You ’ re pretty dependable , though , even though you ’ re quiet about it : ( MLF Managing Editor ) Jody White clued me in that winning a BFL is almost an annual thing for you . Even during a couple of down years .
( laughing ) I ’ ve grabbed onto that lifeline a couple of times , for sure . The BFLs are great – they ’ re a learning tool or stepping stone for guys coming up , but in my case , they ’ ve also helped me survive some times when I really needed something good to happen . I ’ ve been fishing the ( Savannah River ) BFLs for almost 20 years ; I love those tournaments .
It was a steady progression for me in the BFLs : I started fishing them when they were still the Red Mans , and just kind of stuck with it . I was always in it for the end game . A lot of guys are in it for a single tournament or maybe for one season , but I always had a bigger goal in mind . When I made my first All-American on the Connecticut River ( in 2006 ), that was a whole different deal for me . I got to see a different side of tournament bass fishing : We dressed up for a big , fancy dinner , stayed in a big hotel , had all the hoopla around the event . You don ’ t do that at club events .
Jumping to 2010 , you ended up winning a BFL Regional and the All- American . It seems like you got used to the ‘ hoopla .’
Driving home from practice for that All-American , I called Boyd Duckett and asked him “ Can I get some rods ? I think I can win this thing .” It just clicked – it fit what I like to do the best , which is deep cranking and fishing deep , offshore brush piles . You only have one day of practice for that event , and you practice with your day one partner , so you have to be real sparing with what you show him . We spent half the day parked over schooling fish . I checked one single brush pile and caught one over 3 pounds on the first cast , so I knew it was what I needed to be doing . But still , being from the local BFL / club format , I showed up to that big tournament not fully prepared .
How so ? It sounds like you were pretty ready to go .
I showed up with exactly two crankbaits of the proper color : two SPRO Little John DDs in clear chartreuse . Those baits didn ’ t make it through the first day , so I had to go looking for them . The problem was that all the locals had bought out every clear chartreuse crankbait for 100 miles , and I couldn ’ t find one to save my life . I found one guy who was willing to sell me some at an exorbitant price , but somebody else got to him before I could pay him . I had a couple more Little Johns in the wrong color , so I ended up getting ahold of a guy I knew in Little Rock who had an airbrush – I scraped those two baits down and repainted them , so I had two more good baits for day two . Those baits didn ’ t make it through the day , either .
It just so happened that Scott Suggs had an FLW Tour event on Lake Ouachita that week , so both tournaments were based out of Hot Springs ( Arkansas ). I started asking around , and Scott was good enough to give me two crankbaits that weren ’ t exactly the right color , but close enough . I caught enough to win that All-American on Scott ’ s two crankbaits . I realized then how unprepared I was for those big multi-boat tournaments . Now , when I go anywhere , I have like 10 of every crankbait color I might need .
You finished fifth in your first Forrest Wood Cup just two months later , and then went on a roll where you had top-10 finishes in your next two FWCs in 2012 and 2013 , and averaged just over $ 115,000 a year in winnings . Were you conscious of how well you were fishing back then ?
No . That ’ s the beauty of being on a hot streak ; you don ’ t think about it at all . Everything just kind of leaves your head and you just fish . At that time , it was just me doing what I do best , just doing my own thing . You don ’ t start to think about things until your streak is busted .
… which leads us to a couple of years where the streak was replaced by a slump , and you started to struggle to cash checks . Dig into your 2017 and 2018 seasons , if you don ’ t mind . What were all the conditions that busted your streak ?
I think I just got caught up in it , for lack of a better term . I found myself doing things that you ’ re “ supposed ” to do , instead of just doing my own thing and going fishing . Everybody knows that there are a few set conditions that happen on every lake in every season , and sometimes you get locked into those “ set ” things and forget to just go fishing . I also had some flat-out bad luck , lost some key fish , and made some really poor decisions – when you start making poor decisions and put yourself behind the eight ball and get into a slump , sometimes it ’ s hard to get out of it . You don ’ t fish well . In the middle of all that , it ’ s hard on you – money-wise , mentalwise and health-wise .
Was it bad enough that you thought you might have to find a new line of work ?
Oh yeah , I was really close . For a couple of years there , I ’ d start the season knowing that I had to get a check in the first or second tournaments , or I wouldn ’ t be going to the third . I got a BFL Regional win on the St . Johns River ( in 2018 ) that carried me through , and I had some people lend me some money at key times that really helped me – they don ’ t even know how much they helped me .
Heading into the 2021 season , how do you feel about your chances to keep your current streak going ?
( laughing again ) You know , I ’ m not a schedule guy anymore . I learned my lesson there . I think it helps me to just show up and fish the way I know how to fish . You tell me where to go , and let ’ s go fish . My attitude now is that I ’ ll take ( the schedule ) for what it is , and just go with it .
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