Tyler Rivet is undoubtedly fishing a bit more relaxed today than he was the previous two days, and he’s got this keeper smallmouth to show for it. The 25-year-old Elite Series rookie from Raceland, La., came into this final regular season event ranked 50th in the Toyota Angler of the Year standings. Then he finished 46th on Day 1 at Tenkiller with three bass weighing 6-13.
“All my buddies I stay with were like, dude, you’re not the same right now,” Rivet said. “I had a big knot in my gut because I was so nervous.”
He wasn’t too nervous to do a little creative thinking yesterday. Rivet decided to try something different – a Blackjack Lures custom painted crankbait, a model than runs about 15 to 18 feet deep.
“I tied it on and caught that 5-3 on the first cast,” he said of the 5-pound, 3-ounce fish that took big bass honors yesterday. “The next cast I caught another keeper. I figured something out with that.”
Rivet finished with 14 pounds even, the second-biggest bag of the day, and it rocketed him into 11th place. Most importantly, it clinched his spot in the top 50 for the AOY Championship on Lake St. Clair.
“I knew I had to catch ’em (Friday),” Rivet said. “It was all or nothing.”