Top 10 things learned since turning Pro:

10.) You need more money than you think.

I wish Bassfan would have done an article on “getting started” before I got started. When I first started, I totally messed up when figuring out how much each tournament was going to cost. I forgot to add in a few smaller things like fishing licenses, launch fees and tolls. I also thought I had every lure I needed and would not need new additions. In fact, the opposite was true…I think I actually could have left home with no tackle boxes at all. I didn’t use anything that I didn’t buy at the local tackle shops in 2003. Now I know to add an extra $500 or so for each event for the little surprises.

9.) Don’t give up or get discouraged after a train wreck.

There’s a fine line between a top ten and humbling embarrassment. It’s amazing; loosing a fish in the old days could cost me winning and settling for a top five instead. On the Tour level however, 2 or 3 pounds can mean 50 or more places and thousands more dollars. Every single fish is so important. I learned that lesson the hard way early in my career, so now I treat each fish like it’s the $1,000,000 championship winner. It’s a long season, and things can turn around either way in a hurry. To somewhat ease the pain of a forgetful performance, you can usually find one of your heroes below you in the standings.

8.) Not to let the co-angler get into my head.

FLW Co-Anglers are no slouches. Most of them are great fishermen and extremely competitive. I’ve been fortunate to have drawn a bunch a super nice guys and girls over the past two seasons. Some of which will be life-long friends. However, with that being said, I learned early on that, sometimes, what they are doing behind me can affect my decisions, and the way I approach different spots. I have learned to help them as much as possible, pay attention when I’m getting whooped, and not be stubborn. I’ve gained a lot from my partners over the last two years, and I’d hope that they would say the same about me. We are not competing against each other, and getting along makes for a much more productive day. Instead of wincing in pain, I try to be genuinely happy for them when they whack a 5lber that I so desperately needed. The first time I honestly did that, I caught a 7 pounder a couple minutes after my Co caught a 5. God bless the co-anglers. We couldn’t do what we do without them.

7.) How to dissect huge water.

The lakes I used to fish are the size of a small creek in most of the Tour lakes. After seeing the first couple lakes in 2003, I quickly realized I couldn’t cover the entire place in four days of practice. It was either lengthen my practice to four weeks, or pick a section. I now make a pre-arrival, educated decision on the general area I want to call home. I convince myself that there are enough fish to win the event in the area I’ve chosen (because there are) and I try to figure it out the best I can. If I don’t know where the rest of the lake is, it won’t be in the back of my mind all day. That is my plan, although sometimes I deviate a little, depending on how practice is going.

6.) You can’t win every tournament.

These guys are stinkin good. Instead of fishing against 10 or 20 guys that always do well, you’re in a 200 boat situation where just about anyone could win at any time. Looking down the list of competitors was a bit overwhelming at first. I’ve learned not to look at the list anymore, it’s distracting.

5.) Having good sponsors is critical.

I feel blessed to represent the best in the business. It would be almost impossible without them, especially in the beginning. It’s a great feeling to have the sponsors that I really want, and to have confidence and pride in their products. Not everyone is as fortunate. I found out right away that there is a lot of work involved in it, especially when on the road for months at a time, but it’s all well worth it. Several of my sponsors are also FLW Tour sponsors and have booths set up at the Family Fun Zones. That makes it a lot more convenient.

4.) How to recognize top ten potential.

Lots of different fisherman practice through the eventual winning area without recognizing it, including myself at least twice this year alone. For example, Back in March, 2004 I spent three nervous days watching the area where I would later win the Old Hickory tournament. During one hour, the day before the tournament, 7 boats went through it, but not one of them showed up there during competition. I could not believe it. I think we’ve all done it. Before fishing televised events, I may have done that and never known. After my first ever FLW tournament though, on Okeechobee in 2003, seeing an area I had written off on the TV show (two weeks later) really taught me big a lesson. I’m a lot more cautious and thorough now, and it’s paid off a time or two.

3.) A bass isn’t a bass, isn’t a bass, isn’t a bass.

Some tricks I use to catch northern largemouth bass work on their southern cousins, but they can be very different in the south. I really wish the old adage “A bass, is a bass, is a bass” was true, but it’s definitely not. I assumed I could go down and show those southern wannabies something they’d never seen before, and I did, but most of the time they didn’t like it. There are obviously some similarities, but I’ve learned that every lake’s bass are different in many ways. What works great in one place is useless somewhere else.

2.) My wife really does love me.

We didn’t know what to expect when we left home in January 2003 for Florida with our 6 month old son Mitchell. We had just sold our home and her car to buy a truck and a camper. Anne quit her job, and with only one paying sponsor, Frontier Construction, and some help from Vic’s Sports Center, Luhr-Jensen and Yamaha, we figured we had barely enough to make it half way through the FLW and BASS Tour seasons. What a huge sacrifice for a spouse to make. I thank God every day for Anne, Mitchell (5), Macy (1 ½), and the rest of my family. I am truly blessed. How does this fit into what I’ve learned since turning pro? I went to one big tournament over the last two years without them, and I learned that I could not do what I do without them being on the road with me. There are quite a few other families traveling the FLW Tour, and now that we’ve gotten to know most of them, and the FLW staff, it’s made life on Tour a lot more enjoyable. We really appreciate all they do and we are happy we chose to go this direction.

And the number 1 thing I’ve learned since going pro…

Hank Parker is a strange bird.

After some intense public whining on my part during the Okeechobee weigh-in in 2004, I was asked to be on Hank’s show at the following event on the Atchafalaya Basin. I’ve been watching Hank on TV for as long as I can remember, and fishing with him was an experience I will never forget. He would periodically make some sort of a loud monkey/bird call into the swamp, and things were answering him…yikes! …………….He’s still one of my biggest heroes though. He and Zona would get along great.