Tools of the Trade
Any tournament morning, the deck of Thrift’s Ranger is
likely to be covered with rods and reels. Where some anglers
might have five or six rigs ready to fish, Thrift will have 15 or
20. He never misses an opportunity to catch a fish because
he wasn’t prepared to do so.
“I’m the type of fisherman who wants quick access to a
bait – right now,” he notes. “I may make only five or six casts
with it, but if I do make those casts it’s going to be in a situa-
tion where I feel like there’s a good chance I’m going to get
bit. I can’t do that if I’m not ready for it.
“My biggest fear in tournament fishing is not being pre-
pared for a situation. A chance to catch a fish might only be
there for a couple of casts, and if I didn’t have the right bait
on and wasn’t ready for it, that would bother me.”
To counter such a possibility, Thrift rigs up baits that he
knows are right for the lake and season, as well as others that
might have been effective in a particular lake in times past.
He also rigs “what-if” baits that have proved their worth in
specific situations such as a shad spawn or when schooling
bass have shad or herring corralled on the surface. He calls
his system “calculated junk-fishing.”
“This year I’ve caught more fish on a Damiki Stinger, either
in the 5 1/2-inch size or the 4-inch size, than anything else,”
reveals Thrift. “There are two new colors, green pumpkin
magic and green pumpkin purple, that have really been effec-
tive, whether I fished with a Carolina rig or a wacky rig or a
Texas rig.”
Enough is Never Enough
60
Contrary to popular belief, Bryan Thrift hunts – some,
but mostly as a time-killer. On any given morning during
North Carolina’s deer season, he might walk out of his rural
home to the shooting stand he fashioned out back of his
shop. There, without benefit of camouflage clothing or any
of the other accoutrements typical to hunters, he sits with
a rifle at the ready and waits for a whitetail to come along.
Usually, none does, and after an hour or so Thrift has had
his fill.
Fishing, on the other hand, is never a whim. In or out of
tournaments, Thrift never tires of fishing, of unlocking puz-
zles on the water, though these days the line blurs as to
whether it’s more of a passion than a profession, more for
practice than recreation.
Familiarity with tackle and baits and his mastery of various
presentations have helped set him apart. Fishing is a game of
numbers when it comes to how many times an angler can
put baits in front of fish during a certain amount of time, and
Thrift is among the very best in that respect.
Skill sets aside, it’s the intangibles that have put him at the
summit of his career. His work ethic hearkens to his younger
days when he relied on construction jobs to make a living. He
never lets up; he never assumes he’s got enough weight to
win. Thrift has developed an uncanny knack for picking up
the right rig with the right bait at the right time, and if there’s
a method to his madness, he’ll keep it to himself.
“I don’t set outrageous goals for myself,” Thrift confesses.
“My goal in every tournament is to cash a check, preferably
the championship check. Fishing is a unique job, but it’s a job.
I love it, but I don’t get paid just to show up. I get paid to work.
I get paid for performance.”
So far, it’s been a good strategy. So far, it’s managed to
keep Bryant Thrift smiling.
WHAT MAKES BRYAN THRIFT TICK?
His competitors might disagree on the reasons why
Bryan Thrift is unfailingly among the FLW Tour’s best
anglers, but they all agree he’s a cut above. Here are
some of their observations.
Jeff Sprague: There are so many
different styles of fishing, and
they’re all productive. Bryan has
got a style that’s really working
for him. He’ll make a hundred
moves a day and make as many
casts as possible. Sometimes
he even eliminates some of
those casts by making more
moves. Beyond that, he’s got an
uncanny sense of what, where and when to do things.
That has pushed him ahead of most other fishermen.
Scott Martin: I think Bryan is
tremendously versatile. That’s No.
1. No. 2, he just eats, sleeps and
breathes bass. He really goes
all-in and fishes with a purpose.
And weird as it sounds, I think
he fishes a little scared, too. He
never thinks he’s got anything.
He’s never on the fish he needs,
he doesn’t have the weight, he’s
never satisfied, he’s never complacent. So he’s constant-
ly fishing a little scared, which causes him to fish better.
Andy Morgan: Bryan Thrift is always
outworking the rest of us, and not just
on the water. He never seems to lay
down the fishing pole. It’s a 365-
day-a-year job for him. When the
tournament schedule is set,
Bryan starts his homework from
previous events, gathering infor-
mation. He processes it methodi-
cally and uses that information bet-
ter than anyone I’ve ever seen. He also is
one of the best at making the right course correction in a
tournament when he needs to.
Matt Arey: I’ve shared a boat
with Bryan more than a lot of
guys, and I think it’s his efficien-
cy at high speed. Instead of me
and you knowing 15 tech-
niques, he knows 30 and knows
when to apply them at the right
time. It gives him the advantage of
uncovering something on tournament
day that others might have missed. You can fish as fast
as you want to, but if you’re not efficient, what good is it?
He can maximize every opportunity. More importantly,
he understands what the opportunity is when he sees it.
Everybody’s got a Plan A; he’s got a Plan B, C, D …
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017