By the time I’ve
prepared my
equipment, I am
prepared to fish
mentally as well.
That lost Classic and subsequently lost season
may have left a hole in his career, but not in his
confidence and not likely in his resilience and
make-up. And if they left a hole in his soul, he
aims to fill that, too, and fill it in the same way he
has filled the weigh-in numbers and impressive
figures on the stat sheets – with consistency,
versatility, and the fundamental building blocks
of preparedness that the man himself feels
already had him back on track before the 2015
season’s first cast.
Second verse, same as the first
Don’t expect a soaring motivational speech or
embellished comeback prediction from Cliff
Pace. His fishing style is built around simplicity
and fundamentals. So is his comeback.
“Preparation every time I fish begins with organizing
my tackle,” says Pace, who calls this rudimentary
step the basis for his mental preparation.
“Organizing tackle gets my brain working. I start
thinking of all the possibilities, all that could be going
on. By the time I’ve prepared my equipment, I am
prepared to fish mentally as well.”
He has just spent a day preparing tackle for the
Bassmaster Classic, an event that both he and
last year’s winner, Randy Howell, will co-defend,
more or less, since Pace himself was physically
unable to compete last year. While preparing to
fish South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, he stumbled