I didn’t think the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Sam Rayburn presented by SEVIIN would be the tournament that would send me to the 2026 Bassmaster Classic when I decided to jump into Division 2 of the Opens this year.
I had been to Kentucky Lake before, and I have been to Leech Lake — it is only five hours from me. So I was thinking if I could get through Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Norfork Lake with Top 50s, as far as overall points go, I’d be alright.
I did think either Kentucky Lake or Norfork would be my best chances at winning though. So for this victory to happen, it is incredible. It has all been a whirlwind and a little surreal to be honest.
When tournament director Hank Weldon announced me as winner, my whole life sort of went full circle in my head. Having my wife and kids there for that moment made it even more special. Seeing the look on their faces, it was an out of body experience.
I have worked so hard, and this is proof that it does pay off. I had to start a business to get to where I am now. I was a dreamer, and to see that come to fruition was so cool.
Twelve years ago, my fishing partner and I won the points race for our local club. When I got home from Rayburn Reservoir, I sat that Opens trophy right next to that very first trophy. It is so cool to walk by it and be reminded what hard work can do for you.
Jon boats to the Classic is kind of my story.
I didn’t come from money. My parents would drop me off at a sandpit pond that served as my babysitter at 9 years old. I would go out there and walk around it four or five times a day and learn on my own how to get the bass to bite. There was a campground, and we would plan weekend camping trips there too.
There were largemouth, crappie and bluegill. My sister always used to give me crap like, “How many times can you catch the same fish?” There were some big ones in there though. During spawning season, you would find a bunch of them. The ones that wouldn’t bite you would come back and catch later.
I actually got married in my ‘95 Ranger at this sandpit. We got married on a sandbar that runs into the lake. My wife is a huge Bassmaster fan too. We eat, sleep and breathe it.
My dad also had a 1970s tri-hull that we created a livewell in, and we would do a weekend walleye thing here in Iowa growing up too. My dad would fish for all species, but the story of Mike Iaconelli really ignited where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do when I was financially able to do so.
When I was a little older, I got a 1995 Ranger with a 115 horsepower motor on it and spent a lot of time fishing the grassroots trails around Iowa. My partner and I even qualified for two Bassmaster Team Championships in 2023 and 2024.
I fished one division of the Opens both of those years as well, but those two years I was overanalyzing and overthinking. I was really trying to do too much. I would spin myself in those Opens fields. My motto this year was to pick something and go with it. Analyze enough to let your instincts kick in.
After my practice for Rayburn, I had a good feeling I was going to run into some good bites. I knew I had some ditches with smaller bass in them, and knowing how hot it had been and how much the water cooled off when the cold front started, that some bass would pull back to me.
My head was thinking “cold front, cold front, cold front” all week long. I’ve made the mistake in the past of practicing in the present and then all of a sudden a cold front would come through or the weather would change. The bite would go away from me, and I couldn’t adjust in time. At Rayburn, I was fishing ahead of the curve and trusting my instincts that the bass would come to me.
I was kind of bummed we didn’t go on Day 1 just because it would have given me another day to put the pieces together. My plan was to catch a solid limit, hopefully run into one or two good ones, and then practice the rest of the day in my other areas for Day 2.
So during this one-day tournament, I did end up doing some practicing. I ran my first two areas; the water had dirtied up and the bait wasn’t the same. I had to tell myself to stay patient and keep going. I knew I had some areas that were going to stay clean, and sure enough in the third ditch I collided with the winning bass.
I caught two big ones right off the bat — a 9-6 and a 7-pounder — and in a multiday tournament I would have pulled out and saved that for the following day. In a one-day tournament, I stayed there and burned it down. Persistence paid off and I pushed up shallow there and caught that 8-8.
When I caught that fish, I thought I had a real shot. But I still had a 1-13, and in my head I needed to get to 30 pounds to win. Twenty minutes before coming in, I jumped off a 3-pounder at the boat, and I really thought that had cost me the tournament. When I came in, my wife told my kids not to tell me anything about what was on BassTrakk. That made the hot seat a little more interesting for sure.
If you are a grassroots guy and one of the dreamers like I was, it is possible. Hard work and perseverance does pay off. Dreams come true, and I am going to the Classic!
