A Bit of Reflection and Moving on Part - 2

So what's next in 2023? Unfortunately I'm going to have to step back from Big Stack this year. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be apart of it for the last 2 years and hope to be back someday. Not something I want to do but the travel, time, and financial commitment are just too much with the 3 kiddos right now.

I mentioned in the previous blog that I just felt behind once hunting season rolled around. This will cut major fishing commitments down to 1 event in the fall and allow more time to get the girls outdoors in the nice weather. It may be a couple years before I try and get back but I hope to see that trail continue to thrive. I really enjoyed fishing those events and how challenging they were. It also forced me onto new fisheries that I otherwise wouldn't have visited. I hope to keep that trend going by just making a fun trip or 2 this year. There are so many fisheries out there just waiting to be explored. Another thing I enjoyed about it was the ridiculously high level of competition and the competitors themselves. I was pretty amazing how well everyone got along and the general mood of all competitors fishing for that kind of money.

One thing that stings a little less about sitting those out this year. Is Payback has 2 events right in my backyard this year. A regular Payback Bass event and a Super Open, both on Muskegon! Sleep in my own bed and fish for some big $$$? Yes please! I'm going to miss some adventure but I'll still get to fish for the chance of a huge payday.

I'm also not going to miss out on the D&R Series West division. The schedule came out this week and it looks like White, Muskegon, and the Grand. The last one is scheduled for late August which is sure to produce some challenging and not fun fishing. Not a lot of excitement or surprises going on with these events but they payout and bonuses will be great!

HOTD is the last thing on my radar and while I'm certain I won't do them all. I always seem to find myself in a couple of them every year. Great events with a lot of boats and tough competition. I haven’t really looked at how things lay out as far as schedules go. But I do know I have some commitments this summer with weddings and vacations that could make things tricky.

I’m looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out and hopefully will have another year of fishing well (with a better result on paper). I’ve also got an aging boat, trailer, and motor so let’s hope it continues to run strong for me because we are out of warranty now. Here’s to weighing in some big bass in 2023!