I’ve always followed professional fishing as a fan and a competitor. I’ll never forget watching KVD on television when he won the 2011 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta in what was then my home state.
I attended my first Classic in 2019, which was won by Ott DeFoe. The atmosphere in the stadium was indescribable. Watching DeFoe win gave me chills. I was sitting there, tearing up. I longed to be on the Classic stage. I’ve never forgotten that feeling.
At that time, I competed in another league and things were going well there. I had also gained significant support from the fishing industry. But the dream of being on the Classic stage and maybe holding up that trophy was too much to resist.
I decided to risk everything I had built and start fresh with B.A.S.S. That meant fishing the Bassmaster Opens in 2024 to qualify for the Elite Series.
In a sense, I was stepping down to the minor league level. But the competition is so fierce in the Opens, it was the most stressful time of my life. Everything I had worked for was on the line.
I’m thankful I succeeded in my first go at the Opens, which allowed me to fish the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series as a rookie in 2025. However, it proved to be the most challenging year of my life.
I struggled through the first half of the season because I came to understand I had been neglecting things in life that are more important than fishing.
Early in my career, I was very fortunate to have a lot of success. It was me living out of my truck, getting down the road of life at full throttle. My intense desire for success caused me to set aside everything else in life, including my family and personal relationships.
What does it mean to have success fishing when your friends and family aren’t there to be part of it? As I struggled with this mentally, it undermined my focus on fishing. That hurt my performance on the water.
I eventually put things in perspective. It was a growing-up period for me. I reached out to people I cared about and became engaged to my fiancé, Shelby. I learned I can be a good friend and husband and still have success on the water.
I fished better after coming to that realization and did well enough to qualify for the 2025 Classic. More importantly, my son, Bowen, is due to be born three days after the Classic.
God reigned me in last year. His timing is perfect. Sometimes things get hard to give us perspective. Tough times make better people.
My trials and tribulations last season benefited me in the long run. It reminded me just how much this sport means to me and to appreciate where I’m at more than ever.
It’s crazy that the first Classic I’m competing in takes place in Knoxville, where I watched DeFoe hoist that big trophy above his head. I feel many of the emotions now that I felt on that day.
I don’t know what will happen at the Classic, but my head is in a good place, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.
