Ehrler ’ s two-wheeled obsession
It ’ s an unusually warm fall afternoon in Knoxville , Tennessee , a day off for Ehrler during competition at the 2022 Heritage Cup . Ehrler is storing his Ranger at Ott DeFoe ’ s home for the week , his rig parked near DeFoe ’ s garage , loaded down with Ehrler ’ s gear from the 2021 Bass Pro Tour . Ehrler is hard at work this afternoon , meticulously cleaning and detailing , a hose in one hand and various brushes , sponges , towels and tools in the other .
But he ’ s nowhere near his Ranger or any of his Daiwa rods and reels . Today , Ehrler only has eyes for a mudspattered , matte black-and-gray Specialized S4 Stumpjumper EVO Comp trail bike , a sleek-looking amalgam of carbon and gears that he ’ s just taken on a three-hour pedal around a nearby bike park . He ’ s sweaty , muddy and a little tired as he cleans the Stumpjumper ; most noticeably , though , he ’ s over-the-moon enthusiastic about his two-wheeled obsession , and the way he ’ s just spent his East Tennessee afternoon .
“ I found a really cool park that ’ s kinda known for its pump tracks , but there are a bunch of single tracks where you can ride tons and tons of miles ,” Ehrler says , slinging around trail-riding slang like he ’ d sling a Lucky Craft Pointer Minnow . “ I just like getting out and riding and breathing heavy . You see all kinds of cool things out there , and you feel so much better when you ’ re done riding . You feel like you ’ ve accomplished something .”
Ehrler , of course , isn ’ t lacking accomplishments in his fishing career . At $ 3.2 million in tournament winnings ( and counting ) as he enters the 2023 season , Ehrler ranks among the Top 20 bass earners of all time . He proudly displays the 2006 Forrest Wood Cup and the first-ever MLF Cup trophy ( the inaugural Challenge Cup in 2012 ) in his home and has finished in the Top 10 in Angler of the Year standings 10 times on the FLW Tour , Bassmaster Elite Series and MLF Bass Pro Tour .
His relatively newfound obsession with mountain biking is , according to Ehrler , a healthy addition to his weekly routine that benefits his brain and body in ways that can only enhance his performance in tour-level bass tournaments .
“ Mountain biking is a good mental break from the grind ,” Ehrler says . “ You ’ re not thinking about ‘ Where am I going to catch one ? How am I going to catch one ? Man , the fishing sucks .’ It ’ s a good way to forget . And all the riding makes it easier for me to stand on the front deck of a boat all day . My cardio and endurance are so much better than before I was riding . If you ’ re physically fit , you ’ re way better mentally – and you know how mental this game is . If you ’ re physically drained , it ’ s pretty easy to be mentally drained , too .”
“ Mountain biking is a good mental break from the grind .”
Taking pedal power on the road
Ehrler leapt into mountain biking with a vengeance after that first ride in 2020 , borrowing his brother ’ s bike for a couple months , connecting with another loaner ( a Specialized trail rider like he currently owns ) and then buying his first “ big boy ” bike in November : a Specialized Turbo Levo Comp E-bike ( with an integrated electric motor ) that he customized with a 29-inch front wheel and 27.5-inch rear wheel ( a “ mullet ” setup , for you bike nerds ), Renthal carbon bars (“ For a dampening effect ; carbon flexes more ,” Ehrler says ), a custom seat and Crankbrothers Mallet Clip-In pedals .
“ I had a Diamond Back Silver Streak ( BMX ) bike when I was a kid ,” Ehrler says . “ I had the black-and-white checkered foam on the bar and matching foam on my handlebar – I ’ ll never forget that bike . This is way better .”
So much better that , after riding his new speedster around San Timoteo Canyon , Zanja Peak and other trails near his home for a month , Ehrler bought a second bike – the Stumpjumper – to bring on the road with him as he traveled the Bass Pro Tour . He completed his first “ tour ” ride the morning before the first day of practice at the 2021 season opener at Sam Rayburn , Texas , and rode two to three days at every Bass Pro Tour tournament of the season except Lake Chickamauga .
“ I ’ d ride the day before practice and every off day I had during the tournaments ,” Ehrler says . “ I found some places close by everywhere I was staying , even in Florida [ at the Harris Chain ]. We were there in May , so it was really hot , but the place I found to ride was basically in a jungle . There was no sun , and it was nice and cool under those tree canopies . I found awesome places at Lake Travis , Dallas was fun , Raleigh was good . There were a ton of places that were fun .”
Not coincidentally , while he was having fun on the pedals , Ehrler was having a pretty smashing time on the Bass Pro Tour as well : He made five Top 10s , hovered in the top three in Angler of the Year standings throughout the year and eventually finished fourth in the 2021 AOY race , his highest AOY finish since 2014 .
“ I ’ ve thought a lot about the fact that I had such a good AOY year and was riding a lot that whole year ,” Ehrler says . “ It was easy to call audibles in events that year . Sometimes , you just make a decision , roll with it and it works . Other times , you ’ re so worried about making a decision that you ’ re not confident . I didn ’ t worry a lot about my decisions [ in 2021 ], and I made a lot of good ones . Decisions came pretty easy .”
“ E ” is for “ Ehrler ” and “ extreme sports ”
To those who know him well , Ehrler ’ s fixation with barreling down a mountain on a 10-inch-wide track and flying at top speed over stumps and berms in the Tennessee boonies is no surprise . He grew up snow-skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family and was so enamored with the
42 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023