I’m Jim Langridge – Princeton_Man on the Ultimate Bass forums. I became an active member in 2013, then a Charter Member very soon after as a way to give back a little in exchange for all the information and help I received from other Ultimate Bass members and sponsors.
Jim Langridge – Princeton_Man
Born in Ohio, grew up (still hate that phrase) in Florida and mostly Virginia. My wife and I live on the outskirts of Princeton, WV with our dog and cat.
My dad sailed in the Merchant Marine for 41 years. My earliest memories of fishing start with me fishing the Great Lakes from the engine room of my dad’s 621’ cargo ship the SS Thomas Wilson when I was about six years old. When the ship docked, we went down to the engine room, one of the engineers would open a hatch, and I’d cast my Zebco.
I along with mom, dad, and three siblings lived in Florida until a heart attack put my dad into early retirement. We moved to Spotsylvania Virginia to be near my mom’s family. Farm ponds became my fishing playground along with the North Anna River, which later became Lake Anna.
Virtually every male in my family including uncles and cousins hunted and fished. It’s in our blood I guess.
I’m the very proud father of two sons who still live in the Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg area. My oldest is a professional firefighter and my youngest is a manager for a large retail pet store and still in school working to finish his degree in environmental science. They both love the outdoors and fishing.
In addition to my passion for fishing, I collect old folding pocket cameras, box cameras, movie cameras and old telephones. I also enjoy shooting, collecting firearms and reloading ammunition.
I worked for a defense contractor at the Naval Surface Warfare Center for more than 17 years providing support in both R&D and IT. I was given an opportunity to relocate my office to Southwest Virginia to become a manager of data and telecom for the company’s 26 locations across the US but an acquisition by another company changed things about 18 months later. I was given the choice of working at the Pentagon, working in Boston, or taking a severance package.
I’d grown very tired of the Northern Virginia rat race, and I chose to stay in Southwest Virginia where I eventually accepted a job offer from Virginia Tech where I continue to work today.
I still fish shorelines and river banks from time to time. I’ve been fortunate to own and fished from a variety of boats throughout my years and currently fish from a Stratos 285 Pro. I’ve fished a variety of tournaments over the years both as a co-angler and a boater, but my favorites are the locals and benefit tournaments along with our Ultimate Bass Rally tournaments.
