Major League Fishing Select rookie Cody Meyer describes himself as “a deep, clear-water structure fisherman who likes to take his time” in practice, dissecting fish-holding structure and learning every little nuance of an offshore ledge or rock pile.

“I’ll study it down to the exact angle of the casts I need to make,” Meyer says of his practice precision. “I have three days to figure out how to catch five fish, but now, I have a 30 minute Ride Around to break everything down? Man, you want to talk about pressure, that’s about as dramatic a change as you can imagine.”

It’s a pace that the amiable Northern Californian has worked hard to adapt to this week in the competition waters surrounding Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“I don’t catch many giants with the light-line finesse fishing I like to do, but that style sets up pretty well for the MLF format … theoretically,” Meyer says. “Water conditions haven’t been perfectly suitable for finesse fishing this week, so I’ve had to figure out pretty quickly what other techniques fit better, or get left in the dust. I have to rely on instincts more, and rely on my ability to adjust on the fly. This format forces you to deal with adversity. For the long haul, I think it’s going to make me a much better fisherman.”