Looking Back on 2023

With tournaments done for over a month now I've had some time to think back in the 2023 season. To the average person it probably doesn't look like much. There was nothing flashy, no big wins, and no big bass awards. Just steady catching them for the most part all year long. Having done this for a long time that even without any big wins, I know it was a great season for Trevor and I. I also know it is going to be tough to top in 2024.

Trevor and I made it by the smallest margin on a tiebreaker for angler of the year in D&R. That is my biggest goal every year whether it comes with a prize or not (this year it did not). I do wish they would at least give out a plaque for that because it is a big accomplishment for whoever wins it. We did it on the strength of 2 5th place finishes and a 14th place finish. Execution was good except for one unexplainable lost fish when we finished 14th at the Grand. We get that one and it would have been another top 5. That’s really all you can do in tournament fishing is just hang in there. Eventually if you are catching enough quality to consistently finish in the top 10, you’ll have your day on the top. Maybe I need to embrace the cliche “swing for the fences” more but usually that phrase is associated with crashing and burning at the weigh in. Trevor and I take a lot of calculated risks that can produce the big bite but rarely are you going to find us trying to force something when it isn’t working. That’s one of the things we do best is go with the flow and take what the day gives us. We don’t get to caught up in what practice was like and we try and take the conditions of each day and use them to our advantage.

We only really had one difficult tournament and that was a HOTD on White Lake. We didn’t even weigh in our 11lbs and it has been a long time since I’ve felt the struggle like that on that lake. Other than that we didn’t get paid one time on the Grand in another HOTD but we had a respectable bag. Another tournament we fished was the Tom Cook Memorial open. Despite having 18lbs we were still short 4lbs from a check there! A couple other highlights are finishing 3rd place at the Classic on Charlevoix and a 5th place at the Payback bass on Muskegon. That Payback on Muskegon produced what was probably my most memorable moment of the season. Going from having a decent bag to a big bag on back to back casts definitely got me fired up. Especially since it was instantly obvious they were big ones on the hookset. The next most memorable fish for me was a fish close to 3 pounds on the Grand River. Last half hour of the tournament and we were flipping some pads. Without that fish we don’t win angler of the year and while we wouldn’t have won it without the others either, the last cull of the day is always memorable. 2 big ones that Trevor caught really stick out too, especially because they were way too acrobatic. Luckily they both made it to the boat!

Like I mentioned earlier going with the flow and using conditions to our advantage is our biggest strength. Combine that with some good decision making and things are going to work out from time to time. It is so easy to spin out on tournament day because usually things don’t go as planned. We’re good at staying mentally in the game and being confident the bites are going to come at some point even if it takes until the very last minute. Even at Charlevoix where we had terrible conditions and an awful practice, we had the confidence that we were going to catch them. We used the conditions to our advantage, fished a bunch of new water, and made it work.

I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my Humminbird electronics too. So many of the places that produce are spots that I’ve found with side imaging. I never get behind the wheel of my boat without MEGA side imaging on. You just never know when you are going to find that next isolated sweet spot. It's work though, some of the days I put in graphing this year weren't even close to tournament season.

I also think it's funny how you can find things and just know one day they'll be good. It might take a few years but I've seen it several times. I had a place like that this year even though I found it 3 years ago. Previously I'd only gotten a couple bluegill bites there but there was a change in the grass and it was game on this season.

Never stop expanding, exploring, or evolving. One thing about the Lakeshore is it always will keep you on your toes. What was good this year will probably be garbage next season. Water levels change, grass changes, and fish move on to greener pastures. It's important for me to stay uncomfortable and always be looking for the next thing.

Continued in the next blog.

Family Mabel

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