COLUMN: BALOG ON BASS FISHING
flw to bpt: Secrets of top performers
How Michael Neal and Jeff Sprague cracked the Major League Fishing code
he inception of the
MLF Bass Pro Tour
(BPT) changed the
landscape of competitive bass
fishing. It also changed the way
many pros conduct business.
Rather than focusing on five
quality bites, the BPT awards
points for every fish caught that
weighs more than a pound.
The change in format threw
many big names for a loop
when they first signed on.
That wasn’t so for Jeff
Sprague and Michael Neal.
Both are former FLW Tour
standouts who quickly made a
name for themselves on the
newly formed BPT, finishing
second and fifth in the 2019
points race, respectively. What
was their secret to instant suc-
cess in this new world?
T
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than 20
years, Joe Balog has
made his living in the
fishing industry on
and off the water. A
successful tourna-
ment angler from the
Great Lakes region,
Balog now lives in
Florida, where he con-
tinues to work in prod-
uct design, marketing
and outdoor media
when he's not chasing
trophy largemouths.
22
Sprague Goes with the Flow
Jeff Sprague came out of the
gate hot in 2019, recording
three top-10 finishes in as
many events. His lack of famil-
iarity with the BPT and its early
venues seems to have been an
asset.
“I’ve always been a change-
on-the-fly guy,” Sprague says of
his fishing style. “The BPT for-
mat pairs well with my style of
fishing. I’m very easy to change
if the fishery calls for it.”
Sprague adds that little or
no practice, as outlined in BPT
competition rules, goes along
with his method.
“I do zero research on a lake
other than things like current
water level and temperature,”
he adds. “Only what Mother
Nature shows me. In practice, I
just look at water rather than
fish it and pick it apart.”
With no preconceived
notions, Sprague stays flexible
with every cast. He also warns
against fishing history, which
plagued him when he first
started fishing professionally.
“I fell into the trap that I had
to fish the way a fishery was
wrote up,” says Sprague, refer-
ring to fishing patterns based on
previous tournament wins.
“Ultimately, it was my demise,
and I had to wash my hands of
it. Looking back, these were pre-
vious patterns of catching fish.
“Now, my lack of knowledge
and history is a true benefit.”
It also serves as a SCORE-
TRACKER smoke screen for
when he hears the leaderboard
lighting up with catches.
FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020