The 2026 season has been one of those years.
I came off one of my best seasons in 2025. I won at the St. Johns River, cashed checks in seven of nine Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series events and qualified for the Bassmaster Classic by finishing 12th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. I also finished in the money in five of the six events on the other tour I fished and earned a spot in the championship by finishing 15th in points.
Fast forward to 2026, and things look a lot different.
This has been one of those seasons where things just haven’t gone right. My decision-making has been off at times, and I’ve missed opportunities that have cost me cuts and checks.
I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on it, and the more I think about it, the more it reminds me of what happened after I won my first big blue trophy at Pickwick Lake in 2021. Instead of fishing my strengths, I started fishing out of character. Rather than focusing on consistency and putting myself in position to earn a paycheck — which is how I earned the nickname “Dollar Bill” Lowen — I started swinging for the fences and looking for that obscure pattern that might lead to a win.
Looking back, I feel like I’ve fallen into that trap a little bit this year.
I need to get back to doing what “Dolla’ Bill” does, as Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer likes to say when I walk across the stage. I need to fish within myself, trust my instincts and make good decisions.
And it all starts with staying positive.
It’s easy to get down on yourself when things aren’t going well. You start second-guessing every decision, and before long that can turn into performance anxiety and doubts about your abilities — even when you’re coming off one of the best years of your career.
The way I’m choosing to look at it is simple: my season starts over at the Pasquotank River.
From my perspective, this is now a three-event season. I have three opportunities left to finish strong and build momentum heading into next year. If I can make solid decisions and execute the way I know I can, there’s no reason I can’t have three really good tournaments. And who knows? If I happen to win the final event of the season on the St. Lawrence River, a Bassmaster Classic berth is still within reach.
Right now, the biggest thing for me is to keep my head up and focus on what I do best. Fish my strengths. Trust the process. Stop worrying about forcing an outcome.
I’ve always tried to live my life with the belief that if it’s meant to be, it will be. That’s the mindset I need to keep playing on repeat in my head.
Besides, no matter what happens on the water, I know what I’m coming home to.
I get to travel the country chasing my dream for a living alongside Jennifer, Nevaeh and Fischer. I’ve been incredibly blessed with a family that supports me, friends who believe in me and sponsors who have stood by me throughout this journey.
When I step back and look at it that way, everything falls into the proper perspective.
And that’s exactly the attitude I need if I’m going to get this thing turned back around.
