adapting the Want for more
that’s why this aoy is so special to him. he was able
to adapt and regain the fire he had when he was that 19-
year-old who stood toe-to-toe with the previous genera-
tion of veterans and won aoy.
the scary part is, now that the fire is back, we may be
on the verge of seeing something really special – a tour-
nament angler with the time-on-the-water advantage of a
veteran and the adaptability and fire of a rookie. dudley
knows it, too.
“I’m not satisfied with just four angler of the year
titles,” dudley says. “I want No. 5. I want No. 6.
“when my career is over, I want to make it really hard
for someone to beat my records, and I hope to go down
as one of the best.”
FlWFIshInG.com I Fall 2019
jody
24
after almost 25 years of professional fishing, an angler
might think there’s little left to learn in the sport. for
dudley, there are probably few scenarios he hasn’t dealt
with; few lakes he hasn’t fished; few techniques he hasn’t
mastered.
Not surprisingly, it’s often at this moment of experien-
tial mastery, when the time-on-the-water adage is at its
peak, that the worst thing that can happen to an angler
(or any competitor) happens: he grows complacent.
he stops practicing as hard, opting to rely on history.
he stops trying the newest techniques, figuring what
worked before will work again.
In the process, he stops adapting, which is something
younger anglers do better than most as they try to gain
an edge over older anglers.
Much like many of the veteran greats before him,
dudley admits he’s dealt with the complacency issue. It’s
hard not to when you’re flw’s winningest angler, and
even your second-best performance is still cutting checks
and qualifying you for championships.
fortunately, dudley is not wired like most. he’s far
smarter than he lets on; far more introspective and
adaptable, too (see: his growing youtube channel).
so, yes, he became complacent for a little while. he
wrestled with it. then he put it in a sleeper hold and
pinned it, with his fourth aoy as his title belt. a big rea-
son why it all worked out is something dudley remem-
bers from his youth that’s always driven him.
“I’m never satisfied,” dudley adds. “My motto is to
never be satisfied, and if you’re going to be like that, you
have to adapt and evolve.”