If you’ve ever played competitive sports, you know slumps are inevitable. It doesn’t matter what the sport is or whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran.
Slumps happen to everybody, and I’m in a deep one this year on the Bassmaster Elite Series tour. My best finish was 48th place at Lake Fork. With only three tournaments left on the schedule, my odds of making the 2026 Bassmaster Classic are beyond dismal.
Over my 14 years as a professional angler, I’ve had to work out of a slump several times. The only way to do that is to keep casting and never give up.
I have also learned you can’t force your way out of a slump. When I’ve tried in the past, it only put me deeper into a hole. You have to keep casting and let the positive momentum come naturally.
I have experienced several instances where a single bass caused a domino effect that pulled me out of a slump. I call a fish like that a slump-buster.
I remember one year when I was way down around 80th place nearly halfway through the Elite season. I stuck with my strengths: swimbaits and finesse techniques.
At the next event, which was on Toledo Bend Reservoir, I caught an 8-pound largemouth that proved to be my slump-buster. I hooked that monster on 6-pound line while fishing in grass and timber.
The battle was touch-and-go, but when I finally put my hands on her, the momentum instantly shifted. My confidence skyrocketed, and the slump was busted. I made the top 20 in the tournament and qualified for the Classic that year.
For me to make the Classic this year on points is far-fetched, but there’s still hope. Whoever wins this season’s final Elite tournament on the upper Mississippi River receives an invite to the Classic.
To be at my best in that event, it’s imperative I pull out of my slump and get my mind right over the next two Elite tournaments. I have to forget about all the fish I’ve lost this season and the many other things that have gone wrong and focus on what is in front of me.
I’m excited about the upcoming tournament on Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller. I finished second the last time we were there in 2019.
After Tenkiller, we go to Lake St. Clair, which is another lake where I’ve had great success in the past. That could be a good tournament for me as well.
After those events, I’ll head to La Crosse, Wis., for the finale on the Upper Mississippi. I will absolutely have to fish to win. I hope to carry a positive mental attitude into that event after having success on Tenkiller and St. Clair.
To beat the 100 other Elite pros on the Upper Mississippi, I will absolutely have to be at the top of my game. I may also have to utilize tactics and techniques that are different from what my competitors are doing.
Until then, I’m looking for a slump-buster.
