Big changes for ‘The Tank’

“Ch, ch, ch, ch, changes.”

Frank “The Tank” Talley’s not necessarily a huge fan of the late David Bowie, but the English pop artist’s 1971 song “Changes” bears a notable relevance to the past six months of the Texas angler’s life.

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Don’t want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
There’s gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can’t trace time”

So, how has time changed Talley? Well, pretty significantly when you consider the accelerated course he’s recently experienced.

In the proverbial nutshell, Talley has fished most of his life, with local tournament’s partially fulfilling his competitive interests. He’d always desired to pursue a more challenging level, but spending several years building a hydraulic hose servicing/repair business dominated his time.

Then came the 2018 Bassmaster Central Opens. We’ll let The Tank take it from here.

“My family sat me down and kinda had an intervention and said it’s time for you to pursue your dream; you’ve raised a kid, you’ve been married for 25 years — it’s your time,” Talley said. “So I signed up for the Central Opens and ended up doing really good. I had three top-12’s and then made it to the Championship on Table Rock.

“I did well enough at the Championship to win Angler of the Year in my first year on the Opens. That qualified me for the Elites and the Bassmaster Classic.”

Fast track much?

Talley said he was thrilled with the sudden opportunities, but accepting his rookie Elite invitation took some serious consideration — and life ch, ch, ch, ch, changes.

“It was a catch-22 because we built up this business and I didn’t think this was all going to happen so quickly,” he said. “I always had confidence in myself, but I didn’t think it was going to happen the first year.

“So it required staffing changes at the shop. My nephew D.J. Anderson has been a godsend; he runs the business while we’re gone. Without him, I couldn’t do this.”

Now, to wrap this up, Talley recalls his homestretch surge in the final Central Open on Logan Martin. Entering the event in sixth in the points after the first three tournaments, Talley placed second on day one. When the five ahead of him stumbled, he capitalized on the open door.

“The guys that were ahead of me in the points ended up finishing in the 60’s or 70’s,” Talley said. “When it was all said and done, I ended up finishing fourth in the tournament and secured the AOY title.”

Ch, ch, ch, ch, changes — good changes for Frank The Tank.