This year was something I’m not used to, and it’s certainly not a year I’m proud of as a professional angler. I had the worst year of my 21-year career on the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. I’ve always prided myself on consistency and being able to cash checks; this year, not so much.
I finished out of the money in all but one event and my high finish was 43rd place at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The last four or five years have been up and down in a way I’m not content with.
I won my first event in 2021 at Pickwick Lake and then went chasing wins. I got back to working on consistency, and last year I fished as good as I ever had. I won another event and cashed checks in all but one event.
This year, I’m not entirely sure what happened fully. I had some things happen I just can’t explain. In one event, I found some really good fish going, and without rain, for no explainable reason, muddy water just filled up the area and I never located them again.
I’m not going to make excuses; I still need to perform. But I’m not gonna lie — this year felt like I would have been better off if I didn’t even show up.
With that off my chest, it’s time to move forward. I can’t harp on what happened in the past. I just need to make a plan to move forward, to learn the lessons I can and take what I need to take from it and work to make things better next year and beyond.
So, what does that plan look like for me? It starts with a reset.
I’m going to go on some hunts with Fischer and family and friends. I didn’t get to do that much last year with some things going on. I’ll do as much hunting as I can around getting ready for the season. I’ll have some business things to take care of, and I want to learn and improve as well.
I’ll be going on another fishing tour in China with Ark Rods like we did last year with Louie from Ark and my teammates Randall Tharp, Brandon Cobb and Wes Logan. We’ll work on tackle and equipment, but we get to put on some exhibitions while we’re there and that’s fun.
I’m going to put some time into learning new techniques this offseason. I work hard in the offseason to make improvements, but I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little pissed off at how the year went, and 2027 starts now. It all starts with a little reset, and then I’m going to get to work.
This is now a closed chapter, and I get to write another one.
