Bass Fishing Apr - May 2021 | Page 42

connell the champion
“ I could pull up to a pile , identify if fish were on it and see how they were positioned and make short little snap casts until I felt like I had fished ( the brushpile ) good enough . I wasn ’ t trying to bomb long casts , so that shorter rod was perfect for what I was doing .”
Connell got rolling quickly on the final day , starting with a 3-4 and a 3-10 in a 15-minute span early in the first period . He continued to catch fish in small flurries throughout the day , adding three fish for 8-0 during a 20-minute stretch around noon , and four fish for 11-3 in one critical 45- minute stretch at the start of the third period .
It wasn ’ t all easy , though . Connell ’ s bite stalled in the final 90 minutes , when he added only one fish to SCORETRACKER ® while Michael Neal stacked four fish for 12-11 on the board to cut a seemingly insurmountable 13-pound lead by nearly 8 pounds . Connell ’ s anxiety was palpable as he finished out the final 30 minutes of the day and inched closer and closer to the REDCREST trophy – he sprawled on his deck in frustration after a fish came off 10 yards from the boat in the final minute .
“ Man , I was shook up ,” Connell admitted . “ I was straight up having a mental , physical and emotional ‘ come-apart ’ all at one time in those closing minutes . Even before lines out , my eyes were so full of tears , I couldn ’ t even see my graphs . I was an absolute wreck . I couldn ’ t think straight , I couldn ’ t find my piles on my graph , I couldn ’ t even cast .”
Connell would finish the day with 12 fish for 36- 15 to Neal ’ s 31-4 .

Decision # 8

The Most Important Decision
Connell ’ s emotions spilled out in the minutes after lines-out as the weight of the moment struck him . Tears flowed freely as he sat on his deck , quietly muttering to himself “ It ’ s been so long . So long .”
Tucked away in the privacy of one of the league ’ s Toyota Tundras shortly after putting his hands on his new REDCREST trophy , Connell was matter-of-fact about the demands of the journey he took to arrive on a confetti-covered stage with MLF emcee Chris Jones , and the monumental life decisions he made along the way that contributed to his emotional response .
“ This life isn ’ t for everybody ,” he said . “ It ’ s a HARD life . You have to make sacrifices that nobody else ever sees . I have lots of friends my age who have children , but I haven ’ t had children yet because I just knew it wasn ’ t the right time and that I wasn ’ t in a position to provide for them the way that I want to . I ’ ve made some hard , hard decisions .”
As he climbed out of the truck , shouldered the REDCREST trophy and began to walk back to his family and friends gathered around his boat , anxious to begin the celebration , Connell summed it up with a smile : “ Turns out this decision was worth it .
Decision making throughout the week was a key to Connell ’ s
REDCREST win .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
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