Thankful
Continuing on from the last one and timely because well it is thanksgiving. I'll copy one of my daughters assignments and say a few things I'm thankful for from the last season.
It is a lot to take most of the day away from the family on Saturdays. Throw in a practice day during the week and all the school, daycare, work, and whatever else. It can get chaotic! Without Amanda being a supportive super mom it would be a challenge to even fish tournaments at all. The girls can be a handful but as they get older it is getting a little bit easier. The whole crew makes it to a few weigh ins during the year too. It's always fun to have the ladies there and see them march up to the trailer to pick up a check. Everyone is really nice and respectful around the girls which is much appreciated. I’m also thankful that the girls want to get involved. Mabel hit up 2 Monday night tournaments and even caught her first tournament bass all by herself. June is still in the just go on fishing trips stage but her time is coming too. I’ve also got to give a shout out to my parents for all the support in the early years!
When I was writing the first part about the season the other day. I was thinking about some of the years that weren't so productive when I first moved to the west side. I was used to success on the east side of the state. Much smaller tournaments but I'd been fishing for years, knew everyone, and was successful. Then I ended up here in a totally different environment and didn't know anyone or any of the unique things that go on here. I had sponsors, a website, this blog. I felt immense pressure to prove myself. Because if I wasn't going to catch them, I was definitely looking like “that guy”. But I was also going to do things my way and there were no shortcuts. I worked my butt off at every tournament and it seemed like no matter what I did that I could catch 12 pounds. Practice would go well but then on tournament day I just couldn’t make it happen. It was devastating, frustrating, and just plain tough.
Slowly it started coming together. The famous Thursday Nite Bite tournaments started going better and I won't forget when Brandon Stanley and I finished 2nd in a 30+ boat event on Muskegon. I felt like we'd won the dang classic after that one. I think it was the same year that we finished 2nd at the Never Enough Outdoors classic at Elk/Torch. I just kept working and things got better and better from there. But I will never forget the struggle of those first few years and it helps to appreciate years like 2023.
Fast forward to now and I feel like I can be pretty competitive anywhere in the state. I’ve made tons of friends through fishing, lots of buddies who you are happy to see anywhere. But others who are lifelong friends that I would trust with anything. It’s lead to a lot of adventures I’d likely have not gone on and I’m thankful for that. It’s funny because for the most part I just fish tournaments with Trevor. So if I’m doing things with the rest of the crew it’s hanging out at the shows, hunting, ice fishing, and fishing before the season. It blows Amanda’s mind how much hunting and fishing talk there is throughout the year.
Sponsors? You bet I’m thankful for them and I’ve got some good ones. Fishing tournaments would be a lot more stressful without them. I’ll be honest in that spending money willy nilly on tackle, tournaments, and whatever else related to fishing isn’t ideal with a young family. Without the support of companies like Minn Kota and Humminbird there’s no way I’m keeping up with the bass fishing arms race. I know for a fact that I’ll be stealthier next year with the Minn Kota Ultrex Quest and that I’m going to catch more perch this fall/winter/spring with a Terrova on my duck boat. Another thing that was unique this year was a partnership with my brother at Todd Elliott Farm Bureau Insurance. The support from him meant a ton and it would mean a ton to me if you would check him out for your insurance needs. We switched everything over to him this spring and got better coverage at a better rate. We also just got some cool perks from Farm Bureau like free Michigan State Basketball tickets. The easiest way to start a conversation with Todd about your insurance needs is to shoot him an email, text, or call. (telliott@fbinsmi.com or direct line 734 417-4450). Each company I work with contributed to success in their own way and I am thankful for all of them. I’d encourage you to check out the sponsor page of the website and reach out with any questions you might have.
I'm not the only one who should be thankful for this but we are lucky to have a good tournament scene in west Michigan. It is awesome to be able to sleep in my own bed and fish against 60+ boats all the time. I'd love to work in a few out of town events again down the road. But for now I'm at the point with balancing family and fishing. I’m saving my time to fish high dollar events like Payback Bass or 60+ boats like a D&R or HOTD that are in the backyard. The more boats the better as far as I'm concerned. Yeah it makes things a challenge but tournament fishing is about adjusting to all the variables including other competitors. They are about impossible to win but when it does happen it feels pretty special (hopefully we’ll win one in 2024). It’s also been impressive at how these trails are running these weigh ins. There’s no waiting hours for a check or wondering what is going on with the fish in the weigh in bag. The weighmasters for WMB and Payback are impressive. Those fish are not out of the water for any longer than they need to be. Even at our Monday night events Dave and Kyle weigh in 30 boats at an impressive speed. If you are an aspiring tournament director watch how these crews do it. No one is shaking the bag 15 times to get every drop of water out. The weigh in is efficient and everyone is getting the same amount of “water weight”. I forgot to add this in the Charlevoix blog but I thought it was pretty cool that WMB had a tank for any fish that needed fizzing and staff ready to fizz them (thanks Brett). Anyway I just wanted to get it out there that the effort those crews are putting in doesn’t go unnoticed and is appreciated.
Lastly if you are still reading, I appreciate it! Sometimes it is hard to come up with things to write about or find the time to do it. But as long as I know some people are taking the time to read them I will keep at it. Have a great Thanksgiving!