Wilks Out for Another Season

CELEBRATION, Fla. – For the second consecutive year, an elbow injury has derailed the tournament plans of Dustin Wilks.

The 29-year-old North Carolina pro had enjoyed a number of solid finishes in BASS tournaments before reconstructive surgery on his right elbow cost him the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series season. And another recent surgical procedure will keep him on the sidelines for the 2007 season.

“I’m fine with it,” he said. “It’s just like tournament fishing — it’s been up and down. At first, I was obviously devastated to miss the whole ’06 season. You get back and feel great and you’re on top of the world again, thinking my arm’s just as good as it’s ever been. And then something like this infection or rejection happens. Then you’re back down again.

“At one point I was worried that I might never be able to use my arm again. That’s how bad it was. But now I’m looking forward to the ’08 season.”

The four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier had his casting elbow rebuilt with the tendon of a cadaver soon after the start of the 2006 Elite Series. After rehabbing it for months, he felt a subsequent problem brewing in December.

“It was fine for a long time,” he recalled. “Back in October and November everything was going well. I was fishing more and more every day. It was built up to where I could fish an eight-hour day.

“But around December I started noticing a little pain and a little swelling. Then I saw my doctor the week before Christmas and he determined it was either infection or rejection.”

Surgery was immediately performed at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

“They took everything out that they did in the first surgery,” Wilks said. “They took out the donor tendon that they had used for a ligament. They basically flushed out the elbow to make sure there was no infection in there.

Wilks received a good report when he returned to the clinic last week.

“The good news is the last surgery that they did was good. My doctor is confident that I will make a full recovery. I told him I needed to be ready by March of ’08 and he said there was absolutely no reason to think I wouldn’t be ready by then — even if we have to do another ligament reconstruction.”

Wilks won’t be idle during the 2007 Elite Series season. He recently created www.FishLikeaPro.com, which offers one-on-one fishing lessons with several Elite Series pros. And he will be doing promotional work for his sponsors.

“My sponsors have all been very supportive and understanding. We’re still talking about what we’re going to be able to do this year. I’m still going to be able to help them in a lot of ways.”

Meanwhile, Wilks is hoping to receive a medical exemption that will allow him to qualify for the 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series and if the North Carolina pro can furnish the proper paperwork, BASS officials will grant Wilks the medical exemption.
 

From BASS