REDCREST 2019: Casey Ashley’s Top-10 Track Record in Wisconsin
Going into the inaugural REDCREST in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Casey Ashley can look back on a strong 13th-place finish in the 2019 Bass Pro Tour overall standings. In fact, Ashley is one of only four MLF pros who made it to seven of the eight Knockout Rounds this season.
Going off that alone, you’d say that Ashley had a pretty great season. But the South Carolina pro describes it modestly.
“It was kind of quiet season,” Ashley said. “You know, nothing really flashy.”
Ashley says it “took him awhile” to figure out how to succeed at the Bass Pro Tour format, even though he had competed in several MLF Select events in years past. Ashley finished 57th in the inaugural Stage One in Kissimmee, Florida, but made each of the Knockout Rounds after that. He ended the season with a Top 10 finish at Stage Eight in Neenah, Wisconsin, where he came in fourth.
“Going into the final event, I was like 23rd in the points,” Ashley said. “So I felt like I really needed to make at least to the Knockout Round in our final event there in Wisconsin just to make sure that I would make REDCREST. So the pressure was still on.”
Once he made it to the Stage Eight Knockout Round, Ashley says a weight was lifted because he secured his REDCREST qualification.
“I knew I pretty much had it made, and I could just coast,” he said. “So maybe that’s why I did so well. I made the Knockout Round up there, and then just could relax and fish.”
Now he’s getting ready to head back to Wisconsin for REDCREST, but this time, Ashley will compete against just 29 other MLF pros on the Upper Mississippi River System.
“If I were a gambling man, that’s pretty good odds,” he laughed. “It’s better than 1 in 80.”
Looking Forward to La Crosse
Most of the REDCREST competitors will tell you that they’re a fan of the fishery, Ashley included. He also has a solid track record in La Crosse, with two Elite Series Top 10 finishes in 2018 and 2016. But this time will be different because the stakes are higher: He’ll be competing to become the first-ever REDCREST Champion.
“I can tell you, that’s 30 guys that absolutely can catch ‘em,” he said, “I mean, the best of the best of the best. So it’s not going to be easy.”
With less than two weeks before it’s “lines in” on the Mississippi River, Ashley believes there isn’t much you can do to physically prepare for MLF events.
“I can tie on 20 different baits, thinking of what’s going to happen,” he said, “But when you get there, you wind up having to redo everything. So you kind of just need to wait and let the fish and the body of water tell you what you need to do.”
When it comes to mental preparation, Ashley says: “That’s what we’ve been doing for eight events. That is the only way you can prepare for this format, is to just do it and just stay in a rhythm.”
Ashley will be one to watch when the 30 REDCREST competitors hit the Upper Mississippi River on August 21 for the Shotgun Round. You can watch the MLF NOW! live stream for free on MajorLeagueFishing.com.