This is the time of year when a lot of people start talking about New Year’s Resolutions. I do this too, but instead of focusing on big changes, I’m choosing to look at things that I resolve to continue doing in the new year.
To do this, I have to look back at my 2025 season and identify the things I was happy about. For one thing, I learned a lot about myself and what it takes to perform at the Bassmaster Elite Series level.
I also learned a lot about the mental part of competitive fishing. If you look at my results, you can see a mental shift that took place between my first two Elite events and the rest of the season.
It took me a couple of events to learn where my head needs to be at, but we got it figured out early enough to have a solid season.
So, as for my New Year’s Resolutions, I’m going to continue my high-octane fishing style. When I’m moving fast and covering as much water as I can is when I’m performing my best.
The fish are always changing when we show up to places, and if I can cover enough water, I feel like I can figure it out a little faster than guys who are moving slower.
With the new forward-facing sonar rules for 2026, I think it will be even more important to put my bait in as many places as I can. That will allow me to generate a few bites early to give me a clue to run with the rest of the day.
That strategy served me well at the Bassmaster Classic, but that’s where I hindered myself in the two Florida events. I didn’t cover enough water. I just stayed in a couple of areas I’d found in practice.
From the Classic on, I followed a more mobile game plan. This was especially important at the Pasquotank River. I covered a bunch of water and adapted with the changing conditions. I got a clue the first day of the tournament and got a Top 10 finish.
It was a combination of the Classic and the Pasquotank that made the lightbulb turn on. I realized this is how I need to roll going forward.
A few more resolutions:
Don’t get complacent. Every time I dump my boat into the water, my goal is to learn something new. On the Elite Series, we have to work hard to keep our place and, with the young talent coming in every year, you cannot afford to relax.
Stay positive. You have to go into every event confident you’re gonna catch ‘em. If you carry doubt into an event, it’s not going to happen.
Even if you have a bad practice, you have to will it into happening. A lot can change throughout the course of a day, so you have to remain positive.
Develop my sponsors relationships. I treat all my sponsors as friends, and I frequently call them just to talk about fishing, life and whatever’s important to them. I think it’s important to balance the business side of the relationship with appreciation for the people.
Enjoy the sport. When you tune out all the negativity you see across the internet, fishing is still about enjoying time with your friends. Besides, how lucky are we to be able to compete and spend time in the outdoors.
I resolve to not take any of this for granted — the sunrises, the sunsets, the wildlife. We have to embrace it because you never know when it might end.
