1970s, Bradford did some bass fishing with the Tri-City Bassmaster club, but his interest in the sport intensified when he retired and moved to Canyon Lake, Calif. He started fishing some Federation tournaments in the area about six years ago and got more heavily involved when the Federation officials decided to cancel the events due to a lack of participation. "So I stepped forward and told them to wait because I could drum up some more people for the tournaments," said Bradford.

His penchant for volunteering helped Bradford quickly ascend the ranks of the California Federation. He has served as president of the Tri-City Bassmaster club and was one of the founders and president of the Canyon Lake Bassmaster. After volunteering to help draw more tournament contestants to his area, Bradford was appointed Federation regional director for Southern California.

When the incumbent California Federation president resigned four years ago, Bradford volunteered again. "We've had a lot of turnover in California, and I guess I got the position because I was the only one to step forward to take it," he admitted.

The Federation was mainly a northern California chapter when Bradford joined, but it has spread throughout the state since Bradford became president. "I'm most proud of making California a truly full-state Federation," he said. "When I first got on board, we had four regions, but now we have seven throughout the state. More of our clubs are holding CastingKids competitions, and we service the entire state now."

The Federation president has set goals to get more clubs involved in conservation and youth programs. He wants the state Federation to establish some Bassmaster Junior Chapter clubs and get involved in the Bassmaster Junior National Invitationals.

His slate became even fuller in 2002 when Bradford was appointed a Federation divisional representative for the Western Division. The position allows Bradford to be a part of the decision-making team consisting of the Federation, BASS and ESPN. "I really enjoy being involved in the decisions and being able to bring the Western ideas into that process."

Although the Federation has kept him busy during his retirement, it has been a labor of love for Bradford. "I enjoy meeting all the different Federation people around the United States," he said. "This has really been a lot of fun for me."

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