BACKLASH
Q&A
JORDAN OSBORNE
LONGVIEW, TEXAS
What’s the weirdest item ever
brought in or sold at your store?
We had someone bring in a
colonoscopy scope. I was like, What the
hell? Where do I even begin with this
thing?
We try to take anything that we can
resell, but one of the processes that
we go through when taking any piece
of merchandise is we test it. I thought,
How do I even make sure this thing
works? What is it worth? Is there a mar-
ket for it? It was really an odd situation.
Not to mention, what was somebody
doing with this thing?
That’s been about 10 years ago.
We did take it, and I believe we did sell
it. I was gone that particular day we
sold it, but I think the guy who bought
it had a small practice that he was just
starting up at the time.
Would you ever host a reality TV
pawnshop show?
No. Absolutely not. I don’t want any
part of it.
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As we saw at the Tour opener,
Rayburn is ridiculously good. Did
you grow up fishing there?
No, I’m two hours away from there,
and you probably don’t know this, but
I’ve only been in the tournament game
for six years. So growing up I had no
tournament experience. I
just grew up on the golf
course fishing ponds, and
that was about it. I’ve always
fished, but I never fished reser-
voirs out of a bass boat.
Once I got older and financially
things got better, I decided I wanted
to try my hand at bass fishing and
tournament fishing, so I bought a boat
and started in it. I did the club thing
for a few years then did it (fish the
Tour) as a co-angler.
Did you mostly learn about bass
fishing alone? Or did you have any
mentors?
I really went at it by myself. Jim Tutt,
being from Longview himself, helped
me out some. We had a long ride back
from Lake Eufaula the year I fished as
a co-angler. I was maybe 17th in the
standings, and Jim asked me, “What
are you going to do if you finish in the
top 10?” I said, “What are you talking
about?” “You’re qualified to fish as a
boater.” I said, “Yeah, I realize that, but
I don’t know if one year after doing the
co-angler thing that’d be a good idea. I
was thinking after maybe two years.”
He said, “But next year you might fin-
ish 13th and not qualify.”
That kind of got the wheels turning.
I’ve always looked up to Jim for some
guidance and knowledge. But, all in all,
it’s mostly been me alone. He kind of
helped talk me into it.
Your first two seasons on the FLW
Tour were a little rough, but last
year you made the Cup, and this
season you started off with a top-
10 finish. What’s changed?
I’ve had that question asked a lot. I
think it’s a little bit of everything. It’s a
little bit of confidence. It’s a little bit of
experience. It’s a little bit of learning
how to take three days and be as effi-
cient as you can with them in practice.
During the tournaments I’ve found
myself evolving as an angler. I feel like
What’s life like in Longview, Texas?
It’s good. When I’m not on the road
fishing, I own a pawnshop and sport-
ing goods store. Part of that sporting
goods mix is largely made up of fish-
ing tackle – basically fishing tackle and
firearms. When I’m home, I try not to
work any more than I have to, but I do
spend a pretty good bit of time up
there.
I actually don’t really fish a whole
lot when I’m home. Maybe an occa-
sional trip to (Lake of the) Pines or one
of the little power plant lakes here.
And I mix in golf. I find that I stay really
busy.
By Curtis Niedermier
I have more confidence in the deci-
sions I make, and I’ll make a lot more
decisions than I used to. I used to get
narrow-minded with my fishing, and I
think I’ve gotten a little more open-
minded. I’m in the zone, and I’m trust-
ing my gut and don’t really question
myself as much.
I still continue to learn different
techniques across the country, but I’m
still very, very raw. I think the fact that
I’ve not fished very long means I’m not
stuck in my ways. I’m willing to learn
and try something new. I think that’s
played big for me.
What did people think when you
first told them you were going to
try fishing professionally?
It was a mixed bag. When I went
down to the local boat dealer and
told him what I was wanting to do – I
was trying to approach him for a
team deal – you could tell he had
been burned too many times. He told
me more than likely you’re going to
fail. I had that told to me by several
people.
I think people that knew me knew
that it wasn’t going to be a one-and-
done type thing for me. Because I’m
so competitive, historically, anything
I’ve picked up I’ve always stuck with
until I’ve gotten pretty good at it. I let-
tered in basketball and tennis as well
as golf and baseball in high school.
When I pick up something new I don’t
stop until I’ve reached my full poten-
tial, and I knew that’s what was going
to happen with me in fishing. Those
guys that told me I wasn’t going to do
it, that was free motivation.
FLWFISHING.COM I SPRING 2019