So, the 2023 Bassmaster Elite Series season is over … now what?
First, let’s recap the season. I definitely made some improvements in my performance this year, but one absolute bomb of an event with a 96th-place finish at Lake Champlain sunk the season and knocked me out of qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic for the second year in a row. That’s not what I wanted to happen.
I’ll evaluate the things I feel I need to improve and make those changes as the offseason progresses, but for now, I’ll turn my attention to other things.
The most important priority is my family. I’ll spend as much time as I can this offseason with Sonja and the girls. Being with them is the best part of my life, and I take full advantage of that when I’m home. I take our youngest daughter, Ivy, to school each morning, and then I pick her up from gymnastics in the afternoons too. There’s a lot of quality time with her in the truck on those trips.
Sonja and I love watching our oldest daughter, Myah, play volleyball too. It’s become one of my favorite pastimes to see her and her teammates in competition and watch how they are progressing as individual athletes as well as a team. Plus, I’m watching the games with my wife, and that always makes it more enjoyable.
Of course, I’ll spend a lot of time working on Missile Baits this offseason as well. We’ve got some really cool things in the works with new projects that we’re in process on, and there are some positive new things in the works on the distribution front that we’re excited about as well.
It’s time to sell my 2023 Bass Cat, and I’ll get started on my new boat soon too. I’ve been running the Bass Cat Puma STS for the past couple of years, and I have loved that model. But when Rick Pierce announced the new Caracal STS, I felt like that model would fit me a little better. It is a little shorter than the Puma STS, and I think it will be the ultimate boat for me.
Ultimately, the offseason is about preparing my body for the next season, and I will put a lot of time into that. Fitness has always been a key part of my life, and this year won’t be any different — other than how I do it.
Last offseason was spent working with Myah a lot on her routine to try and help develop her strength and conditioning approach for sports. These types of workouts are more geared towards specific sports. With her having gotten a handle on her workouts, I’ll get back to more resistance type training of my own.
I’ll spend some time working to keep my arms in shape for fishing and of course working to stay flexible to help avoid injuries or discomfort next year. I post a lot of my workout stuff — along with fishing tips and recaps — on my YouTube Channel. If you are looking for something to help you perform better as an angler, then check out my two videos on my stretching routine and avoiding tendonitis.
If you only do those two things as an angler, I guarantee you will see the difference on the water. If I could only do a little bit of work in the fitness department, it would be in those two areas.
I’ll check back in a little later, and we’ll talk more about fishing. Thank you.
