I never really liked having off days for most of my career as they seemed to be a distraction to me, but now I really like them. I can better prepare during the off days, work on tackle, boat issues, and maintain my workouts, which are now a big part of my lifestyle.

It’s not like I don’t have anything to do besides that. I can work with sponsors and media as well. So, off days are good.

The Learning Curve of “Lines Out”

Now, the lines out of the water between periods was something I wasn’t really sure about. You want to keep your focus and energy up during a tournament. I was worried the break could slow momentum, but they do not.

In fact, they help. You can re-tie, study and look for areas to duplicate what you’re doing, eat some food, and reassess your gameplan. It’s a total mental reset without worrying about a guy catching a 5-pounder while you are doing other stuff.

During the Conroe event, I sat down and was able to reassess what I was doing. I switched from pitching a Yum Bad Mamma to casting a Booyah Melee- that’s a bladed jig. Thanks to the break period, I was able to calmly reassess and switch. I made the cut thanks to that.

Overall, I’d say the first quarter of the MLF Bass Pro Tour has been good for me. Historically, I’ve always fished well in the pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn events, so I hope to keep that going.

I’m fishing well, and my health is continuing to improve, thanks to my workouts. I’m down to 188 pounds. Of course I’d rather win everything or finish higher, but it’s a good start to the season.

Now I have to wait to fish the next event in Raleigh, North Carolina. I also qualified to work the consumer show at the Bassmaster Classic this year, so I’ll be there to see and support Alton Junior while he fishes it. I’ll probably get some fishing in myself on Falcon Lake in Texas.