MILES BURGHOFF
TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT
TURNED PRO: 2019
WHAT HE WISHES HE’D KNOWN: BASS ARE BASS
NO MATTER THE LEVEL OF COMPETITION
PHOTO BY MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING
Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler Miles Burghoff says
he felt a little anxious when he stepped up to the FLW Tour
level in 2019, but the uncertainty began to wane once he
caught a few bass.
“It calmed me once I learned the fish are the same,”
Burghoff admits. “Catching bass has nothing to do with the
tournament you are fishing or the level of competition. Once I
settled in, I realized it was the same game I’d been playing for
years; that I was just playing it against stiffer competition.”
The only real change necessary was mental. There was no
adjustment in tactics or strategy, and understanding that fact
as a means to cope with the pressure was key.
“I learned that I need to be more diligent about getting
the next bite and to make sure I have enough fish for multiple
days,” he adds.
JARED LINTNER
BASS PRO TOUR
TURNED PRO: 2006
WHAT HE WISHES HE’D KNOWN: SHALLOW-WATER
COVER HOLDS BIG FISH YEAR-ROUND
During the formative years of his career, BPT pro Jared
Lintner spent the majority of his time targeting bass strictly
according to where seasonal patterns said the fish “should
be,” as opposed to where they actually were.
“I wish I had known how many fish live shallow right on
through the winter,” Lintner explains. “The general consensus
back in the day was you had to fish deep and slow to catch
fish, but I eventually learned there is a resident population of
bass that lives shallow year-round, provided they have sufficient
cover near deeper water like a channel swing or something
else with deep-water access.
“I won a local tournament two years ago during early
December throwing a frog on the bank in 51-degree water.
When I first started, I didn’t even have a topwater bait in my
boat for half of the year.”
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
JUNE-JULY 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 59