5 favorites with Brandon Lester

Brandon Lester was born-and-raised in Fayetteville, Tenn., which is just north of the Alabama state line. Heâs qualified for the Bassmaster Classic three out of four years from the Bassmaster Elite Series. Before every tournament (roughly 60 times) heâs written an article on Bassmaster.com detailing how he plans to fish each Elite Series, Bassmaster Classic, and many of the Bassmaster Opens. He and his wife Kim just welcomed a baby girl (Shiloh) who joins his step-daughter Leann in their family of four.

<p><b>Whatâs your favorite down-time activity when youâre not fishing?</p></b>
That would easily be hunting. I absolutely love to hunt both deer and turkey. Whenever they are in season, if Iâm not on the water chasing fish you can bet Iâm in the woods chasing deer and turkey. This spring was awesome for turkey and I managed to both harvest a bird and catch bass on the same day this spring.

Whatâs your favorite down-time activity when youâre not fishing?
That would easily be hunting. I absolutely love to hunt both deer and turkey. Whenever they are in season, if Iâm not on the water chasing fish you can bet Iâm in the woods chasing deer and turkey. This spring was awesome for turkey and I managed to both harvest a bird and catch bass on the same day this spring.

<p><b>Who were your favorite anglers to watch when you were younger? </p></b>
I have two anglers that I loved watching. The first was Denny Brauer because of the way he fished. I always thought the flipping and pitching was really cool and would try and mimic his style. He helped Mustad create their flipping hooks which Iâve caught countless fish with. The other angler was Rick Clunn simply because my first baitcasting reel was his signature series. So I always thought he was a cool cat.

Who were your favorite anglers to watch when you were younger?
I have two anglers that I loved watching. The first was Denny Brauer because of the way he fished. I always thought the flipping and pitching was really cool and would try and mimic his style. He helped Mustad create their flipping hooks which Iâve caught countless fish with. The other angler was Rick Clunn simply because my first baitcasting reel was his signature series. So I always thought he was a cool cat.

<p><b>If you got the chance to spend a full day fishing with anybody you wanted to, who would your favorite pick be? </p></b>
Oh man, Iâve thought about this question a lot in my head. I think I would go with Aaron Martens. Iâd choose Aaron because he plays around with baits and line sizes and all that stuff so much. He makes tweaks and adjustments to stuff so often that I would love to pick his brain a little bit. Iâm sure I would learn a lot by simply watching and hearing what all goes through his mind. Heâs got a lot of knowledge for sure.

If you got the chance to spend a full day fishing with anybody you wanted to, who would your favorite pick be?
Oh man, Iâve thought about this question a lot in my head. I think I would go with Aaron Martens. Iâd choose Aaron because he plays around with baits and line sizes and all that stuff so much. He makes tweaks and adjustments to stuff so often that I would love to pick his brain a little bit. Iâm sure I would learn a lot by simply watching and hearing what all goes through his mind. Heâs got a lot of knowledge for sure.

<p><b>What are your favorite pre-tournament routines or habits? </p></b>
Iâm not really a superstitious kind of guy. However, I will say, if I catch them really good on the first day wearing a certain hat then I will not be changing that hat for the second day. I will wear that same exact hat until I feel like itâs not helping anymore. I have a feeling Iâm not the only one who does that too!

What are your favorite pre-tournament routines or habits?
Iâm not really a superstitious kind of guy. However, I will say, if I catch them really good on the first day wearing a certain hat then I will not be changing that hat for the second day. I will wear that same exact hat until I feel like itâs not helping anymore. I have a feeling Iâm not the only one who does that too!

<p><b>What is a favorite thought or mindset that keeps you going whenever the season starts to drag or the days on the lake get tough? </p></b>
I try to always keep a positive attitude no matter what the circumstances may be. The Sabine River in Texas this season was a prime example. It is a super-tough fishery. And even though we fish on the Elite Series, I feel like 20 to 30 percent of the guys were defeated before they even made their first cast. Before you let the negative thoughts start running through your mind you need to remember that 50 anglers are still getting paid and one angler will hold up the blue trophy at the end of the week so it might as well be you. You also have to remind yourself that everyone is on the same playing field and they have to catch them too.

What is a favorite thought or mindset that keeps you going whenever the season starts to drag or the days on the lake get tough?
I try to always keep a positive attitude no matter what the circumstances may be. The Sabine River in Texas this season was a prime example. It is a super-tough fishery. And even though we fish on the Elite Series, I feel like 20 to 30 percent of the guys were defeated before they even made their first cast. Before you let the negative thoughts start running through your mind you need to remember that 50 anglers are still getting paid and one angler will hold up the blue trophy at the end of the week so it might as well be you. You also have to remind yourself that everyone is on the same playing field and they have to catch them too.