You finished third in the 2024 Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings . Are you satisfied with the season , and what might you do differently in 2025 to seal the deal on your first AOY ?
I ’ m satisfied with the season – the only thing you can ask for is a chance to win a major title , and during the last event of the year I had a chance and put myself into position . I would consider the year a success , no doubt ; but to say I ’ m not disappointed after two years in a row of being right there and not getting it done is frustrating .
Thanks to your Heavy Hitters success , you have a reputation for big fish – or “ chungus ” as you like to call them . What ’ s the story behind that word and what ’ s the biggest chungus you ’ ve ever caught ?
Funny enough , Big Chungus is a meme from I don ’ t know how long ago – it was a fat Bugs Bunny . One of my buddies , his wife was like “ man , that ’ s a Chungus !” So , she started saying it , and I adopted it and thought it was funny and rolled with it .
My biggest bass was 11 pounds even in Sugar Lake in Mexico , then I had a 160-pound yellowfin tuna in Hawaii .
The General Tire Teams Series is underway , and as we go to press , you ’ re set to compete alongside your dad , Alton Sr ., as a team in the Heritage Cup . When was the last time you two were in a boat together as a team ? And what are your expectations for that Team Series event ?
This will surprise a lot of people , but since I went pro , Dad and I haven ’ t fished together a lot . Being in the boat and competing together , that has been at least 10 years . So , a day on the water at the competitive level with him will be really fun . I ’ m excited and interested to see how it will go . Before , he was the captain ; but now it ’ s more a split role in sharing in the decision-making process , and I ’ m just looking forward to a day on the water with Dad and hope it ’ s three days .
You share the same name and profession with one of the most successful tournament anglers in history . I ’ m sure you ’ ve been compared to him frequently . Did you ever feel any added pressure because of that ? And how did you set yourself apart ?
Not really – I grew up around it with front row seats to the sport . I ’ ve seen a lot of successes and failures from all the anglers . Everyone has to be their own angler , and I learned fast that you have to go through the process yourself and trust your gut . It ’ s not added pressure , it ’ s added support .
I think what benefitted me was a lot of people just go fishing on their home lakes , but I was fishing with my dad all across the country . We didn ’ t have a local lake that I was “ the guy ” on . My experience growing up was finding fish , and that ’ s one of the things that really helped me .
You ’ ve fully embraced the social media / content side of the tournament game , working with Tyler Anderson on projects like the “ Trimmed Up ” YouTube series and hilarious things like the “ Out of Context ” series . You seem to enjoy the content process , but do you ever think to yourself ‘ Man , it would be awesome to just fish with no cameras around ’?
You ’ ve gotta find some humor in it . We ’ re all humans and say goofy-dumb things and let your personality come out of it . You know , we get so used to fishing with cameras or a GoPro or a live camera – and the reason “ Out of Context ” exists is because we get so comfortable on camera . Anything can happen when you ’ re out on the water , so it ’ s nice to have video running since that ’ s the ability to share it with friends and family and fans .
You have an affinity for baits and lures that are far outside the same ol ’ same ol ’ 6-inch green pumpkin worm . When did you really start getting into JDM baits ? And what about those “ outside the box ” baits appeal to you ?
The way it came about , I had a good buddy share with me a Bellows and I fell in love with it . It was a Geecrack bait , and my knowledge was a Megabass Jerkbait . Then during COVID , I got on board with Geecrack , and when working with them I fell head over heels with the JDM ( Japanese Domestic Market ). Back in
2019 and the spring of 2020 , my guys at Geecrack told me about a midstrolling technique with a jighead minnow – then fast forward four years , and that ’ s what we ’ re all catching them on .
It helps me think outside the box to generate more bites . I learned to never call something silly or stupid because someone will win $ 100,000 on it . There ’ s a lot of tackle innovations coming out of Japan , and in October I ’ m taking my first trip over there to dive into the JDM culture and spend a week fishing .
What has been your greatest JDM discovery ? And , are you currently holding onto something that you ’ re excited to fish , but not ready to tell the world about yet ?
It would have to be the innovations of the dice bait . The Cue Bomb has been a cool tactic , and when we designed it , I didn ’ t realize the power of it . It ’ s something I ’ m still learning and trying to perfect . I ’ m wanting to learn it and I obsess over it since it ’ s very situational . It takes a lot of skill to master on where and when you throw it . It ’ s something I ’ m working on for next season with that technique and style of bait .
You ’ ve won more than $ 1.2 million and are still on the young side of the roster . What ’ s the coolest thing you ’ ve used some of your prize money for ?
You know , in this sport you need a big safety net since you don ’ t know when you will have a tough year . We just broke ground on a new home , so I ’ ve begun spending on that – it ’ s where most of those winnings have gone . I ’ m looking forward to having my own man cave and boat storage area .
If you weren ’ t competing professionally in bass fishing , what would you be doing ?
I always just wanted to compete . I would say my true love – but I ’ d never be good enough to do it professionally , but if I could – I ’ d be a backcountry skier . I ’ ve been going to Colorado every year since I could walk , but that ’ s the only thing that ’ s driven me like fishing does . I ’ m a solid skier , but being in the mountains is something that ’ s my favorite experience .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 73