It’s an iconic bass-fishing tournament, and I want to win it. I’m going to keep fishing it until I do. I’ve finished eighth, seventh, sixth, fourth, third and second. So close, but no win.
Which tournament is it? The WON BASS U.S. Open, which was recently held in Nevada on Lake Mead.
The U.S. Open has been around since the early 1980s. The first-place prize is $100,000 plus a Bass Cat boat rigged with a 250-horsepower engine. It’s a pretty big prize, and really prestigious if you win. It’s considered the top stand-alone event in bass fishing by many of the top anglers in the world.
Ode to Lake Mead
I love Lake Mead. It’s not an easy lake to fish a tournament, but I love it. This year was just not meant to be for me. I finished sixth but had a really bad first day. I didn’t think I had the fish to win, but maybe I could’ve finished third again.
Mead is an amazing pattern lake: You dial in a pattern and you can repeat it all over the place. You can power fish or finesse fish. I like doing both and did this year, I just didn’t get on the right pattern to win.
Fishing on Mead is comparable to PGA players golfing in their own U.S. Open: It’s always going to be a really tough event. You essentially fish for 10 bites. It’s that tough, and you know it going into the event. It wouldn’t be the best location to film a television show because of how tough it fishes.
It’s like getting beaten up and enjoying it. You’re not supposed to like it, but I do.
Getting Back Into Game Shape
For me, the U.S. Open marked the start of getting back into my fishing/outdoor mode again. I took some time off after the MLF Bass Pro Tour to getting ready to go at it again in 2020.
I’ll be fly fishing with my dad for a week, and then I’m going to help some buddies with an elk hunt this season. I didn’t draw an elk tag in Arizona, the state I live in, so I’ll help with calling the elk on their hunt. Then, I’ll be taking a trip to Lake Baccarac in Mexico for a sponsor event. Hopefully, I can catch a 10-pounder or better.
It’s all part of how I get back into a competitive mindset. Instead of going to a gym to work out, I prefer getting my workouts in the outdoors. Plus, the last month before the start of the Bass Pro Tour, I’ll be on the water two or three days per week getting into “game” shape.
One more thing: FLW being acquired by MLF. I believe the long-term results of this business deal will be beneficial to everyone involved. I fished the FLW for many years and am familiar with that company. Change is hard for some people to accept, but it will all work out.