Carl Jocumsen is living in America preparing for the 2020 Bassmaster season, but his mind is on his native Australia as it suffers through devastating wildfires.
“That’s pretty much all I can think about it,” the Elite Series angler said. “It’s been pretty hard for me to sleep over the last couple weeks. When you can’t help — sitting here and it’s pouring rain in Tennessee — it’s such a weird feeling.”
Reports are around 16 million acres have been burned across the country’s six states. There have been 25 confirmed deaths and 1,500 homes destroyed along with a staggering loss of wildlife that’s climbed to more than half a billion creatures.
“Wildlife, it really hurts me, especially when you see the images,” he said. “It’s been pretty tough and weird, because I’m here and not affected, but I feel like I’m drained every day.
“I want to help the people. I want to be there in the front line, helping, doing stuff.”
Sitting half a world away, Jocumsen came up with a plan how he can help. A trip home to complete work on his visa and be best man in his cousin’s wedding now includes efforts to benefit bushfire victims. He announced on his Facebook page that he’s loading up items for an auction and will appear at his cousin’s Fish ‘N’ Bits Bait and Tackle shop in his hometown of Toowoomba.
Among the offerings from Jocumsen, whose considerable celebrity in Australia grew after winning an Elite event last year, will be an autographed and signed jersey, several autographed Miller Rod handles retired from competition, signed prototype Molix Glide baits and some of his signature Fear My Heart products. Jocumsen also plans to pack his 40-pound Elite trophy from Lake Tenkiller and ask fans for donations to have their photo taken with it and him.
“My cousin does auctions once a month at Fish ‘N’ Bits, and it’s a really good platform,” he said. “Last time I went home, two Miller Rod handles, just the handles, I signed them and got $1,000 and $890 for the other. I had quite a few things like that.”
Jocumsen is no stranger to helping others. He trained and fought in a charity boxing match several years ago. A local angler, Trent Rigney, paid $5,500 for his framed jersey, which went to Mikey Cano, a 9-year-old who Jocumsen took fishing after brain surgery in a Make-A-Wish type deal. Jocumsen was proud to announce that Rigney is returning the jersey to be auctioned for the bushfire victims.
All the particulars haven’t been determined, but Jocumsen also plans to auction a fishing trip with him in the U.S. or in Australia with him and his cousin, a guide there. Jocumsen will fish the Basspro.com Open next week on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and try to coax other pro anglers to donate items.
“I’ll see if I can get some things from some other big-name anglers, Brandon (Palaniuk) and a few other guys — try to get anything off them I can,” he said. “The more the better.
“I honestly think we can raise between 10 and 20 thousand in that auction.”
The search for a proper beneficiary is ongoing, Jocumsen said. Australian comedian Celeste Barber, with 6.4 million Instragram followers, has raised more than $28 million for firefighting efforts, including $500,000 donations from the likes of rocker Pink and actress Nicole Kidman. Those funds are targeted for firefighters, and Jocumsen would like to see anything he raises make a difference.
“I’m looking to do something more isolated and personal to someone who’s been affected,” he said, “where $10,000 might make a huge difference.”
The fires started about two months ago, and Jocumsen has followed the news from home closely. He’s heard firsthand horror stories from people like his outdoors mentor, a man who lost 50 percent of his farm but felt fortunate to save his house and some belongings. His friend at Miller Rods was blocked by fire and had to be ferried home via the ocean, while his Australia Humminbird connection also required a boat trip after being trapped along the coast by fire.
“There’s just so many scary stories like that,” said Jocumsen, adding another group recently had to be flown to safety by a military cargo plane. “In the past two months, it has spread from one end to another on the east coast of Australia, literally the length of California.”
Jocumsen said Australia is a harsh country, and he’s endured bushfires and droughts where “we never had a hose hooked up for 6, 7 years — no rinsing cars, no watering plants, no baths, just fast showers.”
It’s summer in Australia and high temperatures along with severe drought and wind have created the “perfect storm” for catastrophic bushfires. While Australian officials have charged nearly 200 with fire offenses, which can result in 25 years in prison, Jocumsen said he’s disappointed in policies that prevent measures to minimize fires, like prescribed burns to reduce fuel on the ground, and firebreaks.
“Australia needs the fires — that’s how the aboriginal have done it for hundreds, maybe thousands of years,” he said. “The fires are supposed to be burned in a certain way where it doesn’t hurt the bigger trees. These fires are just so hot it just kills everything.”
“The greens have a lot more pulling power than what they do here. They’ve locked up every single national park. You can’t touch them. There’s no fire roads. If you own acreage, you have to go through hoops to burn excess fuels on the ground.”
Rain and cooler temps along the east coast provided some relief, but officials said the danger is far from over. Haze pollution remains high as well as potential of fires merging to create mega blazes.
Jocumsen will keep praying for his countrymen, and he’s adamant to do his part, even though his trip has him arriving back in Florida on the first day of practice for the season-opening AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns.
“I’ll land, drive in, jump in the boat and start practicing,” he said, closing with his ever-optimistic demeanor. “The Aussie fighting spirit is going to battle through it, and we’re going to come out of it better.”
