Bass Fishing Apr 2017 | Page 74

ON TOUR FLW TOUR detaIls Feb. 16-19, 2017 presented by Quaker state hosted by city of Jonestown and austin sports commission ROSE RIDES MOMENTUM TO TRAVIS VICTORY t ARKANSAS PRO FIRST EVER TO WIN BACK-TO-BACK TOUR EVENTS By Rob Newell he role that momentum plays in the sport of professional bass fishing is undeniable. One success often leads to another success, resulting in some of the most impressive “rolls” in the history of the FLW Tour. Whether it’s scoring consecutive top 10s or winning multiple events in a sin- gle season or even claiming back-to- back Angler of the Year titles, the old saying “success breeds success” pro- vides an apt description of a powerful force in tournament fishing. Mark Rose is the latest FLW Tour pro to illustrate this phenomenon involving success and momentum. After winning the 2017 FLW Tour open- er on Lake Guntersville, Rose turned right around and won the second event of the season at Lake Travis, making him the first pro to win consecutive tournaments in a single season in FLW Tour history. gut feelings CONDITIONS Weather | partly cloudy with spotty showers mixed in on the final day air temperature | mid- to upper 70s Water temperature | 59 to 63 degrees moon phase | third quarter predominant lake features | rock, docks, submerged trees and bushes 72 Rose caught kickers from deep points before moving to docks to fill his limit. Rose says that riding the crest of success of one event into another pro- vides a little extra breathing room to follow instincts, take some risks and make good decisions, which he benefit- ted from at Travis. “A win like Guntersville early in the season just gets you going in the right direction,” he says. “It was a big financial boon for my family. It was a great start in the points. It just put me in a great frame of mind going into Travis. Instead of being under the gun and trying to force things, it gave me a little more freedom to keep an open mind and be open to what my gut was telling me.” For Rose, one of those critical gut feelings came on the first day of the tournament when he was still trying to feel out which Lake Travis pattern to commit to. flWfIshIng.com I aprIl 2017