How did your family and friends react to your decision in 2020 to fish the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit , and then to you qualifying to fish the Bass Pro Tour this season ?
My wife ( Ashley ) wanted me to go for it , but we didn ’ t know if I was ready because I had only fished local Toyota Series events . We took a leap of faith that this is what God wants us to do . I surprised myself because I didn ’ t know I could do it . I don ’ t take myself too seriously and try not to be any different than I was before , so this is a big blessing from God above – whatever he has in store is what we ’ ll do .
Once I got the Bass Pro Tour invite in 2022 , my family said ‘ If you don ’ t take it , then why fish the Pro Circuit ?’ Basically , ‘ If you ’ re not going to go on the top of the mountain , then you shouldn ’ t have started climbing it .’ So we might as well see what it is like up there [ on the Bass Pro Tour ] – it ’ ll be tough , but hopefully I ’ ll stay on top of that peak .
I won the first BFL I ever fished , and my wife expected nothing but wins from then on . Nobody is harder on myself than me , but she ( Ashley ) is a close second – in a loving way . She ’ s super competitive . Most wives are like ‘ Oh it ’ ll be OK baby you ’ ll get it next time ,’ but not mine ; she makes me learn from it and it keeps me sharp .
What ’ s more challenging , catching bass or fighting cavities ?
Catching a bass is more complicated for sure . Most doctors have a specialty , so you have a realm of things and it ’ s rare to see something you haven ’ t seen before . People have clues on what is hurting their tooth . Before I see an X-ray , 90 % of the time I know what the problem is . A LiveScope is like the X-ray of the fishing world , but fish [ aren ’ t like teeth ], they do what they want .
It might be harder to get into dental school than it is to catch a bass . I wanted to be a bull rider until I was 10 years old , then I wanted to be a doctor but didn ’ t like how much doctors work on weekends . When I was in college , my mom went to a new dentist ( Dr . Steve Porter ), and he had me check out their office and it was super instrumental in me becoming a dentist . I shadowed that office and then they hired me to work there that summer , and I fell in love with it . I got into dental school and then they built a branch for me to work in . I worked in that office for six years before becoming a dentist .
Frog fishing is one of your favorites and we learned in 2021 that your daughter Bella signs certain frogs . What ’ s the story behind this ?
It was at the Mississippi River in 2021 at the TITLE . I was throwing a frog , and really liked the frog with hunter green on the top and sides and the legs were brown . But the water was so clear and the yellow and orange on the bottom of the frog was too bright . So , I grabbed a Sharpie and I drew a circle on it , and had Bella color it in so the yellow and orange weren ’ t so bright . I said , ‘ You know what , you could write your name on it if you want to ,’ and she thought that was so cool . I had her do that on some more frogs , too . Any tournament I know I ’ ll frog a lot , I ’ ll have her sign some of them . The legend of the Bella Frog grew from there , she ’ s my good luck charm .
You placed 15th at your first Bass Pro Tour event , are hovering in the Top 20 in Angler of the Year standings and well within qualifying for REDCREST and Heavy Hitters in 2024 . How do you feel about your start in the BPT ?
I don ’ t think I ’ ll fish professionally for 20 years , but I want to try to make the Top 10 while I am here . Whenever we sit down as a family and decide ‘ This is it ,’ it ’ ll be done for good I ’ ll be thankful and gracious for the years the Lord gave me . I ’ m no different than anyone at the local rounds fishingwise . The goal was never to make a pro tour , it was to fish BFLs and then to fish a Toyota and see a new body of water , and God really blessed me .
I ’ m a dreamer , but I ’ m a realist as well and I realized how small the chance was that would happen , so I never dreamed that big about it . It just kinda happened , and I don ’ t know if that ’ s why I did OK . I put pressure on myself , but I guess I do OK with pressure . I don ’ t have the physical tools a lot of these guys possess . I ’ m only pretty good at five things , but I love the mental challenge and it keeps me on my toes .
While in Kissimmee for Stage One , you actually stayed at Disney , correct ? Could you tell us about that experience ? And what ’ s more exhausting , a day fishing Lake Toho or a day at Disney World ?
I am thankful that Kissimmee is in my wheelhouse because my mind was so little on fishing . Disney will wear you out . When you get to the resort , you don ’ t want to do tackle , you just want to go to sleep .
What did you learn early in the season at Kissimmee that you ’ ve applied since then ? For example : how has it been knowing the score at all times on SCORETRACKER ®?
I feel like I don ’ t move around as much as I once did . At the first circuit , you had eight hours and didn ’ t know the score and you could feel good about moving around 10 miles here and 7 miles there . But with SCORETRACK- ER ®, I want to fish more and run less , and it ’ s been an adjustment . Until the Knockout Round at Murray , I had a camera in my boat every day . The only time I was up against the wall was Day 2 at Douglas and I needed one fish , but my heart was beating so hard I could hear it . I asked my camera guy if he knew CPR . I had 45 minutes to catch one but didn ’ t make it happen .
You ’ ll finish the season in three northern fisheries : Cayuga Lake , Lake St . Clair and Saginaw Bay . How do you feel about those northern smallmouth fisheries and what would be one word to describe how ready you are to compete on those fisheries ?
I don ’ t think I ’ ll fall apart up there , but I ’ ve never been to any of those before . I ’ d been to Murray and Guntersville , but not the others . I ’ ll go up there with a different mindset this year .
I ’ m excited ! After seeing what they caught at Cayuga last year , how could you not be excited ? St . Clair is a bucket-list fishery . I ’ m excited about Saginaw too because if I can compete with largemouth there , I ’ ll be frogging and buzzbaiting . I ’ m never not excited to go north , because I ’ ve never been there before . I make it too complex sometimes , though , so I ’ ll try to simplify – I ’ m excited and need to simplify .
JUNE-JULY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 81