Ouch! Ouch! Double-barrel ouch!
Matt Adams suffered another bass fishing heartbreak, but he was quickly back on his feet chasing the dream of becoming a Bassmaster Elite Series angler.
“I’m not going to lie, losing by a couple ounces feels like getting kicked in the nuts,” he said on social media.
The 42-year-old from Guntersville, Ala., posted an incredible three-day weight of 65 pounds, 9 ounces in last week’s Nitro Boats Elite Qualifier at Wheeler Lake. Problem was Laker Howell bested him by 2 ounces.
That gut shot followed last year’s swift kick in the rear when he was first man out in Elite qualifying.
At Wheeler, Howell and Adams were in a two-man duel, each nearly 10 pounds ahead of the field. On the big B.A.S.S. stage at in Decatur, Ala., Howell reacted with stunned joy when he saw his winning total flash on the scales. Adams snapped his head down in defeat before forcing a smile and congratulating Howell, the son of 2014 Classic champ Randy Howell.
Missing out on the victory and Classic berth had to have Adams writhing on the floor in pain – who wouldn’t? – but days later he recorded a post-Wheeler video offering kudos and respect to his Guntersville neighbors.
“That being said, it doesn’t feel good to lose,” said Adams, who replayed several crucial fish losses. “You always think about missed opportunities.”
Coming into Wheeler under tough fall conditions, Adams thought there was no way someone could catch 65 pounds. Fishing the Guntersville tailrace, he built monster bags the first two days but the spot didn’t fire on Day 3. Howell, fishing a topwater close to takeoff, and Adams both topped the previous best there in a three-day event by 10 pounds.
“Overall feelings are, I am extremely proud of the tournament I was able to put together,” he said. “It was an extremely fun tournament. It was exciting. It was anxiety filled. It was everything you would want as an angler. It was everything you would want as a tournament fan. It was everything in general that bass fishing is about.
“Obviously, it was not my time to win one. I hate that.”
Despite losing a 5-8 fish on Day 1, Adams held the lead with 23-14. Howell busted 25-4 to take a 4-ounce advantage after Day 2, when Adams broke off one that would have improved his 22-8 limit. Adams also lost one on a drop shot on Championship Saturday, when his 19-3 limit came up 3 ounces short.
“It’s hard for me to take that,” he said. “I feel like there’s aways something I can do better.”
The positive aspect of his runner-up finish soon resurfaced. Garnering 94 points put Adams back in the hunt for an Elite invitation. Last year, he went into the last EQ event tied for the final berth but ended as first-man out.
Last month at Lake Champlain, Adams kicked off the three-derby EQ series with a disappointing 47th-place finish. The top 10 in points punch their tickets to the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series.
“Big picture, we are now 11th in points – we are like two points out of 10th place,” Adams said. “We are right in the middle of the Elite Series race.”
The third and final EQ is on Lake Okeechobee, Nov. 13-15. That doesn’t hurt Adams’ feelings as he’s had success on the big Florida fishery, including a fifth in last year’s Open. Unless a hurricane hits, Adams said he believes the water level will be down, and the fish will be on the move.
“I like Okeechobee,” he said. “It sets up well for what I like to do. It’s a lake I’m very comfortable with. It’s also a lake that can chew you up if you’re not careful. I don’t think many of the guys in the Top 10 have been there, and/or fished a tournament on that place.
“There’s going to be some guys who are going to wreck them, and some who are going to miss them completely.”
The projected points to finish in the Top 10 cut is approximately 225. Event winners receive 95 points, and it reduces one point for each place. So Matt Messer, who leads the EQ standings with 175 points, simply needs a finish close to the check cut of 40th. Adams has a good idea what he’ll need.
“I feel like a top 25 gives me a really good shot to get in the top 10, I’d be willing to bet,” he said. “I’m going to shoot for a top 15, if I do there’s a 1,000% chance I’m getting in.”
The plan will be simple for Adams – “We’re going to go out, put a big stick in our hands and see if we can figure it out.”
Through his successes, hardships and honestly detailing them in posts before and after events, Adams has gained fans on his Bassmaster journey. He thanked all his followers for their well-wishes, and he left them with a hopeful outlook.
“If I do it long enough, I will win one,” he said. “I don’t know when, I don’t know where, I don’t know how – I will win one. I’ve been too close too often.”
