To say 2014 was a disappointment for me would be an understatement. My year was not what I had hoped for … not even close. My first goal every year is to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic through the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race. For the past seven years I've been able to achieve that goal. This year, I didn't make it happen.
I knew heading into the Lake Cayuga event that I needed to have a fantastic tournament and finish in the Top 12 to give myself a shot at making the Top 50. I did my part and finished in 7th, but many other anglers did what they needed to do as well. When it all shook out, I ended up missing the Top 50 event by two spots, ending my Elite Series season.
There are things I can take from 2014 into 2015 that should get me back on track. I've always said that I learn more on difficult tournaments than from easy ones … and I had plenty of difficult ones in 2014. I should have learned a lot.
Looking back its easy to see what seemed like small decisions (at the time) ended up being huge decisions in the big picture. When you're competing against 100-plus of the best anglers in the world it only takes one bad decision to go from a Top 12 to a missed cut in a tournament. Make a few of those bad decisions in an eight tournament season and you'll be left watching the Classic from the Expo venue.
I don't have any excuses. I simply didn't get it done in 2014. There is a silver lining though, I learned a few things that I think will help me in the upcoming seasons.
First, I need to spend more time fishing a vibrating jig in the off-season. A vibrating jig played a big role in many events this season, and it's not a technique that I am confident in. You can bet that by the time the 2015 season kicks off I'll be confident with that technique.
Second, I know I need to diversify my pre-fishing. Some of my worst events in 2014 came after my best practice days. Several times this season I found fish, and a pattern that I thought would be effective during the tournament. I relied too heavily on what I found and never expanded my search or diversified my knowledge of the conditions and timing. Even worse, as the tournament unfolded I didn't move on from what I found and adjust to the conditions.
Another bright spot in my somewhat dark season is that I finished strong. With my back against the wall and my eighth consecutive Classic on the line, I showed up at Lake Cayuga and fished well. I finished that event in 7th and restored my self confidence moving ahead to 2015.
With all that said, I do still have one more shot to make the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. I'll need to win the upcoming final Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open on the Arkansas River. I know there will be a lot of locals in the event, but I like fishing the river, and when we were there a few years ago I got on the fish pretty well. Ultimately, that event was moved to Ft. Gibson due to weather conditions, but I learned a lot and I think that can help me this year. One thing's for sure, the fish will be shallow … and I like shallow water fishing.
Whether I make the Classic or not, I'm fired up for 2015. It's time to tune up my mind and my body and improve on some techniques to be sure 2015 is a success.