My primary goal this season was to qualify for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic. It’s on Lake Ray Roberts, my home body of water in Texas. After a long, grueling season on the Bassmaster Elite Series tour, I achieved my goal by finishing 14th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
As I reflect on my season, it boiled down to the mindset I had from the first tournament at Toledo Bend Reservoir in February to the final event at New York’s St. Lawrence River. The key to my success was never fishing scared — I was going for the win every time.
The guys on the Elite Series are so good nowadays you can’t play it safe. By fishing conservatively, you limit yourself to an average day. That usually lands you way down in the standings. You have to be extraordinary to finish high on the leaderboard in any tournament.
After 13 years as an Elite pro, I’ve learned I must do whatever it takes to step out of my comfort zone and risk it all by always going for the win. That mentality gave me several opportunities throughout the season to weigh in heavy limits of bass.
That certainly was the case at Lake Champlain. I could have targeted average bass with typical baits. But I decided to go for it and throw a big glide bait around bridge pilings and causeways for grown-up largemouth. That strategy yielded more than 21 pounds on Day 2 and a ninth-place finish.
I didn’t need to catch much to qualify for the Classic at the last tournament of the season on the St. Lawrence River. I easily could have sacked 18 to 20 pounds a day by fishing the river close to Waddington and assured my Classic berth.
Instead, I opted to run 95 miles one-way out into Lake Ontario and go for the win. I wound up fishing in the middle of the lake within sight of Cory Johnston, who won the tournament. Although I didn’t make the Top 10 cut, going for the win allowed me to catch 26 pounds of mega smallmouth bass on Day 2.
I finished in 31st place by fishing larger lures than most of the guys were using. I opted for a Carolina rig with 3/4- and 1-ounce sinkers, 20-pound line and a Googan Baits Bandito Bug. I also caught some bass on a jig.
During practice, I saw smallmouth on my graph running away from a drop-shot rig. They’re obviously getting wise to it. I decided to do something different, and it paid off.
I can’t tell you how good it feels to start the season with a goal and achieve it. Given how strong the Elite field is, including the rookies, qualifying for the Classic gets more challenging every year.
I fell short of winning an Elite event this season, but going all out for the win at every tournament produced quality bass for me all season long. I missed only two Top 50 cuts, and I didn’t miss those two by much.
I’m stoked about fishing the Classic in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. I intend to approach it with the same intense “fish to win” attitude that got me there.
