PW is having a year on the NPFL, and didn't do so bad on the Elites either! Check his NPFL finishes so far, championship still to be fished:
- Pickwick, AL -- March -- 6th
- Wright Patman, TX -- April -- 71st
- Santee Cooper, SC -- May -- 1st
- Saginaw Bay, MI -- July -- 2nd
- Eufaula, OK -- Sept -- 3rd
- Lanier, GA -- Oct -- 1st
Here's 5 with him:
1. Are you worried that you're getting more of your Elite buds interested in fishing the NPFL?
> "I'm absolutely not. I know they're definitely interested and I'm looking forward to it. The NPFL is a great league and the more the merrier. It's gonna get a lot of traction...."
2. Has this win finally convinced you to spend less time fishing and more time on social media? 😁
> "[Laughs] No, probably the opposite – less time on social media and more time fishing."
[He made a decision to spend more time fishing and less time being distracted by other stuff like social – and it's working out! BUT he recently uploaded 2 good vids to his YT, Champlain and the St Lawrence where he did pretty dang good!]
3. What's your off-season workout gonna be so you can deploy and stow your troller all day long no problemo? [He said at Lanier, he did that so much going from spot to spot he was worn out.]
> "Uh long walks in the woods, that's about it. More mental focus, how 'bout that. The goal was to get real good shape this offseason but – dad bods catch 'em, that's all I'm gonna say."
🤣
4. Fishing-wise was there any commonality in all those NPFL tournaments this year?
> "I would say the biggest thing in the tournaments I did really well in was not fishing history. I was completely fishing the moment.
> "In the NPFLs I go in in a relaxed mood. No stress and half the time no fishing research whatsoever – I just show up. Even in the Elites I did well in, I fished areas I don't normally fish. I just fished the conditions all week.
> "It sound so simple to say 'fish the conditions.' But we get so caught up fishing history and where we want to catch them....
> "It was kind of like not even being prepared. Basically I just fished 3 days.... For the Elites I do months of research and hours of study.... At Eufaula [the NPFL], I just rode around and looked for water color...so I was just really fishing the conditions at every single lake."
Followup: Will that approach translate to the Elites?
> "I hope so. That's always the goal – fish every day like it's practice. The best days are practice days with no preconceived notions, just having fun and jumping around. Not getting stuck on any one pattern and just fishing."
5. Do you rely on electronics any differently on the NPFL vs the Elites?
> "No difference. They're all just tools. You still have to have instincts to catch bass. Electronics help you find them....
> "At Lanier, I've never seen so many fish. Every spot had 50-100 spotted bass on it. But you still needed to have instincts...what to use to get them to bite. They're always biting somewhere, you just have to put your boat around them.
> "Shoutout to SonarPros. My electronics are rigged to work at 100%, so that's one thing I don't have question."
What he fished at Lanier
Most of his fish were caught with 2 rigs:
> Zoom Super Fluke ("pearl white" and "chrome") nose-rigged weightless, with a screw lock. #2 VMC Neko Hook, 6-lb Sufix 832 Braid (coastal camo) to 12-lb Sufix Advance Fluoro, Daiwa Tatula MQ LT Reel (4000), 7' 6" Daiwa Tatula Elite Chris Johnston Hair Jig Rod.
> "I didn't catch any on it the 1st day – I caught them on the worm. I caught every fish on it day 2, and once I found I could catch them on a Fluke I thought it might be in trouble because that's my favorite deal for herring fish."
> Zoom Magnum Shakey Worm (gp, bit off an inch) on a Neko rig (#2 VMC Neko Hook with 3/32-oz VMC Neko weight) and a 1/4-oz ball-head shakey head (gp). 6-lb Sufix 832 Braid (coastal camo) to 12-lb Sufix Advance Fluoro, same reel, 7' MH Daiwa Tatula Elite Takahiro Omori All Around Rod.
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