I had a day.
The kind of day you remember for the rest of your life.
I didn’t end up winning the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River, but Day 2 was a make-it-or-break-it deal, and I made it in a big way. When I look at all the incredible moments I’ve enjoyed during my career, this one’s right there at the top.
It’s probably second only to the last day of my 2021 Elite win at Lake Fork. I caught 42 pounds, 3 ounces that day and won by a 10-pound margin. Winning like that on your home lake is hard to beat, but what happened at the Mississippi River was just incredible.
This was the last event of the year and I came into it in a tough spot. The cards were stacked against me, so to catch 21 pounds, 11 ounces — the tournament’s biggest bag — completely changed my season.
My first day of the tournament was terrible. I only caught 10-13 and placed 83rd, but that second day shot me all the way up to seventh. I had a tough Day 3 with 10-12, but that big second day allowed me to finish in 17th place. That was huge for me because I really needed a good event.
It was a frustrating situation, because I’d had such a great first half of the season. Unfortunately, with bombs at Lake Fork and Lake Tenkiller, then missing the cut at Lake St. Clair, I fell hard in the standings.
I went from fifth in Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings after Lake Hartwell to leaving St. Clair in 38th place. That was hard, but I knew I just needed to make the cut or a little above the cut at this last event.
I honestly didn’t think that would be a big deal. It’s the Mississippi River. I’d been there once and it’s frogging, flipping grass — right up my alley. On paper, I’m gonna do good.
I get there and I did what I always do: I busted my butt and practiced daylight till dark. I did all my map study, my tackle’s 100%, my equipment’s 100%. I’m ready for the fight, but after three days of practice, I didn’t have much at all. I never figured out a spot that gave me any confidence.
I had a few random bites, but those areas got washed out with all the mud from the heavy rains we got in practice. Usually, I have a few little deals figured out, but this time I didn’t have anything. The first day I placed 83rd.
I was devastated. That dropped me to 48th in AOY and put me way out of the Classic cut.
The problem was, I just didn’t have anywhere to go; I didn’t have anything to do. It was just a low point in my career.
It was more than just not qualifying for the Classic; I was mad because I had been busting my butt, but I had no clue. Nothing was working.
I admit, I was feeling about as low as I’ve ever felt, and I went into Day 2 with no confidence. I had my truck packed, and I was ready to drive back to Texas that night.
I didn’t do tackle the night before, and I didn’t even put gas in my boat. I was gonna do my best for one last day and leave from the boat ramp, but the way that second day unfolded was just unbelievable.
I started that second day kind of with my tail tucked and drove down the river not knowing what I was gonna do. My first three bites were a big catfish, a bowfin and a pike, so about 9 o’clock, I was like, “What is happening?”
I went to where I’d caught all my Day 1 fish on a frog and fished the whole area with no bites. I was at a major low point at 9:30 a.m., so I had to regroup and do something I hadn’t done yet.
I put away all my stuff, tied on a 3/4-ounce jig and went into the Goose Pond maze. I started targeting spots that didn’t look good; bare banks with no current breaks. I was out of options, and I had to try and make something happen.
Long story short, I ended up getting several good fish on the jig and a frog. My final fish was a 5-pounder on a frog, and at that point, I knew I had gotten back inside the Classic cut. I put all my rods up, left and checked in 25 minutes early.
I can’t explain what happened that day. It’s not like I found them schooling. It was meant to be. Maybe the Lord was looking down on me. All I know is that it went right on the day when I needed it to go right.
When your back is against the wall, you gotta be a fighter. You gotta believe it can happen because sometimes, it does.
