I don’t like to dwell on the past, but there are many times in professional angling where lessons can be derived from past seasons. I think it’s very important to spend some time considering last year as I dive into 2016. Last year was as frustrating a season as I’ve had, although I managed to salvage what I could with a few solid finishes, which resulted in another trip to the GEICO Bassmaster Classic — it certainly didn’t begin that way.
I finished around the middle of the pack at the 2015 Classic on Lake Hartwell, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but like everybody else, I fish that event to win, not just show up. I was under the weather for the entire event, pink eye in both eyes, sinus infection — it was awful. But you push through it.
Was that a tough way to start my season? If I had a choice on how that event would have gone, I would have first preferred to be 100 percent healthy. But again, it’s the Classic and you push through it.
I managed a Top 10 on the Sabine, but after that I hit a stretch where I missed several checks in a row. I’ve been very consistent about cashing checks in my career, and I take pride in that. But, I also take great pride in accumulating enough points during the season to maintain a spot in the Classic, or even a shot at AOY. But, there was a point last year when I was beginning to think I was going to come up short.
Going into the Chesapeake tournament, I was on the tail end of a few really bad tournament finishes. I was sitting in 80th place in points, or something like that, and I was of the mindset that I just wanted to end a difficult season on a positive note. My goals were simple: At the next two tournaments, I just wanted to cash a check.
I feel that as an angler, when you get in survival mode, that’s when doubt creeps in and tends to be a factor in extending bad decision making. It’s a slump, no other way to put it. I knew that if I didn’t change something at that event, the slump was going to continue.
I also knew that it was going to be a very difficult tournament for most of the field, and I knew very little about the fishery going into it. To be honest, I seem to excel when fishing a tough and unfamiliar situation — I set my pre-conceived notions aside and fish in an unbiased manner. After a difficult stretch combined with an unfamiliar fishery, I felt like it was a great opportunity to turn things around.
I managed to finish 17th at the Chesapeake Bay event, which primed me for St. Clair a week later, where I weighed 84-7 to win the tournament. That set me up to remain in contention for a Classic berth, but I wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Momentum is definitely something that you build off of when it’s going well, but when you got the bad momentum dominating your performance, it can really drag you down.
For me, it comes down to defeating the demons in your head that are saying, “you can’t,” and relying on your experience, and often leaning on the basics of bass fishing that prove “you can!” I’ve found that focus is the key. Going into Chesapeake, I decided to just focus on catching fish and not let the negativity of my past several events interfere with how I was going to fish there.
I knew that to make the Classic, I needed to finish 30th or better at the AOY Championship on Sturgeon Bay. That was added pressure, but it was the bottom line. I worked really hard, and managed to finish in 11th place and I made the Classic. My mindset was more about having fun and fishing the way I knew how. It really paid off for me.
Over the years, I’ve found that simplifying my approach during a slump can dramatically improve the outcome. Focus on your objective, focus on catching one fish at a time, focus on visualizing your bait interacting with the structure and be conscious of your mindset. Don’t let negativity rule the day.
Slumps are always overcome with a positive mindset!