Reel Chat with BRENT EHRLER
Ehrler discusses his recent FLW Tour victory on Lake Hartwell, his favorite drop-shot techniques and why he can't seem to find success in Florida
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Welcome to FLW Live Reel Chat. Today we’re joined by National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., who recently took home the top prize of $125,000 after winning the 2012 FLW Tour Major on Lake Hartwell.
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Ehrler boasts over $1.86 million in earnings, four FLW Tour wins and 29 top-10 finishes since he began his FLW career in 2003. In addition to his recent FLW Tour Lake Hartwell victory, Ehrler has won the Forrest Wood Cup title (2006), the FLW Tour event on Lake Ouachita (2010), the FLW Tour Table Rock Lake contest (2010), two FLW Series titles (Lake Havasu in 2009 and Lake Shasta in 2010), and the 2004 EverStart Series Championship. He has recorded two angler-of-the-year titles (EverStart Series Western Division in 2003 and FLW Series Western Division in 2010), finished runner-up in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race in 2008 and 2011 and netted three top-10 finishes in the Forrest Wood Cup since 2006.
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Ehrler is here to take questions from you, the fans. So, without further delay, let’s get started.
Q: What kind of hook and weight do you use on your drop-shot? And have you ever experimented with the new drop-shot hooks that spin? Or do you still tie the traditional Palomar knot?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I use an Owner hook and a 1/0 wide-gap hook. I have not used the drop-shot hooks that spin. I’m partial to my own hook and tie the Palomar knot where you take the tag in and run it back through the eye of the hook which makes the hook stand out.
Q: Why do you always struggle on Lake Okeechobee? If it wasn’t for that lake, your angling record would be absolutely insane.
— Anonymous (, )
A: It’s not just Okeechobee; it’s the entire state of Florida. And I have no clue why. But I bettter figure it out soon. For the Tour, we’ve only gone to Toho and Okeechobee and I’ve never cashed a check at either one. When I go to those lakes, I really have a tough time reading them. I think I’m in the right spots, but as it turns out, I’m not. So yeah, I have to get this figured out.
Q: Let’s say you have to pick two guys who are going to finish in the top-10 at Table Rock Lake. Who would they be?
— Anonymous (, )
A: Scott Suggs and Brett Hite.
Q: If you could pick one lake out West for the FLW Tour to visit, what would it be?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I have three. The first two would be Clear Lake or the California Delta – they’re two of the best lakes in the country. The third one would be Lake Mead because I want every guy back East to see what it’s like to drive 40 hours and pull up to a tough lake that’s absolutely huge where you don’t even know where to start. It’s a huge lake and the fishing is very difficult.
Q: When you use a drop-shot for bedding fish, how long do you keep your leader (the line from the hook to the sinker)? And do you cast right at the bed or drag it through the bed?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I run about a 12-inch leader and then yes, you want to cast past the bed and bring the bait to the fish. But every fish is different. I’ve actually had the fish try and attack the weight and if that happens, you know the leader is too long.
Q: Two quick questions. One, what do you believe is the single biggest factor in becoming a professional bass angler? Second, if you could relocate to any part of the country to start an aspiring professional career, where would you situate yourself to become a better all-round bass angler?
— Anonymous (, )
A: The single biggest factor is probably dedication. You have to be dedicated to the sport – and that encompasses everything, including on- and off-the-water stuff as well. As far as location, I’d probably pick something centralized like Alabama or Kentucky. For one, you’re closer to all the tournaments. Where I’m at now, the closest place I have to drive to is 25 hours. At the beginning of the season I drove from California to Okeechobee and that’s about a 40-hour drive. So being centrally located definitely makes your life easier.
Q: Does having a quality fishing partner during official practice help your chances to win an event? If so, who are the best partners you have had over the past few years?
— Anonymous (, )
A: No question. My best partner over the last four years has been Brandon Hunter. He’s a great practice partner and a great fisherman. Bottom line – he’s a good guy to have in the boat. It’s really tough to spend 12 hours a day, day in and day out, with the same guy and not get sick of him. But in Brandon’s case, he’s a really great guy to be around.
Q: Way to go Mr. Ehrler! I’m sure being $125K richer feels good. I was wondering if you could explain how to find fish most effectively at a certain depth? Where I fish, a lot of the ‘schoolies’ are packed in deep water and I never can seem to understand how to use my Sonar or DI/SI to find the fish effectively. Any advice is MUCH appreciated.
— Anonymous (, )
A: One thing you can do with your electronics is really get a feel for how the lake is running. You can find where that bait is hanging out and that’s a good place to start looking for fish. One of the hardest things to do is figure out where the fish are at but once you do, you can start concentrating on trying to figure out what structure they are holding to. If you think the fish are in 20 feet of water, start fishing in 10 to 15 feet of water and then start moving deeper.
Q: This is my first year as a co-angler so what three rigs and baits should I focus on?
— Cody Norman (Elkin, N.C.)
A: I’d recommend a weighless Yamamoto Senko, a shaky head with a Yamamoto cut-tail worm and either a Lucky Craft DD-78 jerkbait or Lucky Craft LC 1.5 DRS crankbait.
Q: What is the best rod and reel for fishing docks and sight-fishing?
— Cody Norman (Elkin, NC)
A: That’s easy; I use the same rod for both. I use a 7-foot, medium-heavy action Lucky Craft Pitching rod. As far as reels go, I use the Revo MGX with a fast, 7:9:1 gear ratio. I also use 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper line.
Q: What makes you want to represent the National Guard? Do you know any soldiers in particular?
— Anonymous (, )
A: Who wouldn’t want to represent the National Guard? To be involved with and represent all the men and women who are out there defending us both home and abroad is all you could ever ask for. I do know a few soldiers in the National Guard. And no matter where we go, we get to meet so many Guard members that that alone makes it fun and worth being part of the team. It’s really a neat thing for me to be able to meet those people wherever I go.
Q: I know this is a tough question, but who do you think the five best anglers are on the FLW Tour? I like yourself, Bryan Thrift, Andy Morgan, David Dudley and Luke Clausen.
— Anonymous (, )
A: I like Bryan Thrift, Jason Christie, Jay Yelas, Andy Morgan and Brett Hite.
Q: Did you ever try that pattern where you press the trolling motor pedal to fire up the spotted bass? I remember you used that on Hartwell last year because the swirling water acted like a school of bluebacks.
— Anonymous (, )
A: You know, that was something I looked for this time. It only worked one time last year and it happened to be the day it was raining. I looked for it, but it wasn’t something I did on purpose. It was just something that happened by accident and I never really saw that opportunity this year.
Q: On lakes where there is both dirty water and clear water (like Hartwell), do you always try and fish the clear water? And if so, why?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I fished both this year. The onlly difference is if the water is stained, you fish shallow. If it’s clear, you fish deep.
Q: Is it true you won the Major League Fishing event on Amistad?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I had a fun tournament there and you’ll just have to go watch and see. It’ll be worth your while. I can tell you it will be very informative.
Q: Congrats on your victory. You’re a class act and I’m glad you’re on Tour. You have said that the recent FLW Tour Open event at Okeechobee was one of your worst tournaments in awhile. How did you turn it around so quickly? Did it have to do more with conditions, luck or familiarity with a body of water?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I just think the new lake with new conditions (combined with my track record on Okeechobee) made the difference. The sooner you get over a bad tournament, the sooner you’re going to do well. I always try to use a bad tournament for motivation.
Q (MODERATOR): How does your recent FLW Tour win on Lake Hartwell stack up with the others in your career?
A: It was a good emotional boost for me because I came off such a bad tournament at Okeechobee. It was good to have to give me confidence to carry me forward through the end of the year.
Q (MODERATOR): At what point in the Lake Hartwell event did you start thinking you had a chance to win the title?
A: Probably after the second day. That’s when I started to fine tune the areas I was fishing. After that second day, I knew I could conserve water and have enough fish to last all four days.
Q: Brent, in one of your interviews you mentioned that you dropped vertically to fish on your graph a lot. My question is this: What kind electronics do you use and how are they rigged on your boat?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I run a Humminbird 1198 and I use the side-scan transducer on the trolling motor. It’s a big transducer but it’s very accurate. It also gives me the ability to use side-scan from the trolling motor. But I like running the 2D sonar off of that side-scan transducer.
Q: Brent, I picked you to win the Lake Hartwell tournament. Do you think you had an inside edge on the other pros because of your past performances on this lake?
— Anonymous (, )
A: No, I don’t. It was a different time of year and different type of conditions. Conditions aren’t really the same one week to the next. So no, last year really didn’t factor in at all.
Q: Brent, I just wanted to thank you for taking time to have a picture taken with my brother on day one of the Hartwell weigh-in. He is in the National Guard and will be deployed to Afghanistan next week. He loves fishing and It meant a lot to him to meet you. One more thing, I recently began tournament fishing in BFL events and I really enjoy it. But at age 28, is it too late to think of a career in fishing? Thanks.
— Brad Peay (, )
A: It’s never too late. Twenty eight is about the age when I started fishing the Tour. It’s pretty rare to find somebody at the highest levels under the age of 28. So you have plenty of good years ahead of you to be sure.
Q: Brent, congratulations on the big win! My name is Brent too and I live in San Diego, Calif. I know you can’t give out ALL your secrets, but I was wondering if you can provide a little insight into the settings on your Humminbird unit that allows you to follow your drop-shot on screen with crystal clarity as you watch it go up and down like a video game! I’m having a real hard time catching fish on So Cal’s “high pressured’ clear-water lakes and could use your expert advice. Thank you!
— Brent Grablachoff (, )
A: That’s where that side-scan transducer helps out. You get a much better picture on your sonar. I run that transducer and put the unit on “advanced” mode. And I run my settings on high-def side-scan in “clear” mode.
Q: How do you feel heading into the Table Rock tournament?
— Jonathan Ruffier (West Harrison, Ind.)
A: I’m excited. I’ve always liked Table Rock and we’re going there at a good time of the year. I think the fishing is going to be very good.
Q (MODERATOR): In your opinion, how much of an impact will the Alabama Rig have on the FLW Tour this year?
A: I think it’s something where fish are going to be caught every tournament on it. I don’t know how many tournaments will be won on it. I think it will be a big player in at least half of our tournaments this year. And I’m excited to try it out a little bit more.
Q (MODERATOR): With your recent win at Lake Hartwell, are you setting your sights on this year’s FLW Tour Angler of the Year title?
A: You know I really hope I’ll be in that position at the end of the year. That’s always a goal of mine and it’s something I haven’t done yet. But it took me a long time to win my very first tournament. And I think if you put yourself in the right position as many times as possible, eventually it’s going to happen.
Q: Can you explain what was going on between you and Dudley at Pickwick Lake last year? I’ve always had the utmost respect for you but I heard you just followed him to his spot. What’s the real story?
— Anonymous (, )
A: I fished that spot the first two days of the tournament and Dudley said I just showed up and followed him. But I had more weight than him so why would I follow him in the first place? I also went back and fished that spot the third day as well and that’s when the camera crews came into play and Dudley threw me under the bus. So it’s completely false that I followed him to that spot.
Q: Brent, I’ve fished Hartwell for 30 years. I love it in springtime especially. Where does it rank on your favorite lakes list?
— Michael Anders (Flat Rock, NC)
A: It’s definitely in the top 10. I don’t know what number exactly because it always changes but it’s definitely in my top 10.
Q: Brent, have you ever considered moving East?
— Michael Anders (Flat Rock, NC)
A: I’ve definitely thought about it. But all of my friends and family live out here. I could see having a place out East but I don’t think I’d ever live there full time. I really like it here.
Q: Do you have Twitter? Will you be live tweeting during the airing of the Lake Hartwell show on April 15?
— (, )
A: I do have a Twitter account but haven’t used it much. If I’m available, I will try to do some live tweeting.
Q: I read somewhere that you erase all your waypoints from previous tournaments even though the Tour visits a lot of the same lakes every year. Is this true? And if so, why?
— (, )
A: That is true. For me, the fish are never in the same place as they were last year. If I keep my waypoints, I tend to fish like last year and not be in the moment. Last year was last year.
Q: What is the best advice you would give for deep-water fishing?
— Cody Norman (Elkin, NC)
A: Get some Humminbird electronics; they’ve been so instrumental in my ability to fish deep that I feel uncomfortable if I’m not using their electronics.
Q: When fishing a lake you’re not familiar with, what are the steps you take in helping you succeed on those lakes?
— Michael Carrillo (Porterville, CA)
A: Research prior to getting there is a big thing. Learn as much as you can about the lake before you put the boat in the water. Then you need to develop a game plan on how to best get from the first day to the third day. If you want to spend more time in a specific area, you can deviate from your plan though. You really need to adapt to each day’s conditions. You have to have an open mind especially if you don’t know a lot about the lake.
Q: What’s your favorite topwater bait during the spawn?
— N. Dee Williams (Cushing, TX)
A: I like the Lucky Craft G-Splash. And the reason for that is that I can leave the strike zone for a long period of time. With the G-Splash I can do two different things with it – I can pop it or make it walk. I can make that bait move so much without moving away from the fish. Most of the action is going from side-to-side with that technique so I can keep the bait in the target zone much longer.
Q: How do you approach fishing muddy water versus clear water?
— Anonymous (, )
A: Easy. When water is stained, I fish shallow and bank-related cover. When it’s clear, you want to fish deep. Essentially clarity tells me where I need to fish. I have never caught fish deep in dirty water. I have caught them shallow in clear water at times but that’s mostly an exception to the rule.
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have to chat with Ehrler today. Thanks, once again, to all the fans who tuned in and participated in today’s Reel Chat. And a special thanks to Ehrler, the recent FLW Tour winner on Lake Hartwell, for giving us his time and insights into bass fishing. Check back shortly for a complete transcript of today’s FLW Live Reel Chat.