Angler of the Week: Todd Faircloth
Major League Fishing wants you to get to know your favorite anglers! That’s why we’re putting together a new angler profile every week in 2018. Check our site regularly for the latest and send us YOUR questions for the anglers.
This week, we caught up with MLF Pro Todd Faircloth before he heads to his next tournament: the 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake Martin in Alabama.
“It’s going to get real busy from here on out,” he said.
Faircloth says he’s currently preparing for all of his competitions this year. He says organization is key during fishing season because he’s constantly traveling and he’s always crunched for time. If he’s not at a tournament, he says his schedule is packed with meetings and sponsor obligations.
“I’m just going through all the tackle right now, and going through my rods and reels, and respooling all that, and just kind of getting in the rhythm of it,” Faircloth explained, “That’s kind of how I prepare myself for the season. To me, organization is real, real critical.”
Of course, MLF competitions are more difficult to prepare for because anglers don’t know which lake they’ll compete on, and they’re not allowed to research the area before the tournament.
“It’s a different game than what we’re accustomed to. To me, it kind of takes you out of what you’re used to, and what your comfort zone is as a tournament angler,” Faircloth explained, “It’s just kind of a ‘show up and fish’ type deal, and figure it out as you go.”
Even though he’s been a pro angler for more than 14 years and won millions of dollars in tournaments, Faircloth says he’s constantly learning and looking for ways to improve his performance.
“To me, to be successful at this sport, you have to have an open mind, and you have to be willing to try and do different and new things,” said Faircloth.
Faircloth competes alongside some of the best anglers in the world, and he says they’ll swap tips with one another from time to time. Luckily, he’s not shy about sharing that info with his fans. Faircloth comes up with some of the most simple, yet creative Major League Lessons for MLF. For example, he showed us how to clean baits with toothpaste, how to preserve jig trailers with toothpicks, and how to extend the life of a crankbait with a nail file.
“When you do something as much as we do, you find a lot of tricks, and little shortcuts and stuff that normally the weekend angler, the novice angler, wouldn’t know about. I like to share that stuff with other people,” he said.
Faircloth spent the offseason in his hometown, Jasper, Texas, with his wife, Angie, and their three kids: Hudson, Harrison, and Helen Claire.
“It’s kind of my time to recharge my batteries, I guess you would say, from the grind of the fishing season. I’ll always enjoy that relaxing time,” he said.
He says their favorite place to fish is Sam Rayburn, which is just north of Jasper.
“My oldest boy, this is his first year in the high school fishing deal,” said Faircloth, “It’s fun to watch him get involved with it and show excitement towards the sport.”