I made a lot of great memories during my college fishing years at the University of Montevallo. I also developed a love for southern fisheries that kept me in Alabama after graduating in 2023.
I basically split up my year by spending August-May in Central Alabama, and I go back to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn., for a couple of months in the summer. I’m currently renting a home with a friend, and when I return to Minnesota, I stay with my parents.
During my time at Montevallo, I came to appreciate the diversity of fisheries. My next step is to look for a place to buy in East Tennessee. My girlfriend’s going to school in the area, and that’s where I’d like to set up shop.
It’s a central location for the bass fishing world, and you have some good fisheries over there. You have the Tennessee River, Cherokee and Douglas lakes and lots of smaller lakes, so the area has a lot to offer.
My decision to spend most of the past few years in Alabama and to eventually settle in Tennessee is all part of my plan to broaden my experience and my skill sets. I always want to put myself where there are a lot of different types of fisheries.
In Alabama, there are herring lakes like Smith Lake, the Coosa River system, you have Lake Martin, then Lake Guntersville isn’t too far from me. So you have practically every type of fishery at your fingertips.
It’s the same thing in Tennessee. That’s always my goal — to have many different types of fisheries within a reasonable distance.
The Bassmaster Elites Series schedule is never the same type of fisheries, so I like to keep myself diverse year-round. I want to stay sharp on as many different scenarios as possible, because I think that helps you be more efficient when you’re traveling around on the Elite Series.
Winning the Bassmaster Classic has definitely helped me achieve this goal. That victory opened more doors for me to get around and experience even more diversity. The Classic title put me in a much better spot, so I’m going to make the most of it.
Just in the relatively short time I’ve spent in the South, I’ve seen my versatility increase. All of the different fisheries in Alabama have allowed me to do a little bit of everything during college, and then obviously, traveling for college fishing.
As an angler, nothing really scares me anymore. For example, I finished 14th in the Elite event at the Sabine River. That’s one of the tougher venues the Elites visit, so I was happy with a top 20 finish.
That tournament reminded me of the Alabama River — small backwaters and grinding on the bank. If I hadn’t lived in the South for a while, I would not have known what to do.
That’s really the impact of spending so much time learning to fish on all the different types of waters. I’m always trying to stay ahead of the competition. Whether it’s dirty water or clear water, I always want to have little tricks up my sleeve.
