WINTER 2020 I FLWFISHING.COM
attention. His sarcastic comment was vin-
tage: “Everybody needs to worry about
something else, and quit worrying about
what Bryan’s doing.”
Through it all, and after considerable
time to reflect, my eureka moment came
months later. Bryan Thrift is incredible, no
doubt. But he doesn’t possess a super-
human ability to catch fish. Nor does he
carry a lucky rabbit’s foot in his pocket. He
simply does everything in his power to
catch one more bass than everyone else,
every day he’s on the water. After all, it’s a
game of ounces.
“If you’re the
first to get on
a new bait or
trend a year
ahead of
everybody,
you can make
a lot of
money.”
working, and he most often did so with a
new selection of lures. The result was
often one more fish and a slight cull.
At one point, once he recognized the
day’s productive water, Thrift expanded
and was rewarded with a bonus 7-pounder
and a major cull to a respectable stringer. I
wondered if it was the move, or the slightly
superior lure.
When day two dawned, despite being
nearly the last boat in the order to go out,
Thrift was once again at the ramp before
everyone. His workmanlike mentality never
wavered. It’s readily apparent that Thrift
feels blessed to be a professional bass fish-
erman, and takes none of it for granted.
Tough fishing again had Thrift hunting
for new options. He moved incessantly,
even talking to himself on occasion.
Moving, looking … waiting for something to
happen. There had to be an undiscovered
variable and a way to catch one more fish.
Slowly, Thrift again reached his limit
and culled slightly. A final move at the end
of the day produced one more solid keep-
er near the launch ramp for a slight
upgrade and a place in the cut. At weigh-
in, Thrift seemed to be the only one sur-
prised by his good fortune.
As we parted ways, I wondered aloud
what Thrift thought of all the flattering
67