Time flies when you’re having fun, and I’ve sure had a blast building my career with Bassmaster.
It seems like yesterday when I earned a spot on what was then called the Bass-master Tour by finishing third in the Bassmaster Open Championship in 2003.
I was fishing the FLW Tour at the time and had a lot of success over there but wasn’t sure I could afford to fish both circuits. Fortunately, B.A.S.S. offered free entry fees to the Top 3 Opens finishers, so I decided to take a gamble and fish on the organization’s dime.
Man, am I glad I did.
I won the 2004 Bassmaster Tour Rookie of the Year and finished second to Gerald Swindle in the Angler of the Year race by only three points.
That was a huge confidence builder for me. I was fishing pretty well up to that point, but winning the rookie title proved to me I could do it. I fished both trails for a couple of years and was a dominant force while fishing against two different groups.
In 2005, I finished in the Top 5 of the Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year race, won my first Tour-level event, won Angler of the Year in the Bassmaster Eastern Opens and was named FLW’s Angler of the Year.
I rode that success to a blessed career — six Bassmaster victories including three on the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, 19 Classic appearances, 2014 Angler of the Year and nearly $3 million in winnings.
I’ve had my share of ups and downs, just like everyone else, but consistency is something I’ve prided myself on throughout my career. I’ve only failed to earn a Classic berth once, yet I won the 2014 Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake that year.
I became a fan of the sport at age 10. I read every Bassmaster Magazine from cover to cover, and that’s where I not only got my love for the sport, but also where I learned to fish around the country.
I’ve made great friends on the Elites. When I started my career there, I was fishing against the who’s who of bass fishing. I noted how they dressed, conducted themselves on and off the water and interacted with the public.
They taught me how to be a good pro ambassador for companies listed on my jersey and boat. I want Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Strike King/Lew’s, Gamakatsu, Mossy Oak, Gamma Fishing and Millertech to be proud of how I represent them.
Rick Clunn had the biggest influence on my career. Like him, I don’t listen to dock talk and have always done my own thing.
I don’t seek any form of help and look for areas that match how I like to fish and ignore what many say about how they should be caught.
You have to be versatile on the Elites, so I’ve prided myself on learning techniques that fit my style of fishing.
But when you get right down to it, fishing slow and methodical with a jig has been pivotal to my career. I’ve won with other techniques, but the jig has been my primary tool.
For example, I found the fish with a jig that produced my first Tour win on Table Rock Lake, but when conditions changed after practice, I caught them on a shaky head.
I’ve caught bass in tournaments using forward-facing sonar (FFS), but I prefer to fish my style. Sometimes I have to use FFS.
I’ll continue to rely on fishing my style and the strategies that have carried me in this wonderful career.
Sure, I’m motivated by money and ego, but I’m driven by love of the outdoors and bass fishing. The Elites have given me the platform to support my family and share my passion for the sport.
I may be one of the elder statesmen of B.A.S.S., but as long as I retain that motivation and love of the sport, I’ll continue to fish professionally.
