I ’ m really proud of myself for not overthinking it . Not that I ’ m not thinking about it , but God already knows what will happen . If it ’ s His plan for me to win or further my career by doing good , then that ’ s what will happen . But if I can show what I ’ m capable of , that ’ s what I ’ m excited about .
I ’ ve been fishing my whole life and wanted to be known ( as an angler ) – that ’ s what I want , to be known . I want people to know Dalton Head , and that ’ s all my dad ( Danny Head ) ever wanted for me . I want everyone to see the hard work I put in .
The 2023 season was pretty memorable for you . You started the year off by winning the College Fishing National Championship on the Kissimmee Chain in February with your partner , Peyton Harris , and ended the season at the Toyota Series Championship by earning the REDCREST berth . Safe to say that it was the best year ( so far ) in your fishing life ?
Oh 100 %. We left Kissimmee high off that win and then went to Cherokee and won a Bassmaster event , then James River for a Top-15 event , and we were just firing off . Everywhere we went , we caught ‘ em . You get in that rhythm and going good , and it takes away the mental side of fishing . [ You start thinking ] “ I know what to do and I ’ m going to go do it ,” and it ends up working out . It was a fantastic year .
The “ playing field ” for REDCREST – Lay Lake – just happens to be less than an hour from where you grew up in Moody , Alabama , and is maybe 40 minutes from the Montevallo campus . How excited are you to fish for $ 300,000 on a lake that you probably know a thing or two about ?
I ’ m very excited about it . I think I ’ ve spent more time on that lake ( than just about any other ). Logan Martin and Lay Lake are my home lakes because I have spent so much time on those two lakes – before high school , during high school , and now I ’ m ( at Montevallo ), so Lay Lake is really all I ’ ve fished for four years . I ’ m excited , but March and how it ’ s going to fish – you never know .
Alabama weather is very unpredictable . Every March is different ; there ’ s never a March the same as the year before , so I hope my experience plays into my hand and I can do well .
Do you feel any “ home lake jinx ” pressure ? Or do you feel more like Bryan Thrift , who won REDCREST 2023 on his home lake at Lake Norman ?
I tend not to worry about it . My main thing is to just go fish . I like to just go fish , and the home lake jinx thing , I don ’ t know . … It plays , but I feel like it ’ s mostly mental . The curse is all in your head , because if the spot you know is good isn ’ t good or things that should work aren ’ t working , you also know the other things you could be doing instead ( on your home lake ).
I don ’ t know if I am that good on Lay Lake . Thrift is super good on Norman . I hope it ends up that way where I can apply what I learned over the years like Thrift did , and he just dominated . If there was to be a book written about me and Lay Lake , I would hope it would be that .
How much does it blow your mind that you ’ re going to fish against the G . O . A . T ., Kevin VanDam , on a lake where he made some history , and that you feel confident about it ?
It ’ s how I feel about fishing against all of those guys . Like ( Dustin ) Connell is 100 % an idol , and he ’ s really good , and I ’ ve always looked up to him . I also look up to ( Jacob ) Wheeler and idolize the way he fishes and adjusts on the fly and how KVD power fishes all day and throws a jerkbait all day and figures it out better than anyone else . I look up to all of them , they all impress me .
On a scale of 1 to 10 , how prepared and confident are you about Lay Lake heading into REDCREST ?
I don ’ t want to go too high and be that kind of guy . I feel like a 6 ( laughing ). I don ’ t want to say something too high ; I try to be humble about it . You can ask everyone ; I don ’ t like to brag or boast , I ’ m a “ keep it to myself ” kind of guy and not big on the whole talking deal . I like to just perform .
What would be your personal “ perfect storm ” of conditions that you would love to see on Lay Lake during the week of the tournament ?
I ’ d say decent current , dingy water and warming water . The fish bite better , and it will make for a way better show since everyone would be catching . My perfect conditions would be 57-degree water temperature and rising with dingy water , that would be really nice .
Your University of Montevallo team is a national College Fishing powerhouse . How has your Montevallo experience influenced you as a competitor ?
Being on the team , it ’ s very , very competitive here and made me a way better angler after all that fighting and clawing . Your first years here are very important because you have to prove yourself . I can ’ t believe I ’ ve changed so much from me as a freshman and where I am now . I definitely wouldn ’ t be where I am now without being on the team – going in the boat with other anglers and learning how they fish and approach things . You get two good anglers in a boat and they ’ ll bounce ideas off each other and figure things out together . That ’ s the beauty of college fishing , you learn so much in a short span that you ’ d never learn anywhere else .
This is your third year with the team , so graduation isn ’ t too far off . What ’ s your plan after graduating ? Will you take the plunge and try to compete professionally fulltime , or will you focus on something else ?
I ’ m going to put everything in the ( tournament fishing ) basket and go for it . I ’ m not saying I ’ m ready right now , but I don ’ t want to work and do something I don ’ t want to do . I ’ d rather suffer trying to do something I want to do than just roll over and do something I have to do . I would feel better chasing my dream now . Even if I fail , I would be happier trying to chase my dream . I want to know I gave it everything that I possibly could . I am an all or nothing guy . When I pick something , I try to be the best at it .
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 73