PROFILE :
DALTON
HEAD
MOODY , ALABAMA
To say that 2023 was a good year for Moody , Alabama , angler Dalton Head would be an understatement . The 21-year-old senior at Alabama ’ s University of Montevallo kicked off the year by winning a College Fishing National Championship title in February with partner Peyton Harris and finished the season with a golden ticket to RED- CREST 2024 in hand , thanks to his finish in the 2023 Toyota Series Championship . Shortly after this edition of Bass Fishing magazine arrives in mailboxes , Head will make history as the first ever College Fishing angler to compete in MLF ’ s crown jewel tournament , held in his home state on Lay Lake .
Head ’ s success shouldn ’ t come as a shock to those who know him . He ’ s been fishing since before he could tie his shoes and competing in tournaments since he was 10 years old . With RED- CREST on the horizon , Head ’ s demeanor and mindset are remarkably calm for a college senior preparing to compete against the biggest names in the sport . Here ’ s what he had to say when we caught him for a Q & A leading up to REDCREST .
QA &
By Matt Naber
PHOTO BY COBI PELLERITO
This is probably an obvious question , but I think everybody wants to know : How does it feel to be the first college angler to compete in RED- CREST ? Has it really sunk in yet that you ’ re getting ready to compete against Kevin VanDam , Jacob Wheeler , Dustin Connell and Jordan Lee for a $ 300,000 payday ?
A lot of people have asked me that , and it ’ s hard to say how I feel – excited , nervous , or what you ’ d call it . But I ’ m ready . That ’ s how I feel ; just ready to fish against them . It hasn ’ t sunk in yet , and that ’ s the best thing , because if it had , I ’ d be nervous and overthinking it . But I get asked by five or six people a day about it , and I just want to go fish . I ’ ve fished Lay Lake my whole life , and I ’ m going to know a lot about the place , especially that time of year . Whatever happens , happens , and I just want to have fun with it .
72 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024