Every Bassmaster Elite Series angler has goals when they start the season. It may be claiming the Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, winning one of the tournaments or requalifying for the Elite tour.
My goal this year, as a rookie, was to qualify for my first Bassmaster Classic. I’ve dreamed of doing that since I was 5 years old. I’m thrilled I got it done. I’m also pleased with my 24th-place in the point standings and that I made the Top 50 cut in six of the nine events.
Now that the dust has settled, I’m happy to be back home in Idaho with my family. I need time to relax and totally reset. If I fished competitively 12 months of the year, I’d risk burning out. I never want to lose my passion for bass fishing.
The month of September has been all about enjoying my family. The other day, my wife and I took our 8-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter to a pumpkin patch festival. Special times like these keep me grounded and in touch with what’s truly important in life.
I haven’t fished since I’ve been home, but next month I’ll start again. It will be mainly enjoyable outings with my buddies. I’m often forced to employ techniques I don’t favor when fishing in a tournament. When I’m home, I can fish the way I most enjoy.
There’s no need to be at the ramp before daylight. I can take a break for lunch and eat a sandwich or drive around the lake and take in the sights and scenery. The weather in autumn is spectacular in Idaho. If I want to, I can fish until dark.
These laid-back fishing trips remind me why I got into this sport.
Before the tournament season begins, I’ll need to work on things I suck at that are likely to pay off during the 2026 Elite Series. One of those things will be throwing crankbaits. I’ve never been great with them.
With forward-facing sonar not being allowed in four Elite events next year, a lot of guys are going to do well beating the bank and cranking. Crankbaits should be players at the Tombigbee and Arkansas rivers and at Lake Guntersville.
When I returned home after the final Elite event of 2025 on the Mississippi River, I unpacked all the tackle stuffed into my truck and boat. I checked the guides on all my rods and cleaned, greased and oiled all my reels.
My biggest chore before I pull out of my driveway for the first Elite tournament in 2026 will be repacking my truck and boat.
During the Elite season, I fly home to Idaho several times because the distance is too far to commute. I leave my truck and boat wherever I happen to be between tournaments.
That means I have to pack tackle and baits for every Elite event on the schedule. The venues next year range from fishing for northern smallmouth on the St. Lawrence River, southern bass at Santee Cooper Lakes, shallow river bass on the Arkansas River and ledge fishing for largemouth at Lake Guntersville.
This is why organization is so massive and tedious for me. It’s a mind-bender trying to figure out what I’ll need and to find room for it in my truck and boat.
No matter how hard I try to pack for every contingency, I often don’t have what I need during a tournament. But thanks to my iPhone and Tacklewarehouse.com, I can have whatever I want delivered the next day. My wife gets mad when she sees the credit card statement and all the money I spend on more tackle. All I can say is, “It’s a write-off babe.”
