In my last two columns, I talked about some really great stuff. My early years in fishing — college edition coming soon — and the Bassmaster Classic. Those are things that I love talking about and will continue to write about as the year goes on. I’m a positive person, and I love writing about the amazing things that come along with this great sport of bass fishing.
This one’s gonna be a little different. I wanted to write about something that’s starting to settle in for me — burnout. Call me selfish, but I think getting my thoughts out in the open will help me to defeat it. I know the things that work for me won’t work for everyone, on or off the water, but hopefully this helps you as well. Will I be all over the place? Probably. I’m laying it all out there, and hopefully we can get to beating burnout together.
What in the world is burnout?
I’ve spent more than three full weeks this year doing nothing other than chase bass. I’m doing it again next week. How in the world can one get burnt out doing something they love so dearly? My honest answer is I don’t know, but it happens. I think it happens to everyone, in anything they do in life. The Bassmaster Opens are brutal. The guys fishing them are bad to the bone, and I’m scratching and clawing my way to middle-of-the-pack finishes. I believe all of that, on top of the fact that I’ve never fished this much in my life, is starting to wear on me.
I’m not complaining; I’m not a complainer. This is what I love, and it’s what I plan to do the rest of my life. This is just the reality of it, and I need to learn from it and turn my year around. I’m proud of myself for realizing it this early, and I think it’s time I get into talking about how I’m going to get past it.
Positive. Mental. Attitude.
Guys like Gerald Swindle have talked about it for years and years. It can sound cliché, it gets old and it probably makes some of you roll your eyes. Frankly, I don’t care, because it’s everything in this game. I perform the best when I’m enjoying myself. At the end of the day, it’s freakin’ bass fishing. We do this because we love it, and when I’m in a great mood, my fishing typically reflects that.
Honestly, I haven’t been doing that as of late. I haven’t been down, I haven’t been up — just somewhere in the middle. My finishes have reflected that. I’d say that my Classic days were the exceptions to that rule, though how can you not be in a great mood fishing that event.
Go watch the bracket. No, not the whole 18 hours of coverage, just go find a 10-minute segment where I’m on camera. You’ll see a goofball doing what he loves to do, having an absolute ball, while fishing a pretty tough lake during the worst time of the year. I won that tournament in large part due to my mental outlook. Mentality is more important than any rod, reel or bait on the deck. It’s what turns those tools into fish, and if you can keep a good mentality, it turns them into good finishes.
It’s worth noting that being in a great headspace is something that’s tough to achieve when you’re uncomfortable, and I’ve certainly had some uncomfortable moments to start off this year. The Nitro Z20, Lew’s rod and reel combos, Humminbird electronics and Toyota Tundra have been nothing short of a dream for me thus far. I’ve had a blast traveling and fishing with all of it these past few months. I think what I’m about to say has nothing to do with the quality of any of what those brands have provided me with, but more so the lack of quality that I’ve fished with for the past seven years.
My old boat, rods and electronics were extensions of my body. I didn’t need to think about what to do when a guide popped out in the middle of reeling in a 6 pounder, I just did it. I had the zip ties and spare fuel filters ready when I saw the oil slick behind the boat after a long morning run. As ridiculous as all of that sounds, it was what I knew. Having stuff that performs differently, even if different means flawlessly, has taken some getting used to. The first time I drove a bass boat faster than 50 miles per hour was on the first day of practice at Eufaula. If you’ve driven performance boats for years and years, think back on the first time you did it. I think you’ll get what I’m talking about here.
You’re tired of hearing about my first world problems. This is why I’m going to start performing.
I’m comfortable. That Nitro is really starting to feel like home, and I love it. Lew’s Signature Series lineup of rods are arguably some of the best on the market for the dollar, and I love them. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed finally dialing in my Humminbird electronics, though it’ll still be a while for the forward facing stuff. I feel like this new equipment and I are starting to really gel, and that excites me.
The only thing left to do is get this noggin of mine in shape, and I think it is. After attending the Elite event at Murray recently, I know exactly what I’m fishing for. Those EQ guys are as good as they come, but I know what I have to do to finish in that top nine.
It’s really simple. Catch ‘em.
