photos by ChARLEs WALDoRF
MARK ROSE
CLAIMS FIRST AOY TITLE
LAKE ST . CLAIR FINALLY TAKES A GOOD TURN FOR ARKANSAS PRO
By Colin Moore
In the end , Mark Rose ’ s most important weigh-in of the year was one in which he didn ’ t participate . The FLW Tour ’ s 2018 finale on Lake St . Clair in late June was the make-or-break climax to his season , and the Arkansas pro held a tenuous lead over Scott Martin in the Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year race . Rose ’ s part in the tournament was over after the second day , as he finished 67th in the standings , and all he could do was stand by and sweat it out as events moved past him and beyond his control . Martin , who ’ s won every major award FLW has to offer , was his closest rival at 64 points behind and was making a strong bid to earn his second AOY title .
Martin ran out of fish and opportunity in the third round , however , as another angler bumped him from 10th place and the championship round . Rose won his first Angler of the Year title by a scant 10 points ahead of 2017 AOY Bryan Thrift .
It was absolution of sorts for Rose , the chance for him to put paid years of unexceptional finishes on St . Clair and on neighboring waters . St . Clair finally did him a solid . This time around , all Rose could blame his mediocre finish on was his choice to put aside his usual inclination to fish in attack mode and play defense instead .
“ Of course , hindsight is 20-20 , but I fished way too conservatively at St . Clair . The [ AOY ] point spread went into my strategy ,” admits Rose . “ Had I been fishing in a regular tournament I would be giving it my all , trying to get a check . I would not have fished the way I fished at St . Clair . I would have tried to get around the biggest fish I possibly could and figure out how to catch them .”
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