Pre-Practice Journal – September 28, 2011
2011 FLW Everstart Central – Table Rock Lake, MO
As always in this sport, it’s been an interesting couple of months since our last event at the Detroit River in July. I’ve stayed busy with local tournaments at Geist and Morse to keep sharp and took a fun trip up to Lake Erie about a month ago. Rick Quade from Reaction Strike took me on a muskie trip this summer, and he taught me how to fish a 9” swimbait for the first time. That was an awesome experience, and I was sore for a week after casting that bait all day!
My good friend, Terrance Smith, and I took a quick weekend trip to Branson and Table Rock a few weeks ago. He’s fishing the Co-Angler side and decided to come along for a quick getaway. I’d never seen the lake and wanted to just spend a day on the water familiarizing myself with the lake. We spent a lot of time riding around and learning how the lake lays out. We were able to take advantage of a passing front and a couple hours of fishing while the fish were feeding. We caught a few nice spotted bass and a couple of beautiful Table Rock smallmouth. Table Rock Lake is one of God’s finer creations – it’s absolutely stunning!
My track record in October has been strong over the years, so I’m going into this event with a lot of confidence. Once I saw the lake and how much offshore structure there is to explore, I’m really excited to get out there and fish my strengths. Currently sitting in 10th in the points, my main goal for this entire season has been to qualify for the Championship at Kentucky Lake, and I’m in good shape to achieve that goal. The Top 40 qualify for the Championship, yet the Top 10 get priority entry into the 2012 FLW Tour. Not having traveled a major circuit for the past 5-6 years, I wasn’t sure what to expect and how far along my fishing had progressed. Striving to qualify for the Tour was always on my mind beginning the year, but that has become a reality and within reach. I believe goals are something we all set to test our boundaries and push ourselves to be the best we can be. I believe that’s what God expects from all of us –not perfection and results, but our best effort with faith in His love for us. Through that faithfulness, we draw closer in our relationship to God and He reveals to us the path down which He needs us next. I’m not sure what’s next for me, but I promise you that I’m giving it my best effort. And I trust God to show me where He needs me next, wherever that may be.
I’m going to be without my rig again this tournament, as I’ve been patiently working with my dealer and the manufacturer to get my motor problems resolved. It should be ready for the Everstart Championship at Kentucky Lake next month. Until then, my sponsor and friends at the Red Dirt Bait Company have offered to let me run their wrapped rig at Table Rock – which is extremely gracious, and I appreciate them being there to help me. It’s also quite fitting, since I plan to do a lot of work with their tunable titanium spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. They’ve custom-built some baits for me to use at Table Rock, and I truly believe they will give me a competitive edge, as the Red Dirt spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are the best and most durable on the market.
Until next time, I’ll leave you with a quote from William Jennings Bryan. "Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. "
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