MATT BECKER, FINLEYVILLE, PA.
2018 FLW TOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
MATT BECKER, FINLEYVILLE, PA.
By Curtis Niedermier photo by AnDy hAgEDon
Give us the elevator pitch version of the answer to this question: Who is Matt Becker?
A small-town kid from Pittsburgh that just loves bass fishing. You just won the Rookie of the Year title for 2018. Summarize how you feel right now.
It’ s unreal. You know, looking back, there are so many little things that happened that were all the little pieces of the puzzle, and it’ s a pretty cool feeling to have accomplished that. Was ROY a major goal of yours this season, or was it more of a byproduct of having a good season, making some money and trying to get to the Cup?
It was a little bit of both. It was certainly a goal, but on the other hand, I also wanted to just cash enough checks to be able to fish again next year and work on doing this forever hopefully. You’ re from Pennsylvania, which isn’ t exactly known as a bass-crazy state. So … tell us the truth: Is Pennsylvania a good place to be a bass angler?
Um, not necessarily. I live on the Three Rivers here in Pittsburgh, and you saw how the Cup went when it was here a few years ago. So I’ ve had to do a lot of traveling, as far as cutting my teeth fishing-wise. There’ s only a handful of lakes around that are any good. So I’ ve had to travel regionally. How old were you during the Three Rivers Cup?
I just turned 26 in June, so I had to be 17. That was in 2009. What was it like seeing the best pros fishing in your backyard? Were you already into bass fishing then?
That was about the time when I got real serious into it. Growing up I was always super into fishing and everything, but I didn’ t really take it as serious until I got to about 16 or 17. Watching it there in my home city drove it home that I wanted to do that. Are you a smallmouth specialist? Because your tournament stats with FLW suggest you might be.
Yeah, that’ s what I would consider my strong suit is Great Lakes smallmouth fishing, finding them with my electronics. That’ s what I’ m best at. As a Great Lakes guy, do you think it takes a different breed of angler to get out there on those massive bodies of water?
Definitely. Most people would look at that and say no way am I running across that lake where you can’ t see shore in any direction. But you have to trust your equipment and trust everything will be all right. What do you struggle with the most?
Probably ledge fishing down there on Kentucky Lake. I had a tough go at it in that tournament. I kind of felt lost there. Do you have a job outside of fishing?
I work for a printer and copier company, and I run the service department for it.
How much would you like to quit and spend the rest of your life only on the water?
100 percent. Hopefully this title can secure me enough sponsor help that I don’ t have to work a couple weeks when I come home. Who have you looked up to the most in the pro fishing ranks?
Probably David Dudley. I met him, oddly enough, a while ago here in Pittsburgh. His wife’ s family is not too far from me. So my dad, George Becker, and I ran into him at Walmart one time. That was interesting. I forget what we were even doing, but we bumped into him in the fishing department. We talked to him a little bit. As we were leaving we bumped into him in the parking lot again. He was riding his cart to his truck. I’ ll never forget that. If you could choose the site of the next Forrest Wood Cup, where would it be?
Three Rivers in Pittsburgh. Really? Not Lake Erie or 1000 Islands?
Well, yeah, that would be more fun for me, but I would have such an advantage here on the rivers that I feel like I would have a better shot of winning here than up there. How did you feel on day one at Lake Okeechobee, on the first day of your FLW Tour career?
I just remember looking around and realizing, like, I finally made it; I’ m living the dream right here. And I wasn’ t really nervous. I was more anxious to get up to my area and box up my first fish. But I’ ll never forget this; my first fish of my tournament career was a 12 1 / 4-inch largemouth. I thought I was back home here. It didn’ t take long’ til we got rid of it, and then life was good. Was there a point this season when the train seemed like it was going to be running off the rails?
The whole year was a roller coaster, really. Cumberland was definitely the absolute downfall. And then I backed that up with a top 10 at Smith. But then the next tournament at Kentucky, that’ s probably the single worst moment that sticks out to me. I struggled the first day. I only had one fish the first day. I go out the second day and catch four pretty quick and then struggle the rest of the day. The voices started talking in my head: Here goes anther bomb of a finish. You’ re not going to make the Cup. Then, the next thing I know I catch a 7 1 / 2-pounder for my fifth fish. It was big fish of the day. I look back on it now, and that single fish moved me up 40 spots in the standings and gave me another 40 points. Without that I wouldn’ t have made the Cup, won Rookie of the Year – none of that. Somewhere in Pennsylvania there’ s a young boy or girl who wants to one day be the FLW Tour Rookie of the Year. Give that future pro your best advice.
Just stick with it. Spend every second you can trying to better yourself, whether it be on the internet watching videos, playing with tackle, whatever it may be. If you’ re passionate about something put 110 percent into it. You can do it. Anybody can do it.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 I FLWFISHING. COM 63