Q: What goes through your head when you first wake up in the morning on a tournament day?
A: Before I ever wake up on the morning of competition, I’ve got my plans set. I’ve made sure I’ve dotted my Is and crossed by Ts, so the first thing that goes through my head is my Plan A, B, and C. Plan A is strategically thought through front to back, meaning I know where I’m going to start, what equipment I’m going to use, and how I’m going to end the day if everything goes according to plan. Plan B is to be prepared to scramble and find different/new places or different//new baits I feel have a high percentage to catch a fish. Plan C is for when all else fails, and that’s when I start from scratch.
Q: Where is your favorite place to fish?
A: Lake Hartwell, SC, because it’s one of the best fisheries in the nation and it’s been very good to me.
Q: How do you up your game year after year?
A: I try to fish as much as I can during the off-season so that I can learn more and more about fish, baits, and patterns at different times of year.
Q: Who are your heroes? Who do you look up to?
A: Tommy Biffle and Denny Brauer are two men who have inspired me to be the jig fisherman that I am, which is the style I’m most confident in.
Q: If there is any love-hate relationship with any aspect of what you do, can you describe what that is?
A: I love to fish and I’m doing what I love for a living, however, being gone on the road for so many weeks out of the year, away from my family, is definitely a downfall.
Q: What sound or noise do you love?
A: The sound of a turkey gobbling.
Q: What would be your day job if you weren’t doing what you currently doing?
A: I have no idea. Being a professional fisherman is all I’ve wanted to be for as long as I can remember. Hopefully, I’d be doing something outdoors, but I hope I never have to find out.