PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
Becker celebrates a big smallmouth catch on the first day of competition at
Bass Pro Tour Stage Six on Lake St . Clair .
L ooking back over his 2023 Bally Bet Angler of the Yearwinning season on the Bass Pro Tour , Matt Becker points to a single , pivotal moment . It came not during one of the 24 days and nearly 200 hours he spent on the water competing , but while he sat in a rental house in Michigan .
It was June 27 , the second day of qualifying for Group B during Stage Six on Lake St . Clair . Becker had already qualified for the Knockout Round in Group A . But he still found himself glued to SCORETRACKER ®, paying particular attention to one name : Dakota Ebare .
Ebare entered the event in second place in the AOY race , 28 points back of leader Ott DeFoe . However , DeFoe had already stumbled in Group A , missing the Knockout Round . His 59thplace finish ensured that his points lead would evaporate entering the final tournament of the season . Now , all eyes were on Ebare , who had a chance to assume the top spot if he turned in a solid finish at St . Clair .
What if … just what if Becker could win the BPT AOY as a rookie ?
“ I checked SCORETRACKER ® about mid-morning and I saw Dakota was having a tough day ,” Becker recalled . “ For about an hour , I became obsessed with SCORETRACKER ®, checking it constantly .”
Eventually , Becker realized that his fixation with the live leaderboard wasn ’ t productive . He would be better served preparing his tackle for the Knockout Round .
“ I finally put my phone down and went outside to work on tackle ,” he said . “ I decided I wouldn ’ t look at SCORETRACKER ® again until lines out .”
The next time he checked his phone , he was stunned . Ebare had finished 37th in Group B , putting him in 73rd for the tournament .
“ I stared at my phone in disbelief ,” Becker said . “ At that moment , chills went down my spine and I got goosebumps . I had a feeling like I ’ ve never had in six years of fishing professionally . I was processing the fact that the door was now open to possibly win the Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year as a rookie . I still had a chance .”
Prepping for the final push
Becker had been in the thick of the Angler of the Year race since his fifthplace finish at Stage Four on Lake Guntersville . But in that moment , it started to feel a lot more real . He couldn ’ t sleep that night , different points scenarios racing through his brain .
“ Suddenly my whole perspective shifted ,” he said . “ AOY went from just being in the back of my mind to front of my mind .”
Becker knew he had a few positives working for him . For one , even before arriving on the Bass Pro Tour , he ’ d proven his consistency in earning points . In 2021 , he won Angler of the Year for the Northern Division of the Toyota Series . Becker also won the Rookie of the Year race on the 2018
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 37