Heading into my rookie season on the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, I thought I might have a bit of an advantage over a typical first-year competitor. I’ve been around the sport since birth, attending Bassmaster Classics and ICASTs and other events with my dad, Stephen Browning.
Those early experiences may have helped me on the business side of things, but until you’re actually up on the big stage Bassmaster provides, it’s hard to understand how it will feel once you’re there.
I won’t say I was intimidated or shaken up, but for my first two Elites in Florida, I was kind of caught up in the moment. I’d been working to fish against my idols for a number of years, and suddenly they were all around me, trying to beat me down. It wasn’t out of meanness, but rather that’s what you have to do to be a professional angler. You do whatever you can legally and ethically do to beat everyone else.
Off the water, everyone was incredibly cool and friendly. I made a lot of new friends beyond those I’d met in college fishing and in the Opens. In fact, I became tight with several anglers with whom I never would’ve expected to get along with so well. Once I got over the hump of being awestruck, I slid into a comfortable pattern. Like everyone else, I just wanted to do my job, even if it meant beating people I called my friends and heroes.
The real turning point for me came on the second day of the Lake Okeechobee tournament. I’d located a bream bed and caught some quality fish off of it on the first day. There were quite a few anglers in that same area, and one of my competitors — indeed, someone I’ve looked up to for quite some time — saw me catching them.
On Day 2, that’s where I started, and things initially went according to plan. I caught a 6-plus-pounder right off the bat and then another quality keeper right after that. After sliding that second fish into the livewell and feeling pretty good about myself, I looked up and that other angler was right next to me. Our boats were 3 feet apart at most.
It was eye-opening. You hear about how competitive and occasionally cutthroat it is out there, but that was the moment I realized everyone is playing for blood. If you’re not comfortable with that, this is not the right profession for you.
But the story doesn’t end there. I realized I was cut out for this life that day because I ended up weighing in 25-12. It was the second-biggest bag of the day behind only eventual winner Brandon Palaniuk’s incredible 34-10 catch. I slid into fourth place and ended up a couple of days later with my best finish of the year — 16th place. As I said, there were several highly accomplished anglers in that same area, and I managed to out-fish them.
That set me up for what I hope will be a huge leap forward in my sophomore year. I want to win the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title. That may sound brash for someone who didn’t make the Classic, but I know I need to aim high. That starts with being consistent all year long.
I think I will benefit this season from a few things. First, I feel really good about the league’s changes with respect to forward-facing sonar (FFS). I like using FFS, but I’m definitely not one of the superstars with it. The schedule sets up well for me, with some grinder river tournaments and some other events that would normally be heavy on FFS not allowing it.
But the biggest thing is my mindset. Until you’ve actually been there — and not just viewing it from a front-row seat — the Elite Series is different from any other tournament circuit in the world. Now I have a better idea of how to handle not only the pressure of competing, but also the work and homework I need to put in to be consistently competitive. I’m ready to put in the effort and the time to maximize my performance.
