Am I finally going to win one of these things? I guess I ask myself that sometimes.
There were times when I was really close. At Pittsburgh, I was really close. At Lake Wylie, when I lost to Takahiro, I thought I had won it. I continued fishing hard all day that last day, but I thought I had won it. I remember 100 boats following me, and they were all shouting at me, telling me that he wasn’t catching anything. Then, he lands a 5-pounder and a couple of 3-pounders right at the end to win it.
There were other times when it looked closer than it was. At the Louisiana Delta when Kevin won, I think he beat me by about 8 pounds. Sure, I came in second, but it felt like I was just getting my butt kicked like all the other guys. Last year, at Grand Lake, I thought I had a chance to win for most of the tournament and ultimately finished third, but hey, at least I saved a cat.
Most people know that I’ve finished second four times in the Classic. People are going to ask me all week if it wears on me or if I think about it a lot. The truth is, I don’t really look at it like that. Winning the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods is and has always been one of the goals I started fishing to accomplish. Growing up, I also wanted to win AOY. I’m sure most competitive anglers dream of winning a Classic.
I think a win would be huge. It would be awesome. It would probably trigger an endorphin or something in my brain that could shift all of my momentum for the season. That happens. I’ve seen it happen, and yeah, it would mean that I could finally cross that lifelong goal off of my list.
I do think about the Bassmaster Classic more than other events because it’s such an exciting event. The Classic is the most awesome event of the year. The venues are amazing. The hype around the event and the big weigh-in stages, the trophies, the part where you sort of earn your spot in history — those all make the Classic a really special event.
I still get a little extra excitement at every Classic. That feeling never goes away.
I feel good about Lake Conroe. I’ve been there before. I spent three days pre-fishing it in November, and I think I know the lake a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know the whole lake, but I think I know enough of it to go out there and compete for a win. It’s a neat lake because it has a lot of diversity to it. There are many ways you can fish it — ranging from the banks to offshore — there’s a lot to it.
I’m curious to see what kind of mode the fish are in: how far through the spawn they are. I think that will determine a lot of how the tournament goes. During pre-practice, I had one slow day, one decent day and one good day. But that was in the fall, and we will be fishing in the spring. I’ve never fished Conroe during the early spring.
I think practice will tell me a lot. Once I get on the water before the Classic, it’s time for total focus. I don’t pay attention to anything but the lake. I don’t even answer the phone unless it’s my wife.
So here we go again. This will be Bassmaster Classic number 18 for me. I think it’s Classic number 47 overall. Am I finally going to win one of these things? I don’t know. But if I do, it’s going to be epic.