Faircloth Putting Together a Quietly Successful Season
TULSA, Okla. – Through five stages of the Bass Pro Tour we have spent a lot of time focusing on the Stage Champions—Jordan Lee, Edwin Evers, Jacob Powroznik, Andy Morgan, and Dean Rojas—and for good reason. Those five pros have had stellar seasons and fought hard to earn their respective stages. However, today we focus on a pro who has yet to win a stage but has quietly found himself in third place in the Redcrest point standings.
Just behind Edwin Evers and Jeff Sprague sits Todd Faircloth. Back-to-back Top-10 finishes have the Texas pro in prime position to qualify for the Redcrest Championship in August. Faircloth is no stranger to the MLF format, he spent some time over the years fishing the MLF Selects. With five stages down, Faircloth is starting to put together a winning formula which involves utilizing valuable practice time.
“I’m definitely happy with the way things are going right now,” Faircloth said on his way back to Texas after a fifth-place finish in Stage Five. “I feel like I’m fishing really well and making good decisions on the water. The biggest thing I’m adjusting to is the practice time and maximizing that practice time. You have to practice smart with the time you’re allowed, so when I’m out there I’m looking at as much water as I possibly can. I use that time to get some ideas, but I definitely don’t become closed-minded when because of it.”
Figuring It Out In Florida
The Strike King pro has made the Knockout Round in every event besides Stage One in Kissimmee, Florida. Faircloth finished just two spots below the Elimination Line in that Elimination Round. Still, he took the loss on the chin and was able to gain some valuable motivation from it.
“I was above the Elimination Line in Florida with about five minutes to go and I got knocked out by not one, but two people,” Faircloth recapped. “That kind of lit a fire under me a little bit and made me become a little more intense. You can’t hold anything back in the Bass Pro Tour. These anglers are the best there is and they’re going to bring their A-game every day. I didn’t execute well in Florida, but I feel like I’ve done a better job of that the rest of the season.”
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Since that 42nd-place finish, Faircloth has climbed his way up the ladder to find himself near the top of the points standings. While sometimes you can get lucky in the sport of fishing, Faircloth prides himself on his decision making as a key factor in his success.
“It comes down to making good decisions on the water,” Faircloth explained. “At Lake Chickamauga, I changed up my strategy on the second day to go from probably not making the cut to earning a Top 10. At Smith Lake, I was really good at expanding my area that I was fishing and was able to find new water which helped me out a lot. Sometimes decisions like that don’t pay off, but I’m glad mine did.”
While Top-10 finishes are nice, a win still eludes Faircloth, something he hopes to change with three stages left.
“I’m happy any time I make the Top 10, but as a competitor, I feel like you need to take advantage of those opportunities,” Faircloth said. “I feel like at Stage Four and Five I had a really good opportunity to win. Now, as I’m driving home to Texas from Alabama, I’m thinking of decisions or things that I could have done to learn something. Maybe if I’m in that situation the next time, I can make the key adjustments that put me over the top. I feel like when the stars align and it’s your time to win, you’ll win.”
Faircloth and the rest of the Bass Pro Tour field return to action on May 17 for Stage Six from Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.