Boyd Duckett is still reeling from his big win on New York’s Oneida Lake during the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series Ramada Championship. His 6-ounce margin of victory gave him the trophy he was craving, but it also qualified him for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.
“I hated sitting it out last year,” said Duckett, who missed qualifying for the 2012 Classic after having competed in five consecutive ones. “I don’t like being on the outside looking in.”
Below is the transcript of the B.A.S.S. Twitter chat, lightly edited for clarity.
Keep up with Twitter chats, tournament news and bass fishing advice by following B.A.S.S. on Twitter at @BASS_Nation.
You can also check out transcripts of previous Twitter chats we’ve had with Jonathon VanDam, Todd Faircloth, Brent Chapman, Randy Howell, Ish Monroe, Brandon Palaniuk, Jeremy Starks and Alton Jones.
BASS_nation Welcome everyone! Boyd is ready for your questions.
twreed Boyd, are you still sporting the bright red shoes?
Duckett: Absolutely! Red shoes are my trademark. Color and style is what it’s all about!
twreed Boyd, because you’ve been a successful businessman, is money a motivation for you on the trail? If not, what drives you?
Duckett: I’m very fortunate to not have to be monetarily motivated with tournament fishing.
Duckett: What drives me is the passion and desire to succeed in competition at the highest level.
twreed How often do you fish for fun?
Duckett: I go as often as I can with every fishing buddy that I can!
twreed Did you know you had it won on Oneida before you came off the water?
Duckett: Every winner always knows. They know in their heart. I felt I had it when I caught a 4 1/2-pounder, which was my first fish.
tonybarlow03 What is your go-to bait in heavily stained water?
Duckett: Spinnerbait – you get the advantage of vibration as well as color. Vibration is important in heavily stained water.
AWsmithBassman Any tips for finding bigger bites on a river? I’ve caught 20 to 30 fish a day in my local tourneys, but few keep. Very frustrating.
Duckett: Think back on which baits have cost you the big bites on your river. Key on baits that produced big bites and be willing to throw that all day.
AprilLPhillips Hi Boyd! What was special about your win on Oneida Lake?
Duckett: 2012 was my comeback tour. I’ve written all year about it on boydduckett.com. Oneida sealed the deal!
Hunter_Snell If you could only choose one bait, what would it be?
Duckett: A jig because it’s versatile enough to fish on bank, mid-depth and deep water.
Hunter_Snell On takeoff during a tourney, do you ever back out of the throttle, barring rough water, or are you WFO until the end?
Duckett: I leave that for the young guys! Nine hours is plenty of time for an experienced angler.
ditchell Boyd, what do you think about the Classic next year at Grand Lake? Fished there much?
Duckett: I have fished three events on Grand Lake. It’s an unbelievable fishery in February. We’ll smash ’em! It will likely be back up.
Duckett: Headlines for the tournament will be weather oriented.
MESd_Up Any suggestions on successful Senko usage? (wacky rigged)
Duckett: Always remember more bites come on light line. Heavy line lands fish; light line gets bites.
JohnathanMcLainI’m fishing my first B.A.S.S. tournament as a pro on Smith Lake. What challenges did you face in your first tourney as a pro?
Duckett: Set your goal at a reasonable level. Maintain mental control and enjoy the highest level of competition.
hunter44i8 How does it feel to bring it back to the office, and are you ready for next year?
Duckett: I’m ready for next year and very ready for Grand Lake. 2013 will be better than 2012!
Duckett: Secrets to come on The Duckett Exchange boydduckett.com.
hunter44i8Did it bother you when this year was called the “Come back to the office” tour or did it push you harder?
Duckett: I’m always motivated by someone that doesn’t think I can get it done.
chadletonIs “power-finesse” becoming more common at the Elites? 10-pound line and long leaders on a C-rig; 10-pound fluoro a la Syracuse.
Duckett: Power-finesse is popular on tour. Remember: light line always equals more bites; heavy line equals more landed fish.
Duckett: The decision to use light/heavy line is made on tour on a daily basis. That’s part of tournament fishing.
slumpgumpy Hey Boyd, looks like you were using braid on your swimbait at Oneida. Is that right?
Duckett: No, I was using 10-pound Trilene, 100% fluorocarbon. The light line got me more bites.
slumpgump Yup. That’s right. I forgot. Saw it on TV last Saturday. If all fluoro is clear, why did 10 pound make a difference? And when did you realize you had to go down to 10 pound? In practice?
Duckett: I learned the first day of the event; got short strikes on 17 pound, switched to 10 pound and then caught ’em.
BASS_nation Boyd, what’s your strategy going into the Classic?
Duckett: I’ve already started my research, and I will practice before cutoff, preparing for any weather situation.
BASS_nation Thinking back on your season, what were the ups and downs?
Duckett: The biggest up was the constant progress of coming back to a champion level angler.
Duckett: The biggest down was Toledo Bend. I had a complete metal spinout.
BASS_nation What did you do after Toledo Bend to turn your thinking around?
Duckett: I focused on how to put one good day of tournament fishing together, making good decisions on the water every day.
JenJen3281 Got any good luck charms you keep with you while fishing?
Duckett: Red shoes, baby! I’ve always worn them!
BhamJen Hi Boyd! You recently had a baby, right? Did you have the famous angler “baby luck” at Oneida?
Duckett: Bobby Lane is the one who talked me into “baby luck.”
Duckett: I didn’t pay a lot of attention to it, but Lane said the new baby would carry me through.
Duckett: So my plan is to see how we can have another one by February! My son’s name is Eli, and he’s one month old.
Hirambassman Still throwing those glass rods?
Duckett: No, Duckett Fishing rods are all 100% graphite.
Duckett: Graphite is way more sensitive than glass.
pd111Hey man. Congrats on your win. Following you all the way from South Africa!
BASS_nation Thanks for joining us Boyd! And thank you all for your questions!
Duckett: Thanks for participating with B.A.S.S. and the Twitter chat. It’s a lot of fun for me to talk to other anglers who have the same passion for the sport as I do. Stayed tuned to The Duckett Exchange (boydduckett.com) for details on how I improved my season in 2012.