This week’s Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) Championship at Wisconsin’s Sturgeon Bay has an interesting blend of implications. Obviously, Aaron Martens has already sewn up the AOY title, but, in a way, I think that actually puts an emphasis on the other important elements of this tournament.
Even with the title off the table, this event still has kind of a championship style feel to it. I think that’s especially true for the guys who are fighting for a spot in next year’s Bassmaster Classic.
That’s what we all shoot for – that’s our main goal each year. And since this is the final event of this year’s Elite season, it comes down to one tournament for the guys who are trying to qualify. The AOY title may be out of the picture, but earning a Classic spot is a big deal.
Fortunately, I secured my place in the Classic with a good finish at the last regular-season Elite event on Lake St. Clair. That takes a lot of pressure off of me because I don’t have to worry about risking my place in the points.
Of course, I want to do as well as I can, but I guess it’s a different set of considerations for me.
For one thing, I can gain or lose some points in this event and that will impact how much of the AOY money I earn.
Also, I’d like to wrap up this season on a better note than I did in 2014. Last year, I had a good season, but a poor finish at the last event. That left me in a bad mood and I’d really like to leave this season in a better frame of mind.
I haven’t had a win this year and this week gives me a final chance to earn one. If that doesn’t happen, I at least want to extend my run of good finishes. I’ve had two good events in a row, and I’m going to do my best to keep that momentum going at the AOY Championship.
That’s important, not only for this year’s performance, but also for the start of next season. Once we wrap up this season, it’s really not that long until the Classic is upon us.
I want to finish strong so I can carry that momentum through the fall and go into the Classic strong. I want to be sitting in the deer stand this fall knowing that I finished with a bang, rather than a boom.
I definitely have my work cut out for me this week. We fished north of this area in Michigan’s Bays de Noc last year, but this will be my first trip to Sturgeon Bay.
I know nothing about it this area, but I expect it to be somewhat like Bays de Noc and maybe a combination of that and St. Clair – without the current.
I think largemouth bass might play, but they won’t win, so I took all the largemouth stuff out of my boat. All the pictures I’ve seen of people doing well at Sturgeon Bay have been with smallmouth. I don’t see anyone holding green fish.
From a personal standpoint, even though my home lake back in Oklahoma has smallmouth, they’re a lesser part of the picture. So whenever I get the chance to fish a prime smallmouth fishery, it brings out that little kid feeling in me.
From what I hear, this is as good as it gets for smallmouth, so I’m guessing a guy will need 22-25 pounds a day to do well. It all depends on what the weather does and where we get to fish. It’s supposed to blow all through practice, so that’s going to limit where we can run.
There will be guys who go out there in 4-8-footers, but I won’t be one of them. We can fish both sides of the Door Peninsula, so getting out of the wind and actually trying to accomplish something in practice makes more sense to me.
I just don’t think you can be efficient. If you have a spot to go to, yeah, I can see going out there to check it; but for me who doesn’t know where to go, I don’t think it’s wise to waste a day of practice bobbing around looking for fish.
I’d rather spend that time trying to figure out the fish and what baits might be effective. I think it’s probably going to be the typical smallmouth baits – a tube, spinnerbait, jerkbait and, of course, the dropshot. The YUM Warning shot has served me well on the smallmouth fisheries this year, so I’ll give that bait a good workout this week.
We’re getting late in the year for a topwater bite, but it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I could throw a Heddon Spook this week. With smallmouth, you just never know.
Whatever this week brings, I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed. There’s really no pressure. The only thing I can gain or lose on this deal is money and places in the Angler of the Year standings. I take a lot of pride in that.
This event gives me that chance to fish for a win and improve my final standing, so that’s my goal.