While I haven’t been out on tour as long as some of my Bassmaster Elite Series colleagues, during my four years at this level I’ve seen a lot of changes in my life and in the way that I fish. The biggest change, I believe, is that I’ve learned how to attack each individual tournament to get the most out of what I find and what I’m capable of achieving.
When I was competing at the collegiate level I didn’t have many responsibilities – no home of my own, no wife, etc. I was just worried about fishing. That allowed me to transition into life as a professional angler with a clear focus on making the Elites. I fished the entire slate of Opens in 2018 and performed well enough to achieve my goal.
I had several top 10 finishes, including a win at the Red River and a second place finish at Douglas — two very different fisheries. Those accomplishments were gratifying, but when I look back at that time I realize that the major factor in my success was that I was having fun.
Since that time, a lot has changed in my life. I’ve experienced some thrills — and a few disappointments — at the Elite level. I’ve gotten married, moved into a new home and started thinking about building a home and starting a family. All of those are incredibly positive developments, but they’ve added layers of complication to my life. It has forced me to take an inventory of who I am as a person and as an angler and to fish to my strengths while minimizing my weaknesses.
Sometimes that means going out and being aggressive and trying new things. Other times that means shunning the latest “trendy” fishing style and returning to my roots. Again, the key is always to focus on minimizing stress and having fun, because that’s when things flow the best.
I’ve already seen the benefits of this approach. On my first three visits to the St. Lawrence River, I really struggled – 57th, 47th and 77th. I was consistently getting my teeth kicked in because I couldn’t figure out those big smallmouth. Then last year I went up there to fish an Eastern Open and things finally clicked. I ended up finishing 11th. Not surprisingly, it was a Johnston brother who knocked me out of the top 10, but most importantly I had a great time. That was because I stopped trying to force other anglers’ techniques into my gameplan unnecessarily.
I didn’t grow up fishing for smallmouth, so I’ve never gotten the hang of drifting. To put it bluntly, my boat does not go backwards. So I trashed that approach and went back to my saltwater roots to make things happen. The strategy once again proved its worth last month when I finished 12th in the most recent Elite event there. I had a chance at a Top 10. I caught three smallmouth over 6 pounds and lost another that easily topped 7, but it is what it is.
Instead of going home made, I fished what made me happy, and it paid off. Just like anything in life, if you try to force things, the result is usually a bad one.
I didn’t make a cast after I left the St. Lawrence until I got to Oahe because I had to prioritize other things in my life, but that’s good. It had me hungry going into the last two Elite Series tournaments of 2022. I’m in a weird position that has me all but assured of making the Classic, but with effectively no chance of winning AOY. I have a chance to move up into the top 10, but probably not to take home the title.
Rather than viewing that as a negative, though, it frees me up to have fun and to put 100% of my effort into winning one or both of the tournaments. It’s time to make some money and catch as many as we can up north.
