Matthew Delaney of Pollock, La., is proud to be one of three anglers from Grant Parish, La., who qualified for the Elite Series through the Bassmaster Central Open division in 2015. The other two anglers are Samuel Canoe of Georgetown, La.,and Brett Preuett of Monroe, La.
Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes as opposed to counties in 48 other states. The name parish is derived from the Roman Catholic Church, which was the official church of France.
Delaney, who finished seventh in the AOY standings, and Preuett, who finished eighth, needed a little help to make the Elite cut. They got it from Tommy Biffle, Stephen Browning and James Elam who finished ahead of them in the Central Open standings.
Since the latter pros had already qualified for the Elite tour through the Elite Series, the Top 5 in the Central Open AOY standings worked down the list three places to include Delaney and Preuett.
“I survived this year by the seat of my pants,” Delaney said.
Delaney, Canoe and Preuett are friends.
“Grant Parish is rural and it’s not that big,” Delaney said. “Everybody knows everybody.”
Delaney and Canoe are practically brothers. They both attended Grant High School at the same time and often fished together growing up. They have joined forces to compete in many team tournaments and traveled together when fishing the Bassmaster Central Opens in 2015.
“As soon as I got out of diapers, my dad started bringing me fishing in a boat with him,” Delaney said.
Delaney’s father, Pete, is an avid angler who still competes in local bass tournaments. Delaney fished his first team tournament with his father at around 8 years old.
“I wasn’t one of those that won his first tournament and took off from there,” Delaney said. “But I was hooked from then on.”
Delaney and his father often fished Louisiana’s 8,200-acreLarto-Saline Complex. Comprised of small, weedy lakes strung together by numerous interconnecting bayous, the Larto-Saline Complex was a virtual bass wonderland for the young Delaney.
It was here that Delaney’s father taught him how to catch bass on spinnerbaits, jigs and Texas rigged soft plastic baits. As a teen, Delaney also made frequent trips to the Red River, fishing with his father and his pal Canoe.
When Canoe was in high school, his stepfather gave him a Glasstream bass boat powered by a 40 hp outboard. It allowed Delaney and Canoe to strike out on their own and experiment with new techniques.
They would later expand their horizons to include large venues, such as Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn.
After graduating from high school, Delaney followed in his father’s footsteps to become a police officer for the city of Alexandria, La., where his father was on duty. That same year Delaney bought his father’s Triton Tr20 bass boat, which was powered by a 225 outboard. He now runs a 2012 Triton 20XS sporting a Mercury 250.
In 2014 Delaney took a step up in competition to fish all three Bassmaster Central Open tournaments. Although he finished the season in the middle of the pack, he was confident he could do better. He sighed on to fish the 2015 Central Opens and convinced Canoe, who now works for an alarm security company, to do so, too.
Now that both of them have qualified for the 2016 Elite Series, Delaney and Canoe are working to come up with the sponsor support they need to compete against the world’s best bass anglers. At this writing, the deadline for the Elite Series deposits is fast approaching.
Delaney’s current sponsors include Progressive Construction, Mid State Orthopedic, Denali Rods and Red River Marine. He also has the support of his wife, Lauren. They have two children, 1-year-old Mason and 7-month-old London.
At age 30 Delaney continues to serve as a police officer for the Alexandria Police Department. His father has retired from the force. To prevent burnout, Delany changes divisions within the department every three years or so.
He has done straight police work, been on the canine unit and the street interdiction unit where he has run down drug dealers, which he calls “the fun stuff.” He currently serves in the motorcycle division.
When asked if he might burnout on bass should he becomes a fulltime Elite Series pro, he replied, “I’ve been fishing all my life and I’m not tired of it yet.”
