We caught up with four of the 12 rookies in this year’s Bassmaster Elite Series field. We talked to them about the challenges they have faced, the lessons learned and the preparation needed to be successful in Elite Series tournaments.
David Williams (16th Sabine, T-91st Guntersville)
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“You can’t sell yourself short; you are going to have to set your expectations higher that what you can do. You can’t catch enough when you are fishing against these guys. You get in a groove and think you’re having a good day, but you really have to step it up and have an even better day.”
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“I’m going to fish every event the same. I’m going to fish my strengths, that’s the only way I’m going to do well out here. I’m going to do what I know how and I won’t go chase what everybody else is doing. I know it’s going to beat me in a couple of them, but there will be sometimes I will shine with it too.
Matt Lee (56th Sabine, 18th Guntersville)
- “Going into Guntersville I was smart enough to know that this could be my worst tournament of the year. I fished a lot places [at Guntersville] that I’ve never fished before and believe me I’ve fished here hundreds of times. The Sabine was all about being unfamiliar. I hunkered down on the Sabine and tried to see how many fish I could catch in certain areas.”
- “No matter what the weather does; whether the wind is blowing 80 miles per hour, two tornadoes blow through and it hails a little bit it’ll still take 100 pounds to win and you better have 28 pounds. You could fish in a 5-gallon bucket of mud and it’ll still take 20 pounds to lead on Day 1. I told somebody in line that if I am ever leading after one day of these events to pinch me because these guys are so good and adjust so well. You have to be on top of your game every day. I know bad days will come so that’s why I’m enjoying the good ones while they are around.”
Brent Ehrler (87th Sabine, eighth Guntersville)
- “The Sabine was a tough one; it was a new place and was so big that it was hard to figure out. I wasn’t around the fish there, unlike Guntersville which has a lot of fish so it was just a matter of time until I could get comfortable again.”
- “I made a mistake at the Sabine by fishing too fast and running around too much. I spread myself thin and I knew it while I was doing it. I went to all the areas that I heard were really good. I was in the right areas where some better bags were caught at the Sabine, but I was going right over them. At Guntersville I had the right bites [on Day 3], but I didn’t prepare well. I had the wrong rod and setup for a bait and I lost two big ones today. It was one of those things that I said I would do in the morning and I did, but I didn’t have the right setup. I learned to get everything done the night before and not to get in a rush…I’m fortunate I made the final day cut. You fall so you learn how to get up.”
Carl Jocumsen (105th Sabine, sixth Guntersville)
- “I have learned more this week [at Guntersville] than I have in a long time. I learn every day, but this week was a massive learning experience and confidence booster. What I did this week isn’t really known as a Lake Guntersville technique and if I got help from someone before the cutoff then that takes something else out of the equation. Instead, I found natural rock and rip-rap that I like fishing with a jig and in the end that was the number one technique for me.”
- “That’s what is cool about the Elites is the diversity in the bodies of water we fish. We went from the Sabine to Guntersville, which is opposite ends of the spectrum, and then we go to the California Delta and Havasu, which are different as well. Everyone has asked me ‘what kind of fisherman are you’ and I have never understood that. Then they ask ‘well are you a jig fisherman’ and I always respond with ‘I’m whatever that you have to be to catch them.’ I think being versatile against these guys is huge and that’s what you have to be.”
- “I had one goal when I came here and that was to make the Elites, so when I was fishing the Sabine I thought ‘what am I actually doing now, it’s like I’m just fishing now.’ I don’t want to just fish against these guys, I want to compete. I don’t just want to make a check. Survival is everything and checks are important, but I want to show them that I’m here and that I can compete against them. [Guntersville] built my confidence massively.”