|
Then again, last season laid down plenty of challenges for Sprague.
Every angler is going to experience bad luck time and again. Lost fish, boat breakdowns, flat tires, a bad neighbor at a motel – things happen, and he hopes each is a one-time deal. Sprague wasn’ t so lucky. He battled a series of mechanical issues throughout the season that threatened to derail his AOY chances.
Because of the issues, he lost fishing time, inadvertently erased some important
|
waypoints and had to deal with enough hurdles to cause even an experienced angler to lose his cool.
But Sprague didn’ t. He showed poise that suggests a level of experience and confidence not often found from someone just a few years into a professional fishing career. As it turns out, those traits are exactly what have led the 35-year-old to this point in his career. He’ s established now, having earned plenty of respect last season. In February, Sprague heads into the 2017 FLW
|
Tour on the unofficial list of AOY favorites, with a track record that suggests he’ ll make a run at the title.
Rising Above It
Jason Reyes has seen a lot in more than a decade of professional fishing. What he saw happen to Sprague last season – the highs despite the lows – was a first.
“ He rose up to it,” says Reyes.“ Most guys would use it [ a mechanical issue ] as an excuse, fold up or completely melt down. He simply battled through it.”
|
The Hartwell tournament epitomized that to Reyes. Reyes and Sprague room together during the season, so both had seen the 3 1 / 2-pounder bedding beneath the dock of the house where they were staying at Hartwell. Since Sprague got the better boat draw the first day, he got dibs on it. Sure enough, he caught it, only to have to throw it back when a breakdown forced him to go through a restart.
“ I’ ve seen something like that ruin tournaments so many times,” Reyes says.“ You have to be in the right mental mindset to do what Sprague did – get a new boat, regroup, completely scrap your plan and crack 17 pounds.”
Then again, after having watched Sprague come into his own as an angler these last few years, Reyes wasn’ t all that surprised.
The first time Reyes met Sprague was when Reyes drew him as a co-angler several years back. Almost immediately Reyes saw something different in him.
“ You could see he was young and hungry, but it wasn’ t like he was trying to get anything from me,” Reyes says.“ Best way I can put it is he was mad at them [ the fish ].”
The two clicked as friends almost immediately, and since Sprague didn’ t know anyone else competing on Tour, Reyes invited Sprague to practice with him at the next tournament. They’ ve been traveling together ever since.
Reyes was also the one who pushed Sprague to move to the front of the boat. He actually suggested that Sprague make the move a year earlier, in 2013, but the young pro held off for another season.
“ That just shows his maturity,” Reyes says.“ He picked the right time.”
|