PHOTO BY COBI PELLERITO
win Angler of the Year . This is one thing I have left to do ( in this sport ), and I ’ m looking at AOY very seriously now . I ’ m more stable as a fisherman , and I ’ ve realized that sometimes you can ’ t go for it . You just risk way too much .”
brent ehrler :
Still striving for the ultimate prize
With 11 Top-10 AOY finishes over the course of his 19-year career , California pro Brent Ehrler has been on a dogged chase for what he considers “ the ultimate thing to win .” No stranger to close calls , Ehrler once missed the FLW Tour AOY crown by a single point .
His reasoning for the lack of an AOY trophy on his mantle is simple : “ I haven ’ t been able to link all the events together . I always have one or two bombs .”
Ehrler blames those small flashes of inconsistency on an overlooked – and often misunderstood – variable of a quality that ’ s typically very beneficial to a high-level pro .
“ I became a very versatile fisherman , and most of the better guys are that way these days ,” Ehrler said . “ But ( versatility ) can be both a blessing and a curse . It can lead to getting spun out , trying a bunch of baits and techniques , and still never finding the fish . When I hit the panic button , I try to do too many things . Guys are more productive doing one thing confidently .”
This season on the Bass Pro Tour , Ehrler plans to take a bit of his own advice and work on fine-tuning his strengths .
Brent Ehrler has come close but never taken home an AOY trophy .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
After finishing sixth in the AOY race two years in a row , Jesse Wiggins has kicked off the 2024 campaign with consecutive Top-10 finishes .
jesse wiggins :
“ I know AOY is possible ”
Alabama pro Jesse Wiggins started his Bass Pro Tour career with 51st- and 68th-place AOY finishes in 2019 and 2020 but has since blossomed into a legitimate Angler of the Year threat , finishing 13th in 2021 and then reeling off two straight sixth-place finishes in 2022 and 2023 . He ’ s back in the hunt in 2024 , too : As of this writing , Wiggins is second in the Fishing Clash AOY standings with 150 pounds , trailing only Wheeler ( 157 ).
Wiggins freely admits that he started his tour-level career in 2017 just hoping to survive . He turned his attention to what he considers “ the number-one trophy in fishing ” after a stout 2021 campaign , in which he finished in the Top 20 in three of the season ’ s final four events .
“ The year I finished 13th ( in AOY ), I had a few bad tournaments ,” Wiggins said . “ That ’ s when it dawned on me that , if I can aim for a Top 10 every time , AOY is possible .”
Wiggins never considered himself a particularly consistent finisher , but a notable change in his day-to-day tournament strategy has seemingly paid off . A trio of wins in the Bassmaster Opens in 2016 and 2017 gave Wiggins the financial stability to begin “ swinging for the fences ,” a change in his approach that ’ s produced a win ( at Lake of the Ozarks in 2022 ) and a slew of Championship Round appearances on the BPT .
“ You have to set your mind to winning tournaments ,” Wiggins said . “ I guarantee that these big-name guys out here – the ones that are winning tournaments – are not just fishing for paychecks .”
Wiggins has determined that he has to locate multiple schools of fish in each fishery in order to contend for a win , and those fish are often relating to different patterns . Finding multiple fishing areas is the secret sauce .
“ That ’ s more key than using new methods ,” Wiggins said . “ I used to stick in one area , now I move around more . You have to get yourself in a position to get lucky . If I go in my primary area on the first day of a tournament and don ’ t catch ‘ em , I ’ m not going back there thinking I can somehow grind it out . I see guys that do that , and it never works out . There are always more areas where fish are biting .”
Equally comfortable fishing both shallow and deep , Wiggins admits that lure selection plays an additional part in his strategy ( and is a key to winning in general ).
“ I determine what ( technique ) the tournament is going to be won on , and ( fish that technique ) first ,” he said . “ If you look at the other top-performing guys like Wheeler and Alton ( Jones ) Jr ., they ’ re always doing what wins the tournament , even if they don ’ t win . That way , you don ’ t have to second-guess your technique . Besides , you can always fall back on your strengths if it doesn ’ t work out .”
APRIL-MAY 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 23