Qualified for both the Kentucky Lake and the Lake Chickamauga FLW BFL Regional Championships

The last two weekend of fishing did not go as I had hoped. The BFL Kentucky Lake Super Tournament was a very tough tournament for me. My boater really struggled all day to get us on any kind of fish. Towards the end of the day I was able to have him go to a couple of spots that I knew about and we each were able to catch a nice keeper. That one fish I caught was super important though because it allowed me to get enough points to jump from 32 in the Land Between the Lakes Division to 18th overall which qualified me for the FLW Regional on Lake Chickamauga at the end of October. If I had not boated that fish chances are I would not have made the regional. I would have dropped out of the top 45.

Last weekend I finished up the Ozark division by having a complete bomb on Lake of the Ozarks which is my home lake. I drew out a boater who wasn't on any kind of bite and just couldn't get us on any fish. We ended up going to a couple of brushpiles that I knew about and as luck would have it I caught all the shorts and he was able to catch a couple of keepers. Those fish didn't help him all that much but would have been enough to get me to day two. I came into the tournament ranked 13th overall in points but the bomb dropped me all the way to 38th on the year so I barely slipped into Regional on Kentucky Lake which will be in the third weekend of October. This year I had some awesome tournaments in the Ozark Division with two bombs. If I could do that every year I don't think I would complain but hopefully next year I'll be able to stay on top all year.

When I set out this year to fish the BFL's I had a couple of major goals. My two top goals were to win at least one BFL and to win AOY for a division. I've still got a chance to win a BFL as I have two BFL's left which will be the Super Tournament this weekend on Lake Hamilton in Arkansas and the Super Tournament on Old Hickory at the end of the month. Another goal I had was to win a Regional. A Regional win would be huge for me because it would probably give me the funds to launch my pro career at the next level. I'm super fortunate that I was able to qualify for both Regionals so getting two chances to win a boat is absolutely amazing. I've been praying for the opportunity and just hope I get a break.

So far it's been a very long season for me. I've been on the water a lot this year for a guy that holds down a full time job during the week as a data analyst. I'm hoping to finish out the rest of the month and the next month with some more strong finishes. The main thing I'm going to have to do is get my mind right. Now is not the time to go through the motions and I need to get myself fired up and in the zone. It gets tough having to travel after working all week sometimes and just like in anything else you need to keep focused. I love fishing but it can be a real grind sometimes and what I've got to do is get myself up and focused for these remaining tournaments. One bite means all the difference in the world in each and every tournament and I'm going to have to muster all my energy and bear down and get it done. I've got all the talent in the world now it's time to make it happen.