The man behind the mustache

Humble to the core, Thrift credits his late father’s influence for recent success

Since Bryan Thrift arrived on the FLW scene in 2004, it’s been a fast ascension to the top. Like most, he started in the BFL, spent some time in the back of the boat and eventually turned pro in 2007. In his first tournament, Thrift bested the Lane brothers on Lake Okeechobee – stealing a win from their backyard. The following year he made his FLW Tour debut on Lake Travis and finished second. Ever since, he’s been one of the sport’s best. But what made him the angler he is today?

From ponds to the pros

Growing up an hour west of Charlotte in Polkville, N.C., Thrift is somewhat of an oddity. Despite having Charlotte Motor Speedway a stone’s throw away, Thrift isn’t into NASCAR. And if you ask him whether he’s a North Carolina or Duke fan, he’ll shrug his shoulders with indifference – almost unheard of in a state that lives and breathes college basketball. What Thrift is and what he’s always been is a fisherman. When his cell phone rings, the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish belts the lyrics, “Give me back that Filet-O-Fish; give me that fish.” Which is appropriate since Thrift is always thinking about his next bite.

Although Norman and Wylie are his home lakes now, that wasn’t always the case. Thrift grew up fishing small ponds – some of which were on private property. His father, Tommy, was a truck driver and oftentimes was on the road. When he was home, he’d drive his son to his favorite spots. If not, Thrift would stroll to some of the nearby ponds. But always, he was fishing. He vividly remembers circling these ponds again and again with different lures until a bass would finally take his offering.

As a high school sophomore, he was scolded and run off by a strawberry farmer who didn’t want him fishing on his land. Not willing to take no for an answer, Thrift got creative and asked the farmer if he could work in return for permission to fish his prime 2-acre pond.

“He agreed and eventually let me work for real money,” said Thrift. “I was only making $6 an hour, barely above minimum wage, but he let me fish.”

And during prime harvest season, which typically starts in April and lasts until the end of May, Thrift would earn $1 for every strawberry basket he picked – sometimes finishing the day with as much as $150.

“It was a lot of hard work, but that was good money at the time.”

After high school, Thrift attended the University of North Carolina Charlotte and graduated with a degree in biology and a minor in journalism. After college, he went to work as a construction laborer for the Phillips Aluminum Company, building canopies for convenience stores. He saved for a few years until he had enough money to fish at least one full season as a professional – that season being 2007.

Lately Thrift has exponentially increased his earnings. In four years, the Damiki pro has earned over $600,000 with FLW Outdoors. And although it’s only halfway complete, the 2010 season has already been his best: over $200,000 in earnings in four months. But 2010 will also be remembered for what Thrift lost. And this possession has no price tag.

Cancer claims dad

On Jan. 12, 2010, Tommy Thrift died of cancer at the age of 68. Today his son’s tournament jersey sports a patch over his right shoulder that reads “In memory of my dad, Tommy Thrift, he will be with me always.” Although the elder Thrift is no longer physically present, his son is still benefiting from his guidance.

“In 2007, Dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer,” Thrift explained. “He had an episode and was in a great deal of pain. After a week of him hurting, we finally drug him to the hospital. Then he admitted he had had a similar spell the year prior. He was one of those people who was stubborn and didn’t like going to the doctor.”



After receiving chemotherapy treatment, the cancer was temporarily kept at bay. But it returned in 2009 and eventually spread to his kidney. Surgery was scheduled, and Tommy had both his bladder and one of his kidneys removed. But the cancer proved relentless, this time spreading to both his lungs and bones. At this point, chemo couldn’t stop the cruel disease as Tommy passed shortly before the 2010 tournament season began.

“It all happened so fast,” said his 30-year-old son. “Dad traveled with me and Andy (Montgomery) just the year before; he went to Champlain and rode around in the rough water without much of a problem.”

Few people on Tour even knew Tommy was sick. He was an affable man, but he’d rather talk about his son than talk about himself. At each tournament, he’d arrive at least a half-hour before weigh-in to reserve a prime seat. Oftentimes, his wife, Donna, would accompany him. If he was chatting about himself, it was somehow related to fishing, not his illness. Tommy Thrift could make a stranger feel like a close friend in a matter of minutes. And he liked to let people know when he outfished his prodigy son during practice.

“If there was a spinnerbait bite going, Dad would beat me,” quipped Thrift. “That was about the only thing he liked to throw. He was like Jimmy Houston that way.”

Much the way Stella Hibdon cares for her husband, Guido, and son Dion (Tour pros), Tommy took care of Bryan and Andy.

“Any time we’d have any kind of trouble with a trailer or a motor, Dad would take the rig up to the service trailer. Andy and I would jump in the other boat and fish together; that way we wouldn’t miss any practice time. If everything was good, he’d fish with me or Andy until they changed the rule (where only immediate family was permitted to practice together). Then it was all me and Dad.”

When Tommy was young, he was an excellent baseball player – so skilled that he was offered a college scholarship. But he never accepted, instead choosing to serve his country in the U.S. Air Force. When his service was complete, he settled down in rural North Carolina.

“I think, at first, Dad wanted me to play baseball like he did back in high school. But I was always passionate about fishing. And he eventually realized fishing was my dream just like baseball was his dream. In a way, by helping me he was fulfilling his dreams by watching me fulfill mine. He was always 100 percent behind me, helping me in any way he could.”

Thrift credits that support as being the foundation for his angling success.

The roots of `fishing fast’

Fishing fans are constantly poring over statistics to see which anglers are the best. Oftentimes top-10 finishes, Forrest Wood Cup berths and tournament wins are cited. But perhaps the most overlooked stat is average FLW Tour finish. Not surprisingly, the three pros (non-rookies) with the best averages are Thrift, Brent Ehrler and Clark Wendlandt. Thrift’s average FLW Tour finish is 33rd, Ehrler’s 38th and Wendlandt’s 43rd.

What accounts for Thrift’s incredibly consistent performances? The answer lies in the way he attacks a lake. Just as Tommy Biffle is known for flipping and Dean Rojas is famous for frogging, Thrift and Montgomery are known for fishing fast. They used this run-and-gun strategy to finish first and third on Lake Norman, pocketing checks for $125,000 and $30,000, respectively. This style of fishing is all about pinpoint casting accuracy and hitting as many productive spots as possible. It was created not on Norman, but rather on Moss Lake – a nearby 1,500-acre reservoir loaded with, not coincidentally, docks.

“Andy I used to fish a Thursday-night tournament just about every week on Moss. That’s where we met actually. I was fishing with my dad and he was fishing with his dad, and we got to be buddies. It was only a three and a half-hour tournament, and we’d fish the whole lake in that time. It was all about hitting the high-percentage places and then going to the next one.”

On day three of the Lake Norman Tour event, Thrift was approached by a cameraman who wanted to mic him up during competition. The only problem was the cameraman couldn’t catch up with Thrift. Just as a prime opportunity arose, the pro leader would dart off to his next location. He wasn’t being rude, instead fishing as hard as possible to provide for his family.

And Thrift hasn’t had a problem putting dinner on the table in 2010.

AOY on the line

Thrift will have a lot on his mind in the coming weeks. For starters, his wife, Allison, is 20 weeks pregnant with the couple’s first child; the two recently found out they are having a boy. In between tournaments, he’s thought a lot about how he wants to raise his child the way his father raised him.

“Like any new parents, we want to do the best we can for our kids,” he said. “I think about that a lot.”

Thrift currently has a 21-point lead in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race with only one tournament remaining. Hot on his heels is West Coast stick Brent Ehrler, who has already won three tournaments (two on the FLW Tour, one on the FLW Series) in 2010. And practice begins for the Lake Guntersville qualifier June 19, the day before Father’s Day. Thrift doesn’t have anything extravagant planned for the occasion: just reflecting and preparing as hard as he can for Guntersville. That’s what his dad would have wanted.

Lately, Thrift is just trying to take everything in stride. His mantra has become “whatever happens, happens.” And just about everything is “happening” his way on the water.

“I like to just stay humble because bass fishing is so unique. For whatever reason, things can just not go right. I’ve thought about Angler of the Year some, but I don’t see how it can do any good to worry. The only way I can guarantee a win is to finish in the top 20. Brent is too good of a fisherman to approach it any other way.”

Thrift could feel his father’s presence when he won Norman and believes he’ll be with him again as AOY heats up in Alabama.

“I think he was there; I know he was. And lately I’ve just had the confidence to do whatever it takes – whether it’s jigging a spoon in 50 feet or pitching a jig in 2 inches of water. I feel like I can pick up anything and figure out what I need to figure out. That’s Dad being there with me.”