Well, hello there. It’s been a while since we’ve cast a line, literally and figuratively. So, I figured with the 2023 Bassmaster Opens EQ season right around the corner, what better time than now to recap what’s been going on here. Remind me why I stayed in Pennsylvania again (chuckles). It hasn’t been an overly terrible winter up here along the shores of Lake Erie unless you live in Buffalo. But after spending the 2016-2019 winters on the St. Johns River, guiding and learning how to understand Florida bass a bit better, these few months during winter can be rough. Up in our neck of the woods most people, including myself, put their boats away for the season. That means no fishing, unless of course I get an invite from a brave soul who hasn’t decided to put their boat away for the season yet (cough, cough, Jeff Hippert of Lake Erie Trophy Bass Charters).
While I haven’t been able to work on my craft as much in the physical sense, I have been doing plenty of ‘film study’, yes ‘film study’, like any other sport (football, basketball, etc.). For people who aren’t as deep into the tournament fishing game, this involves me watching a lot of past tournaments on the venues that I’ll be fishing, especially for the time of year I would be at each. I’m looking for tendencies with locations of fish (deep, shallow, in between), bait selection/color as well as typical cover/structure for the fishery. I’m also getting reels cleaned up, rods and guides fixed (shout out to my buddy Jeff Huber) and doing inventory while organizing tackle and boat/truck supplies. This ‘Elite Series’ type schedule also involves a lot of map study on my Lowrance or Navionics apps, Google Earth, and paper maps (yes, old school right) if there are good ones for the venue. It’s amazing what you can find on these apps and even the old school paper types. I’ve had success especially with Google Earth finding areas at both the Sabine and Harris Chain over the years that netted good results. The desktop version enables you to go back through the years and seasons and see so much more that could help you understand a fishery. A good bit of southern reservoirs I have fished have fluctuating water levels, especially those used for flood control. A lake like Douglas Lake in Tennessee, for instance, has a swing of about forty feet. That’s an insane amount of water! Places that do fluctuate can reveal some amazing underwater features, simply from digging in on Google Earth and spending a good amount of time assessing areas of the lake throughout the years.
Like many who fish a Tour or the Opens, I also have a job. I work for my main sponsor, DuraEdge Products, which mostly consists of me at my computer this time of year in my home office (or Panera on days I take my daughter to school) before being on job sites and going fishing with our customers in the warmer months. There is also a lot of planning that goes into this. With an even tighter schedule this year, I have to basically plan out for the next nine months of traveling to the day and week, where I’ll be, who I’m potentially seeing, where to stay, etc. A lot of it is pretty fluid and subject to change due to weather and other various factors too, which makes it an adventure. I have also been solidifying other sponsor deals and planning all the travel. I usually travel with a couple guys, so we share duties finding lodging for the events. But, with so many people fishing the Opens now, you have to be quick to the draw or else the better places to stay usually are gone. Over the years, either myself or guys I’m traveling with usually have a friend or two we can stay with over the course of the season, otherwise, I’ve found AirBNB to be the best for my purposes. No, AirBNB isn’t just renting some closet to sleep in at someone’s house, it offers a lot of full homes to rent or guest houses separate from the primary residence. Traveling with a couple other guys, it can be way cheaper than staying at a hotel and more comfortable too.
When I’m not enmeshed in these, I’m trying to spend as much time with my family and friends as I can. My daughter is turning three this month and it is really a fun (trying at times) age. One of our favorite activities after dinner is ‘fishing’ in the living room. She gets out her purple Paw Patrol combo and we practice reeling in and casting some, although with that one, visions of a yellow casting plug going into my Samsung TV usually creep into my mind. Probably more than anything though, she enjoys being the fish. I’ll cast the practice plug and try to get ‘the fish’ to bite and reel her in. If you haven’t done this with your child, I highly suggest it (cue visions of a 24 year old pretending to be reeled in by their Dad’s Paw Patrol combo – it’s never too late)! The first year I did the Elites in 2020, post-COVID break, I don’t think I was home more than two weeks any month until November, so it’s really valuable getting this time now.
Anyway, it’s been a packed offseason as I now head into the 2023 Bassmaster Opens EQ season. It’s always needed to recharge the batteries (X2’s of course) and be ready to embark on a new adventure. I really am excited to fish many of the places we’ll be headed, especially some new waters I’ve yet to drop a line in. I’m thankful for the experiences that have gotten us to this point, the good and the bad, because, “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5
I am looking forward to a great year traveling, learning, and growing. Tightlines!
