Now that the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series season is done, I’m looking back over my year, and I must say it has been a mix of ups and downs. Right off the bat, I have to say that if I were to script out my year on Jan. 1, there’s no way I could have anticipated two Elite victories.
It’s not that I ever doubted my ability to win; it’s just that so much has to go right to win one of these events. Two in one year? Wow! It’s still sinking in.
But it hasn’t all been positive. I started out with two bad tournaments, then I got on track for a while and then I had two bad ones at the end. Lake Tenkiller didn’t treat me well, and I didn’t think the AOY Championship on Lake St. Clair treated me that well either.
Overall, it was kind of a wishy washy season, but I did maintain my points going into the AOY and I stayed in that A bracket. Most importantly, I secured my Bassmaster Classic berth — that was one of my main goals, for sure.
Considering that this was my first season back after taking a year off for medical reasons, I would rate my performance a seven out of 10. I know that may sound harsh, but I’m pretty hard on myself.
That’s part of what the off season is for; it’s a time of reflection and relaxation. Both are necessary for getting myself ready for 2020, but what I’m looking forward to the most is deer hunting. I love to bow hunt, so I’ll be traveling around to a couple of different states this year.
I recently moved to Arkansas and this state has some pretty darn good hunting. I’ll also be traveling to Texas twice and hopefully Missouri once. I’ll be getting around a bit this year and kinda recharging for the next fishing season.
Later this year, my new boat will arrive, and the rigging is always something I look forward to. I’ll discuss this more in a later column, but I can tell you this is one the highlights of my offseason.
On the sponsorship side, I’ve hired a new agent to acquire new support and promotional opportunities. We have the ball rolling on some good stuff and hopefully a lot of things will come through.
The biggest event I have planned for the offseason will be my new home. I will move into a new home in Arkansas within a couple of weeks, and I’m looking forward to getting the garage set up for the boat, the man cave and all that kind of stuff.
There will be a lot of organizing and setting up to do, but I already have two important details figured out — I now have a spot picked out for two blue trophies.