New Year, Same Feel
Getting back in the swing of things for 2020
Ending 2019 on a bad note wasn’t how I pictured last season going. I was in contention to qualify for the FLW Cup going into the last FLW Tour event on Lake Champlain, but after coming in 97th at the finale I finished the season 51st in the Angler of the Year points and missed my chance for the Cup. Not going to lie, it stung a little bit and made for a LONG drive home, but it also made me hungry for 2020.
Fast forward six months and lots of things have happened in the fishing industry. Obviously, one of the biggest changes was that MLF acquired FLW and the Tour name changed to the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. And while it seems like a lot has changed on the outside, the truth is that, as an angler, nothing really has.
Every year I set goals for myself. That’ll never change. I want to make our championship event and at least one top 10. I know that if you make the championship event you have had an above-average year, so that’s always goal No. 1. Second, I want to be in that top 10 on championship Sunday. The top-10 cut is what I strive for because if I make the cut I’ll have a shot at winning, and that’s every angler’s dream.
A few weeks ago we had our first Pro Circuit event on Sam Rayburn, which also happens to be the lake that put me in a hole in the points race to start last season. But guess what? I got redemption this year, coming in at ninth place and starting off the year in a great spot. So, I already accomplished one of my goals for the year, which also helped set me up for accomplishing my goal of making the FLW TITLE, the Pro Circuit’s championship event.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to settle for just one top 10, and, of course, I want more. That’s why I’m turning my attention toward the next tournament on the Harris Chain. I have thought about this event every day since Rayburn, and I’m more than ready to be in shorts and not dealing with downpours of rain.
Having one event under my belt gives me a chance to validate my point from the beginning – how nothing has really changed for the anglers. Let’s be honest, after the changes that happened in the offseason, myself and others didn’t really know what the future held. I’m not a fan of change because I’m a creature of habit, so I was probably more nervous than most. When I arrived at the first registration meeting of 2020 for the Pro Circuit, I was very glad to see the same old faces I’ve seen for years. I checked in and went down the row of sponsor tables like I have done for seven years. I got down to the end of the line, and there were my friends, Kyle Wood and Jody White, taking pictures just like they do every year. At that point I realized the only new thing that happened was that I got a sweet Onyx life jacket.
Once the meeting started, we were informed that Daniel Fennel (who I have dealt with on Tour for a few years) is now the senior director of operations for the Pro Circuit and Bill Taylor (former Tour tournament director) is now senior director of operations. But both were there like they have been for years.
Fast forward five days and John Cox won again. Who would have thought, right? Even though, for six months, all I heard about was changes, things really felt the same. There were a few new faces in the field, but that happens every year.
So despite a new name and some new faces, FLW is still the same FLW. The staff put on a smooth tournament like always. Daniel did great in his debut as tournament director. Kyle, Rob Matsuura and Jody on the FLW media team took a lot of great pictures and made some great content – just like always.
Now let’s get to the Harris Chain where my goals will remain the same and FLW will still feel like family!