(I caught some fish) but I didn't have anything for Luke. He had a phenomenal (first) day and was consistent the other two. I didn't lose. I got beat. |
All of my sponsors want to capitalize on that (Classic) win. And I had a really busy schedule before all this happened. |
As a group, we spend a lot of time at functions, and we are pretty tight from that standpoint. But in the events, you see smaller groups of guys who work together and try to help each other out. Stacey and I are really good friends, and he is one of the few anglers on tour that I share information with. We don't go out of the way, but I stop if I see him on the water. We help each other with patterns and stuff like that. |
I fully expected to have a sack full of big ones. My goal was to have a minimum of 20 pounds. |
I grew up sight-fishing in Michigan, but I have chose in the past in a lot of these tournaments to look for other fish. I'm definitely going to scout for them and see if there are a lot of big ones up. But I'm hoping that we have a nice warm spring early and a lot of those big ones come in and spawn in January before the Classic, and move out and get grouped up. That's the kind of fish that I like to fish for. |
I love what I do and you have to, to compete at this level. |
I won FLW Angler of the Year, and BASS Angler of the year three times, but there is no comparison to winning a Classic. It is kind of sad, because winning Angler of the Year is harder than winning a Classic. But it is just like football; the Super Bowl is the deal. |
I'm pretty disappointed right now. |
It's a very exciting experience to take center court with the likes of Shaq right before tip-off. It was great to be a part of the festivities and it is a real honor for our sport. |
It's great to see their enthusiasm. The learning curve's a lot steeper for them, being out there with a pro. It means so much to the kids, but it's really exciting for all of us. |
We are like a second family; we spend so much time in the same places. It helps to have friends out there to accomplish anything from things as simple as going out to dinner and picking up laundry to telling each other where the best ramps are or even where to get a fishing license. That's when you look to your team: for those non-fishing-related things. |
You've got to be prepared for everything, because we don't know where we're going. That, to me, is the coolest thing of the whole deal. |