six years later , he and adam Waters represented the university of north carolina at charlotte in the Yeti flW college fishing national championship on Beaver lake in 2013 and placed second by less than a pound to paul clark and Brett preuett of the university of louisiana at Monroe . that , after notable finishes of fourth , second and first in southeastern conference events in 2012 and 2013 . When he was at unccharlotte , lehew entertained the notion of entering the law enforcement field . he took classes that led in that direction , but tournament fishing eventually won him over for keeps . in 2014 , his rookie season as a pro on the flW tour , lehew earned four checks and a total of $ 40,000 . altogether , his winnings have amounted to about $ 45,000 per season .
“ the tBf deal was good for me , and so was college fishing . i just wish high school fishing had been around back then , too ,” observes lehew . “ i think the two biggest things in fishing now are electronics and the fishing programs for younger people . electronics have been improved so much in just a short time ; they ’ re such a huge factor in fishing now , and kids are growing up through high school and college fishing learning how to use them . it ’ s given them such an advantage . there are some really outstanding fishermen coming right out of college .” lehew being one of them . not surprisingly , he was one of a handful of favorites to win the 2017 forrest Wood cup on lake Murray . he wound up in 19th place after spending three days muttering to himself about the “ crazy blueback herring bite .”
“ i had a lot of missed opportunities the second day , but with the big topwater i was throwing , losing fish was probably a given ,” admits lehew . “ i don ’ t think that if i had landed everything i hooked i would have won , but a top 10 was possible .”
fishing never ends in a sense , the tar heel pro is treading water and waiting for the big breakout season that Jacob Wheeler , Justin atkins and other young pros experienced at some point early in their careers . luck has a lot to do with it , as
Tackle company Shane ’ s Baits is a family business , run by Shane LeHew and his father , Troy . does being able to fish the type of fishery that suits one ’ s strengths .
“ power fishing down a bank is where i feel most comfortable ,” notes lehew . “ i like to mix it up , and of course there are certain things i do better than others . one of the things i struggle with is adjusting during the day – trusting in knowing what , when and how . i do like running new water , but sometimes i ’ ll make a wrong turn . and i ’ ll admit that ledge fishing is definitely one of my weaknesses . i usually last about five minutes on a spot before running somewhere else .” during the long lull between tour seasons , lehew fishes to perfect his skills and hone the little nuts-and-bolts details that always come into play during tough tournaments when every bite counts . he competes in events in the carolinas , helps his dad with their tackle business , shane ’ s Baits , and fishes as much as he can , usually at lake norman . it ’ s home to a pair of power plants whose warm-water outflows keep the food chain percolating through the coldest months of the year .
“ i fish with [ 2017 aoY ] Bryan thrift some , and i ’ ve learned a lot from him , and if i had another choice of who i could fish with , it would be andy Morgan . he ’ s been super consistent for as long as flW has been around . i ’ d like to get in a boat with him and see how he operates during a tournament .”
Regardless of which direction they head with their lives , the young come out of the starting blocks at full gallop . lehew is impatient , but there ’ s plenty of time for him . at 29 , he still has plenty of room to mature as an angler . he ’ s also at the peak of his physical abilities . Minus the facial hair that comes and goes these days , he appears to be as fit and trim as he did when he was a heavy hitter in the college ranks . he has the look of a champion , if not the trophies .
“ of course , i want to get better . i ’ ve been doing this for four years , and i haven ’ t won a major tournament . i got close last year , but it didn ’ t happen ,” says lehew . “ i ’ m consistent as far as getting checks and making the forrest Wood cup , but people remember you when you win tournaments , not when you finish 25th .” true to some extent , but not altogether accurate . Win or not , finishing near the top just about every time out counts quite a bit , too . that ’ s another thing lehew can ask andy Morgan about when he gets to go fishing with him .
28 fLWfIshInG . com I january 2018