Rick Clunn and Jake's Take on MERCER-226

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Oh, we have a jam packed show here this week.
First we are joined by the legendary Rick Clun with his
clunclusion, then it's Jake Latondras, Bassmaster
videographer with Jake's take, and then we're even joined by
Tommy Wood. All of them join me this week.

(00:25):
I'm Bob Cobb for the Bassmaster.Welcome to Mercer.
You did it. You really did it.
You showed up again, and I thankyou for that.
Let's get into this Welcome one.Welcome all, friends, family,
freeloaders, fishing freaks, andof course, you, my humpers.
Happy hump day to all of you andwelcome into the Awkwardly

(00:45):
Honest Fishing podcast that goesby my last name, which is
Mercer's. This is the 226th edition of the
Mercer Podcast, and I hope wherever you're watching or
listening from that life is treating you well.
A very, very busy show here thisweek.
Well, in good reason because it's a very busy week in the

(01:06):
sport of fishing as you watch this, God willing, I'm on my way
to Lacrosse, Wisconsin for stop nine of the 2025 Bassmaster
Elite Series, the final stop andthe final event.
The final few events, to be honest, are always bittersweet

(01:27):
for me. I mean I love them because
there's pressure on kind of everyone, but I hate him because
there's going to be some anglersrelegated from the Elite series
that will not re qualify for 2026 and that's always hard to
see. So it's kind of a tough week
that way. And as I said, everyone's got
pressure, whether you're trying to re qualify for the elite
series, whether you're trying toqualify for the Bassmaster

(01:49):
Classic, whether you're trying to win rookie, they were you're
whether you're trying to win angler of the year.
Everybody has pressure on him this week and it's going to be
fun. Is it?
I mean, it's been, first of all,here's a guy that doesn't have
pressure about the Bassmaster Classic.
Laker Howell, congratulations, Win in the open.
Way to go. An awesome victory.

(02:12):
Weird for me because, I mean, Laker was a little kid who sat
in the front row of every weigh in and now he's going to be
fishing the Bassmaster Classic. And he takes said pressure that
he doesn't have on him anymore because he knows he's fishing
the Classic and puts it firmly on his father Randy Howell's
shoulders to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic and and fish
with him in Knoxville in 2026. So congratulations, Laker, an

(02:38):
incredible victory. But with lacrosse in mind.
Our Angler of the year battle issomething that, I mean, I feel
like we stole the writers from the scripts, the NFL script
writers. We must have stolen them.
Like how we have somebody tryingto go back-to-back.
It's only ever happened three other times.

(03:00):
Chris Johnson is trying to do that, but the guy who is in a
two way tie with him is a young angling phenom that for all
intensive purposes hot off his second Elite Series win in his
second season. But for all intensive purposes,
if it wasn't for a timing miscuein 2024, he would be a reigning

(03:23):
angler of the year. He won it last year, But because
of that violation, he did not win it.
So Trey McKinney is trying to wrong right a wrong that, you
know, happened to him. And again, he admitted that it
was his fault. He's not complaining.
But it's just like the story on top of the stories on top of the

(03:45):
stories. They're just very, very cool.
And I can't wait to watch it go down.
And weirdly enough, I don't havean idea.
I mean, on paper you're like, OK, Chris Johnson is the
defending champion. He finished second the last time
we were here. But it's lacrosse.
Anything can have like, this fishery is just amazing.

(04:07):
Guys can get locked out. There's just so many things at
play. It's one of my favorite venues
we go to. Visually, it's one of the
coolest. I mean, if you like fish blowing
up on frogs, you're going to like lacrosse Wisconsin this
week. It's always one of the most fun
live events that we cover. So we'll find out who's going to

(04:28):
win angler of the year at the end of this.
We'll find out who a rookie of the year is.
We'll find out who our classic qualifiers are.
We'll find out who's re qualified for the All of this
will be decided this week in lacrosse Wisconsin and I hope
you're there. If you're there, make sure you
say hello. It'll also be the final week of
Mercer in the morning. That's right.

(04:48):
I have fun with you guys each and every morning.
About an hour before Elite series take off time.
So around six AMI guess Central time because we're 7, whatever,
an hour before take off. So I think it's set.
It'll be 7:00 AM Eastern, you'llsee Mercer in the morning, 8:00
AM Eastern, you'll see take off,something like that.

(05:10):
Everything I say is Officially Unofficial, which is the name of
another podcast that I host thatjust came out earlier this week
where we talk about a Champions Tour, a Legends tour, a senior
tour, and we get different anglers opinions.
So make sure you check out that episode of Officially
Unofficial. And I got to stop talking
because we got a lot of guests here this week.

(05:32):
We're going to kick things off with a great conversation with
Rick Klun and his conclusion. He was busy competing in the
open, so he didn't get a lot of chance to watch what happened to
Saint Clair, but this week he's going to talk about our top 2
and angler of the year and give his thoughts on that.
So very, very cool. Then we're going to check in
with Tommy Wood and find out where in the world Tommy Wood

(05:53):
is. And then we're going to finish
things off with Jake's take. And well, this one gets a little
squirrely and I'll be honest, I've given Jake kind of a hard
time since, you know, you used to really bring it on these
Jake's take. Tell us some meat.
And you kind of kind of been a little soft.
He's not soft this time around. You do not want to miss this at

(06:13):
all. I can keep talking, but really
you didn't TuneIn here for me. You tuned in for these guests.
And let's kick it off right now with Rick Clung.
There's a lot of things I reallyappreciate about you, but but
one of those things is, you know, we did this thing

(06:34):
conclusion where you're going todo a review after each event.
And I get it. You're busy competing in the
opens and a lot of other dudes, lesser men would just go watch
some highlight clips and, and doa conclusion.
But you said I I didn't watch it, so I don't really feel
comfortable talking about it. And I freaking appreciate that

(06:54):
about you. No, yeah, I was driving on the
way up there and I would kind ofturn it on every once in a while
to kind of get an idea of just how it's going.
Of course, you know, Saint Clair, I mean, it's it's pretty
obvious what happens up there. Usually it's pretty predictable,

(07:15):
but at the same time, there's always interesting things that
come out of it, you know, and I,I didn't surprise me how it was
going or where it was 1 didn't surprise me who won it, you
know, But there was a few thingsthat did surprise me was I know
he was fishing in a huge area ofa lot of other boats.
And that's again, all these new anglers, these new anglers using

(07:38):
electronics, even within that group, and there's a bunch of
them doing it, there's still people there taking it to
another level. And he kind of showed that
himself there. Yeah, to go to a body of water
that traditionally people win very close, you know what I
mean? You win by Oz.
He won by 5 lbs. And he did it looking at people.

(08:00):
Yeah, yeah. It was wild.
Obviously you were fishing the open up on Leach, so Congrats to
Laker Howell, such a such. An.
Awesome win, but also weird for me and I'm sure for you, but I
like Laker Howell, Laker and Oakley would sit like there.
There's anglers, kids who come and they they watch their dad

(08:21):
weigh in and then they disappear.
But they would literally sit in the front row for every weigh in
from start to finish, watch every angler.
And now I'm like now Lakers 6 foot 5 and going to the
Bassmaster. Classic.
Yeah, it's not having to do. Robin, forgive me for saying

(08:41):
this, but I can remember when weall shared the campgrounds
pretty much for their whole life.
I'm not sure about this, but I think we they were conceived in
that campground, probably so. And I watched them get raised
and it was an A really was a beautiful experience just to
watch that family start and you know, and now look like you said

(09:06):
Lakers, the giant of a kid and A, and a giant of a person as
well. Yeah, it was a very cool
victory. I obviously wasn't there, just
saw it online. But Congrats to Laker Howl and
I'll see you in Knoxville in just a few months time.
That's true. That's true.
And it's, it was, it was in the tournament.

(09:29):
I I was doing the same thing again, doing the same thing as
the winner, but I wasn't in the bigger fish.
You know, we were both throwing frogs and I was throwing the
frog, but we were in different areas in this area had the
better quality. And I, you know, I, I called 8
or 9 keepers a day. I didn't weigh in the final day

(09:50):
because I didn't have enough to make any difference.
So, but, and he, and it was really, I was kind of surprised.
I thought he was fishing in a small mouth pattern.
And the last day was where they caught those small mouth in the
Leech in the lower S part of theLeech.
The wind was just brutal and that and that really hurt a lot
of them. And Laker was staying up in in

(10:10):
the rice fields, which is such aneat part of that lake is these
rice fields that the native people still harvest the rice.
The old fashioned way to go out there and boats and pull the
grot over it and shake it, shakeit off and, and they harvest the
rice That, that, that was part of the neat thing for me in that
term. It was just being in a in a lake

(10:32):
where there's natural, where there's rice growing that they
get harvested in a lake. Yeah, it's very, it's a very
cool process. One of the most shocking things
for me is you maybe made one of the greatest wild rice soup
posts. Look, I mean, I don't, I don't
know. I don't know a lot of wild rice
soup posts, but that was an incredible wild rice soup post

(10:55):
that you made this week. It was amazing.
It wasn't just, it was better than it looked, actually.
Yeah, it was. It was amazing.
You can you give me kind of the Reader's Digest version of what
you were trying to explain in that post for those that didn't
see it because I think it was very powerful.

(11:17):
Oh well, really, you know, I'm astage when I can afford to say
stuff like that in my career where I can really start to
appreciate things way beyond results and and I appreciate
everything that's happening out there.
My phone ring on my phone is a another example of that.

(11:39):
My phone ring on my phone is looms, looms making their sound.
And I swear every day I thought I was getting dozens of phone
calls from natural lunens who were out there to talk to, you
know, making their loom. They they were just had their
young. You could see some of their
nests back in the rice rice areas.
And and then, you know, and likeI said, and I also fishing away,

(12:04):
I was fishing a frog. I was fishing this lunging frog.
It's got the DBS, which makes little frogs sound when it's not
moving. And so it's kind of fun to to to
fish that way. I didn't think I would.
And this is, again, a negative going into the tournament, I
knew the that the small mouths were going to dominate, but I
still knew, hey, I want to this is going to be fun.

(12:28):
I'm going to go up there and fish for the largemouth.
I just didn't have enough confidence that they could win
this tournament. And Laker proved they could.
But it was just so many things going on.
It was the weather up there wasn't hot.
It was getting down almost in the mid 50s at night sometime.
Some of the days were like 70s and 80s.

(12:48):
And then in the past, you don't know if you're not doing good in
the tournament especially. That's what catches you
emotionally and mentally. And even though I knew I wasn't
doing well, I was enjoying the the way I was fishing.
I was enjoying this lake I've never seen before when and and
enjoying the fact that's one of the great side effects of what

(13:08):
we do being tournament anglers. We fish places we would never
fished if we hadn't have been fishing tournaments and then
staying in the Native American campground where where I was,
where I was staying and camped out.
Everything about it. I was just trying to capture the
beauty of a tournament besides what most of us look at, and

(13:29):
that's the the the leaderboard at the end.
Yeah, it was it was very well written, So thank you for that.
And if you guys haven't seen it,make sure you check it out.
I'm sure it's on your Facebook. I know it's on your Instagram,
but I'm sure it's on Facebook aswell.
So check it out. It is one of the greatest wild
rice soup posts I've ever simplythe greatest wild rice soup post

(13:54):
I've ever seen. So we are going to have a
conclusion though, but but I threw a different topic at you
because we have a two way tie for angler of the year with one.
I mean, it's going to be one of the most pure, natural and and
mathematically those two could not catch him and somebody could

(14:15):
come up from behind Kyoya or secure it still.
I mean. But realistically you got to
feel Trey or Chris are going to catch him.
But we have a two way tie. So it's going to be, I mean,
realistically one of them can finish second place in this
tournament and still not win Angler of the Year if the other

(14:36):
one wins. That's yeah.
No, I, I, it's kind of a, it's kind of a neat thing for me
because, and I want to, before we get into this, I want to make
sure people understand what I say here and what my opinion is
on this has nothing to do. It's simply about what I've

(14:59):
observed from these anglers on the water.
I've never said I know nothing about them off the water.
And of course, if you look at social media and all that and
you get a lot of other people's opinions off the water about
the, about these two anglers. I'm, I have nothing about that.
I will not talk about that. I do have from my observations
of them on the water, I'm impressed with both of them.

(15:23):
And when Chris Johnson and Coreycame on the circuit and 2019,
that's who I beat when I won the, the St.
John's tournament was Chris Johnson.
He led it for, you know, for twoto two, 3 early days.
And I caught him with that giantbag of almost £35 on the, on the

(15:45):
last day. And, and, and now just so my
observation of both of them, Chris and Corey, and it's the
way I really try to judge. I judge people.
I don't like to judge people because you hear all kinds of
things, you know, from social people.
And outside of the tournaments, no, I don't care.

(16:05):
And then some of it may be true,but I don't care.
I am strictly going to try to observe them in my own
experience, and that's in the tournaments.
And both Chris and Corey, they had performed at a high level
from very day one and and they continue to.
Yeah, Trey, I don't have as muchtime observing and certainly I

(16:29):
don't. I only get to observe them on
the water. And I'm glad I had because I
heard, you know, it's like we do.
Unfortunately, I hear too many things about a person before
they you ever even get to see them or experience them
yourself. But every time I've experienced
him from y'all's reports on the water and now from his, it's got

(16:51):
a smaller sample size than the the Johnson's do, but still he
performs at a very, very high level.
And that's the number one thing I try to judge him by.
And also watching them now, likewe do on on the bass master
coverage and and and you doing it talking with them on stage is

(17:12):
you know, they're very when it comes to angling.
Both of them are at at the highest level intelligence wise.
You know, you hear another sports about you know, you're
when you look at a player is, is, is in especially in the game
intelligence, it's on the court intelligence.

(17:34):
He sees the whole game and both them do they do.
I mean, I in fact, Ray has really impressed me a lot when
he talks on camera. And that's a hard thing to do.
Most of most of us look pretty stupid on camera, but he really
his his conversation is incredibly at a highland.

(17:55):
And then he he executes Chris. I had now since 2019.
We're in what, 2025? Six years of watching him
perform. I haven't heard him talk as much
on camera, but obviously his performance is proof enough for
me that he knows what he's doingand not only what he's doing, he

(18:19):
knows how to perform at the highest level.
And right now they're both doingthat.
I would not want to try to pick a winner.
You'd say, OK, who's going to befavorite at this last one on the
lacrosse is kind of, it's unlikeif you were just fishing Saint
Lawrence, which, or some place where it's pure small mouth
where you kind of lean, lean toward the Johnsons.

(18:42):
Even though Trey did it at SaintClair, which is small mouth.
So he he can handle, he obviously proved he can do it.
That lacrosse is a mixture and it's, it's harder to predict
there. What, what combination of fish
is going to determine a largemouth versus small mouth.
So I and and that's where I think you could be right on on

(19:06):
somebody coming in from from back of them and doing it
because, you know, lacrosse is just a strange creature.
It's, you know, and and the way you have to fish it doesn't seem
to ever be the same. Yeah, I mean, Chris finished
second the last time we were there, but it is not what like
the it's what? It's weird.

(19:27):
It's like the Sabine where the Sabine, we've had champions.
It's not like the Sabine at all because it is.
I mean, it's one of the best largemouth fisheries we go to.
So I, I, I'm sure there's peoplelacrosse saying what did you
compare us to? What?
But what I mean by is finishes. There's there's you look at
Christie has one on the Sabine, but he's also been in the 90s.

(19:51):
We've Hackney's won on the Sabine.
He's also been in the nice like up until the last time we were
there. Kind of the only guy who's
wanted Sabine that's been impervious to a bad one.
Was Brock Mosley, but he didn't do as well this last time we
were there. But but lacrosse kind of feels
like that. Where is that?
Because it's a river, do you think?

(20:13):
It is. And I think it's the fact that a
lot of largemouth, I don't thinkare, I don't know.
That's a, it's a tough one to call.
I don't even want to try to callit because like you say, it's
hard to repeat doing the same thing in the same areas and,
and, and, and of course the level there can be different.

(20:34):
I know they've had a lot of rainand you could have all kinds of
water level changes changes going on.
I don't, you know, I would really be curious.
Just one thing I kept thinking about with Chris and Trey was I
would love to know how many dayseach one of those guys have been

(20:55):
on the water for the last three years, fishing for the last
three years. Because that's one thing I'm
starting to see, especially withthe young anglers.
And I suspect it's true with with Chris Johnson and Corey,
that you'd be shocked how many days they're spending on the
water. They, and I've always been of
the opinion that that's who wins.

(21:17):
It's the person who's spending all the more days on the water
year after year. And I could be wrong.
Maybe they don't fish a lot. In between the tournament there
was 2 anomalies that always I never could understand or figure
out in in my years on the circuit.
This Kevin Van Damme and Skeet Reese.

(21:37):
They spent less time on the water than any other anglers out
there pretty much. And that's kind of an
exaggeration, but they were not spending.
I spend tons of when I was at mypeak, I was guiding in between
tournaments. I'm spending 250 to 300 days a
year on the water when I knew I was at my best.
I never could figure it always would piss me off how Kevin and

(21:58):
skeet could beat me and I knew they were spending less time on
don't want to spend a third of the time on the water.
So but I still believe that's one of the most that's one of
the biggest powers I see in a lot of these young anglers.
This kid here that's fishing in the opens why and Marlar that
did well at at at Leech Lake andhe spends probably 300 days a

(22:22):
year on the water almost. And I think Trey and I'm
guessing here, I heard rumors and I'm already breaking my
rule. I don't like to respond from
rumors. I like to respond from my own
observations that he spends a ton of time in his young life on
the water and that's so important.
And so if I had to pick a winner, I would say in the last

(22:45):
three years, find out who spent the most time on the water and
choose him. Yeah.
And it's a shit off the wall dart throwing so.
Yeah, I mean, Trey spent a ton of time doing Great Lakes, Small
Mill stuff before Saint Clair. I mean, he's, I asked him a week
ago, I said if you'd put a percentage of your life, how

(23:07):
much percentage of your life is focused?
Like if you take your whole lifeas a whole, what percentage of
it is focused on catching a bass?
And he said minimum 80%. So I mean, that means sleeping.
Everything fits into that 20. So he's and Chris has been
always like, I mean, the thing about Chris is even when he's

(23:29):
back here, like he's fishing tournaments non-stop, if he's if
he's on the you know, if he's got his kids, his kids are on
the water with them. Like it is being on the water
is, is the part of the sport that I, I, I think it's the part
of everything, isn't it? Like, I mean, whether you're
trying to catch a bass or you'reselling cheeseburgers, the
person who works the. Hardest generally wins, no.

(23:53):
You can study any sport and I love to study all sports to just
understand how the big best of the best achieve that over a lot
of other very good competition. And it's, and it's so much how
much time they spend invested into understanding what it takes
to win and not just what it takes to do well, not what it

(24:16):
takes to to catch a limit, but what it takes to catch the right
fish and to win. And, and so I, I, I, I see that
in both of them, you, you rarelyyou, you know, and of course,
and Christmas angle of the year last year was it?
Yeah. So now he has a chance to do 2
times in a row. So is that going to work in his

(24:39):
favor or kind of if you want to really nitpick the mental side
of this or is he going to be kind of, I've already done that
I would do, I would do one versus Trey who hasn't done
that, you know? It's like a Disney novel.
If you look at it, you know, Chris Johnson has the
opportunity to go back-to-back. And the only others that have
ever gone back-to-back for angryyears, Kevin Van Damme, Roland

(25:03):
Martin and Guido Hibdon, like just say that group.
And then you got Trey, who let'sbe honest, without a late
penalty and a call from his mother, He's he's your angler of
the year last year, so he feels.Like.
He gave it away like he felt like he takes total onus for it.

(25:24):
He said never. I mean, one thing I'll give the
kid credit on, he said straight up when that happened, he said
it didn't. My mom calling me had nothing to
do with anything. He says I was going to be more
than 30 minutes late 'cause I just, my, I was tired and my
mind slipped. And he said, now I, I focus and
I make sure I don't miss those things.
So he's got that motivation to be like, I mean, he could

(25:47):
potentially be trying to go back-to-back and he's freaking
20 years old. That's what like Chris makes
sense. He's in his 30s.
He's been doing this for a while.
What Trey's doing does not make sense.
I mean, he's had, he's been heretwo years, not it'll be two
years after this event. 2 full seasons he's had 10 top 10s.

(26:09):
This season he's had six top 10s.
If you include the classic, he'swon two elites.
He won rookie of the year. He was second in the classic,
could have won angler of the year last year if it wasn't for
a miscue and now is in a two way.
I mean, it's unfathomable what he's doing that is such a young
age. It's wild.

(26:32):
No, it is. But at the same time, this is a
different generation than it wasbefore, because unlike Dito and
unlike Roland and unlike even Kevin, they've been Kevin.
I don't know when he really has like to know when he was

(26:53):
probably the earliest starter tostart shooting for that go.
But these kids now are shooting for that go, you know, before
they're even 20 years old. And and they're and they're so
advanced with the a time they get to the in their early 20s.

(27:13):
It's just it blows me away. That did not exist back in my
time. I mean, I didn't even start
until I was 26. If you know, I got, I don't know
the exact age when Kevin startedkind of getting to so you we
recognize we we started to recognize potential.

(27:36):
You know, I remember in my mind the the tournament that Kevin
changed and became a superstar or I knew he was going to be a
superstar. Was he drew Roland Martin and I
can't tell you the exact lake wewere on and he drew rolling and
he was back on drawing drawing. He went with rolling that day

(27:59):
and he flipped A7 pounder behindrolling.
From that point on he was a different person.
I mean, all of a sudden he got that that touchdown pass or that
home run that says I can do this.
I just caught A7 pounder by who is considered the best.
And so it just little moments like that I think really changes

(28:22):
anglers mental side of how good they become and are believing
themselves. And so, but we're looking at a
different area with these anglers like Trey and it's going
to happen quicker and quicker. So it doesn't surprise me that
that's happening because they dotheir homework, they are

(28:42):
spending what I said, what we talked about earlier.
There's so much time on the water that they're learning
faster and faster and faster. And so it's going to be, it's
going to be interesting with this deal with Chris and Trey.
We really don't have a young versus, you know, the, you know,
the old because Chris is not old.

(29:03):
But so but it's going to be a new deal.
Whoever wins is probably going to deserve it.
I mean, just looking at their how they got there and who kind
of finishes it up. It is.
I mean, you've won Angler of theYear, you've felt every pressure
there is to feel in the sport. Like can you compare the

(29:24):
pressure at the final event for Angler of the Year with the
pressure of winning the Classic?Is it even comparable or is it
just the exact same? It's pressure all the time.
No, I'm the wrong person becauseI never believed in any the
importance of Angler of the Yearmy whole career.
It was the most, it was never something I considered or even

(29:44):
desired to do. And you got to remember why
because angler here didn't get anything back then.
It didn't. It barely got even a paddle on
the head. And and I knew in my career to
make it that there was only one angler here wasn't winning.
It was going to help, but it wasn't going to make it.
Only one of them was going to make it for you.

(30:05):
And that was the classic. And that's what I fished for.
Now that's changed now and and plus back then, you know, angle
of the year was not a reflectionof who was winning the angle of
the year. It was a reflection of you and
all the help you could get. That's clean being cleaned up a
little bit. OK, Nowadays you still get more

(30:26):
help than you did back then angle of the year, but you but
it's been cleaned up a lot. And so that it's more a
reflection of the actual anger. Anger here in my day was not a
reflection of the anger. It was a reflection of him and
all the help he could get. And so so I'm not a good one to
ask that question to for the very answer I just gave you.

(30:47):
Yeah, no, it's a great answer and I I appreciate how you
always give me your honest spin on things.
I, I can't wait to watch this battle go down to, to me, it's
but there's no usually with angular year.
It's like, well, they have 17 points and if this happens and
it's just a straight up heavyweight battle, we're going
to watch two guys slug it out and, and we're going to have an

(31:11):
angler year. We got rookie of the year.
You know, everything going to bedecided this week, but it'll,
it'll be a fun tournament. I, I don't have a normally I've
got a feeling like I'm like, oh,so and so.
And on paper, everything says Chris, because the river sets up
well for him. But I don't think that on paper
Trey McKinney is a I mean, nothing sets up well for Trey

(31:34):
McKinney on paper, but repeatedly it sets up well for
him. Everywhere we go it's and with
what he did in the last event, it's just pretty phenomenal.
So either. Way it's going to be cool.
No. And like I said, it showed you
that tournament and I didn't getto watch much of it.

(31:57):
But by him winning it as much ashe did fishing around so many
other anglers, they were doing the same thing but weren't doing
the same thing. He is taking it to a higher
level and he seems like he's hadthat ability ever since on this
circuit. Whatever level he needs to move
it to, he's had he takes it to ahigher level and that's.

(32:19):
So I'm like you. I I wouldn't bet on either 1 you
know either with the ranch on either one of them on this one.
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(32:41):
Now back to the show. No, no, it's it's it's going to
be it's going to be an old school battle.
So I look forward to it. You got some big things coming
up, though. I mean, you might not have
focused on Angler of the Year, but you're getting in another
Hall of Fame, Rick Klun, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Hall

(33:01):
of Fame. That's a pretty strong one.
Yeah, it is because I and it's and I, yeah, I've said this
before, but I don't understand Hall of Fame's.
I feel like it's we're part of the ancient pyramid builders
that we somehow create these things that are going to
guarantee us some type of immortality, which none of that

(33:21):
really works. And but the Texas Hall of Fame,
I am really honored by it because it's one of the part
it's there. There are Texas parks in the
wildlife I probably have more respect for than any of the
conservation departments I've been exposed to in this whole
country. And I've been to meetings in

(33:43):
Phoenix where everyone of them had their representatives there
from every state and you can seewhat they were doing and what
they were doing to improve fishing.
And, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife definitely has made
more people want to fish becausethey catch one of those big, big
F1 largemouth that now live pretty much everywhere from, you

(34:05):
know, from Texas to California. So I, I, for them to induct me
really means a lot because I really appreciate them, as you
know, and they've always believed in creating better
fishing. And that's really what the
conservation departments are supposed to do, is make more of
us want to go fishing, and they've certainly done that.

(34:28):
They sure have. Do you get nervous for things
like like will you be nervous the night of?
I'm not nervous. I'm I know, I guess I'm
embarrassed. Uncomfortable.
Yeah, because I don't think I deserve it.

(34:49):
I really don't. And and that sounds people are
going to go. Why No, it's I can think of so
many people that are has unself,unselfishly given so much to
this sport that we love called fishing.
And I, I know I did it indirectly, but I didn't do it

(35:14):
directly. I, I, I was incredibly selfish.
Nothing was going to get in my way to become the very best at
what I was going, what I was doing.
And, and I did. And the only thing I'm going to
say I did it the right way. I never did it.
What I considered was the wrong way to go about winning.

(35:36):
Winning the wrong way did not make any sense to me and, and I
I I didn't want and the worst thing in the world.
I've only had one person and this is truth, help me win a
tournament my whole career information wise and it was my
brother Randy fight and nobody else has ever helped me do that.

(35:59):
And I'm proud to be able to say that I either won or lost
because of my own efforts. And, and, and you know, and did
it fairly, did it the right way,try to treat other anglers the
right way. So that part, you know, it's I
feel good about. But as far as being appointed as

(36:22):
a Hall of Fame person, there's just so much more people that
should be there than than me. Well, here's Michael Unclusion.
That's why you're getting in theHall of Fame, Rick Clan, because
you think that I think the world's full of enough people
that are like, well, finally, it's my Hall of.
Fame could. Use people like you a little

(36:44):
more. Often, yeah.
And it's subjective. I mean, there's so many levels
of it. So it's it's so I just hope I
live up to what they expect of me.
Yeah, One last question because you brought it up being selfish

(37:04):
and I have my feelings on this, but do you think to be the best
at anything, especially something like fishing, a
competitive thing, you have to be selfish?
No matter what it is, to be the best, you have to be, Yeah.
In other words, you have to takeThere's only X amount of fuel in

(37:26):
your tank, only X amount of energy in your being.
And to be the best at it, you got to use 95% of it to achieve
that. I, that's my opinion.
And So what did there's 5% left for those around you.
There's 5% left for those peoplethat are the most important of

(37:47):
all. And that's your family.
And, and that, I mean, I, I knowthe sacrifices, you know, that
they had to make. I know you know that that they
didn't understand what, what, what was happening.
I mean, I'm doing something thatnobody on the planet was doing.
I'm having my daughter sit in mylap and and after I've been gone

(38:11):
for three weeks at tournaments and in ATV show comes on and and
you've I've told you this story,but and I'll never forget it as
long as I live. And the TV show was a fishing
show and I knew I was going to be on it.
And she's sitting in my lap And then all of a sudden it comes up
and there I am on the show. And all of a sudden she usually
gave me the code, showed her thefirst couple of days and she's

(38:33):
just sitting there in my lap. She's kind of and all of a
sudden she was dad, dad, dad. Look, there's Rick Clung and
she's pointing at the TVI thought it was funny at 1st and
then they hit me. Wait a minute.
She's not sitting in Rick Clung's lap.
That's a different person. That's Rick Klund, the best
fisherman. And I said, and it hit me, he's

(38:54):
pretty damn good at what he does, but it's the lap she's
sitting in. Dad, is he as good at what he
does? And I knew the answer to that
was no. And I had to become better.
So so now that's that's yeah, no, I had to be selfish.
I don't, I don't believe anybodycan achieve the top and what

(39:16):
they do without being selfish toa certain degree.
Maybe not as completely, like I said 95%, but close.
Yeah, I, I mean, I, I think it'sjust natural.
I don't care what it is. If you're obsessed with being a
comedian, you're going to, you know, you're going to, you're
chasing a But I, I also think that people write off that's

(39:39):
like for a Patrick Mahomes, they'll look at it and be like,
well, yeah, but look what he's building, you know?
But ultimately it comes at a cost.
But I, I think that there's a lot of lessons to be taught
through those costs obviously, and, and just to recognize it.
You're not that unselfish. At some point, I mean, Patrick

(39:59):
Mahomes or whoever you are, Ricklenroll and Kevin.
At some point, though, I even brought that up at last year's
classic. My daughters were at the
Classic. And the daughters that were
sitting in my lap that night watching Ricklen on TVI brought
her. I kind of apologized.
I said, you know, for being, quote, selfish.

(40:20):
She said Dad, Yeah, but when youwere home, you were all in.
And that meant a lot to me because, and that's true when
after I watched that, I knew I'mnot going to be able to give
them the time I should. But when I'm at home, I'm going
to do everything I'm going to beat ever practice and basketball,

(40:42):
cheerleading didn't matter amongthe ever event drama event there
to have. I'm going to be there.
You know, I, I rent a luge jet at, after the, at a tournament
after weigh in at Grand Lake, Oklahoma and flew.
And then even though the tournament went over and flew
that night all the way to Montgomery, TX to walk her on
the field for homecoming queen and got back on the jet and flew

(41:04):
back to fish the next day at Grand Lake in Oklahoma.
So it did change the quality of time I spent I had.
I did improve. I think I did.
The quantity was just never going to be there.
Well, I appreciate the time thatyou give this show, Rick.
And are are you going to be ableto watch this week's tournament?

(41:27):
Yes, yes, I am. I'm looking forward.
I'm looking forward to it actually.
Yeah, so am I, So. So we will have a conclusion of
your. Thoughts.
Yes, Sir, I hope so. Yeah.
Yeah. Well, I look forward to it and I
thank you for your time as always.
And I'll, I look forward to yourthoughts on our Angler of the

(41:47):
Year. We'll find out.
Who it is, I appreciate it. I do enjoy this sincerely, so
look forward to the next one. Always good to have you.
Thank you, Rick. Where in the world is Tommy

(42:08):
Wood? I'm somewhere in the middle of
America in a Walmart car park. Just got the tire changed on the
van. But tell you what these broke
down videos on the side of the road are getting old for me
quick. I don't know about you guys but
hopefully the next one I'm not on the side of the road fixing
something the next time because I'm a bit over them.
But good news is we just cashed a check at leash like and double

(42:32):
qualify with the EQ. So if I qualify twice it takes
up it takes away someone else's spot to sorry whoever that was
but managed to jump in the EQ's and cash a check which was
absolutely crazy. So after day one sitting in 27th
place, huge winds come through the 2nd day.
Couldn't believe it. And on the way out slung a blade

(42:54):
on the prop and then hit some waves and all these bushes on
the old trek just fell apart andall the frame I've never seen
anything like it just snapped and broke and but we still use
the electric all day like that so I just put it in the start
position. Strap this up.
Managed to catch 16 lbs which moved me from 27th up to 12th

(43:15):
place, so my best finish yet andthe boat was in the worst
position it's ever been. So crazy times.
I don't know what's going on buteverything seems to be breaking.
But things are looking up. We're getting some momentum in
the tournament scene at the moment, so smash out of EQS.
We're just about to driving homenow.
I've got 1212 hours back to Alabama and then we're jumping

(43:38):
in the EQS in about a month so. Looking good.
Got to get back on the roads, find somewhere to sleep and have
a shower tonight. But we will see you hopefully at
the EQ where stuff isn't going wrong and things are looking
good for your boys. So thanks.
Have me on catches next time. Jakes take is back in your life.
But before Jake talks, I got it.I mean, I got to start with

(44:00):
this. I mean, because when you're
friends with Jake, you bear a very few wins in life, really.
I mean, unless it's getting something out of the high cover,
you don't have a lot of wins. With my friend Jake.
He's done everything. He's climbed ice walls.
His children have accomplished more than me, and they're barely
alive. I mean, they're totally alive,
you know what I mean? They've been alive a long time,

(44:22):
but he didn't know how to copy and paste the actual e-mail to
make this podcast happen. He's the most technically sound
person I know and I feel very mighty right now, Jake.
The truth hurts. I'm hurt, but see.
Once again proving me I am this close to greatness always like
in story of my life. If I'd have been recording that,

(44:46):
that would have been gold. Like you literally realized I
walked you through the steps andyou're like, see, it doesn't
work. And I'm like, what does it say?
And you said and it all came together.
It means nothing to anybody, butI'm gloating right now.
And I did call myself an idiot. Yeah, that's that was when you
really started laughing. When I said.

(45:08):
OK, I'm an idiot. You burst into tears because I
watched your head have a battle like I watched literally in your
eyes the moment that you were like, no, I know how to use my
phone, Dave, this is totally notgoing to work.
And then you were like, you didn't want it to work for a
split second. You're like, don't tell me I'm
wrong. And then you.
But did you see how quickly I took?

(45:29):
I took it like. A man.
Accountability for myself. I've learned that with three
kids at home alone, with three kids, I've learned that if I
don't take accountability for myself, then my kids won't take
accountability for them. See, once again, it turns into a
life lesson. See, not a lot of wins with

(45:49):
Jake. You're much better human.
That's right, you got to twist it like an orange peel, man.
But I'm glad we're actually connecting and you, dude, had
honestly, what a great freaking three.
Like, I mean, it's cool when you're at an event and you're
with the leader, you know, that it means if you'd have been with

(46:12):
Trey the whole way through wouldhave been cool.
I mean, but him and Brandon Feinhave a really cool relationship
and I think it's awesome to see,but I think it's even cooler
when sometimes you're with a bunch of other guys and what a
freaking threesome. Takumi Easton and Brandon

(46:33):
Polnik. I mean pretty freaking strong.
I hit the cameraman jackpot, aside from, like you said, not
being in the boat with Trey and I have never been in the boat
with Trey, but I really want to get in the boat with Trey.
And now it's going to be extremely difficult because
Brandon and Trey have a really great relationship.

(46:53):
But I'm really happy for Brandon.
I'm really happy for Trey. That was, I mean, the dude, the
kid put on a freaking show and you know it it For me, it's hard
not to root for Trey McKinney because of all the things that
he brings to the table. Yeah, yeah.
I feel like it's America's experiment gone bad.

(47:16):
Literally. Before it.
Recorded, I mean moment of honesty.
I just released a podcast with Trey McKinney last night.
We're recording this the Thursday a week ago.
So he had been on my mind and I'm just like, it's such an
experiment. Like I get that there's some
hate towards him, but it's so weird.

(47:38):
What I mean by America's experiment gone bad.
I was literally watching videos of him right before we recorded
fishing with Dan Morehead and Fishing with Andy Morgan when he
was 12 years old hosting, I think it was a made for web
series or whatever that called the training the next generation

(48:02):
or whatever, molding the next generation.
Dude, the kid literally sits there and ask question after
question like what colour jig, what did you know?
22 deepest anglers in the world and he's just like you would
imagine Trey McKinney to be, what with braces and you watch
this. And Kool-aid on his lips.
Yeah, and you watch this and I'msure most people saw that and

(48:24):
they were like, oh, this is, this is so cool.
This is a kid who has a dream ofbeing a pro angler, and 'cause
he's got parents that are willing to work really hard
around him, which every parent you're living proof of is
willing to do. You'll do everything for your
kids, not make it easy on them, but you'll do everything every

(48:45):
give them every opportunity. Yeah.
Support. So he's lucky.
I mean, he's got parents that number one.
He's lucky in life just for having parents that way.
But I watched that and I'm like,well, of course he's as good as
he is 'cause this is when they started the weird science
project of building this kid into the perfect pro angler,
'cause that's what he wants to be.

(49:06):
And everybody loved it. But somewhere along the way,
like watching that show, if somebody had a said to you
watching that show eight years ago that when this kids 20,
he'll be a two time elite serieschampion, he'll have almost won
the Bassmaster Classic. He'll have almost one angler of
the year if it wasn't for a screw up.

(49:27):
And he's in a two way tie for angler of the year going down to
the final event, no matter what way it works out.
And he's the reigning rookie of the year, the youngest ever to
qualify, the youngest to ever win an elite, the youngest to
ever win rookie of the year, andpotentially the youngest to ever
win Angler of the year. If you would have told somebody
watching that freaking show, they would have been like, I, I
can't wait to cheer for this kid.

(49:47):
But somewhere along the way, am I wrong?
Like, it's weird when you think that.
I mean I know I started on a rant but.
It's why I think it's. It's the asterisks that everyone
wants to put an asterisk on his name like he's he's on steroids
or something. He's playing baseball.
You know, it's like, again, you know, this is this, this dead

(50:11):
horse has just got to be tired of getting beat over and over
and over again. But the fact of the matter is, I
like Trey. Trey has grown on me a lot.
And I'm I'm starting to read more and more.
I read through some of the comments or actually all the
comments on the podcast you did with him yesterday and and there

(50:33):
are more and more people jumpingon board with him because I
think they're finally starting to realize that he's no joke and
he's not. He is no joke.
Neither are any of these other young guys and to criticize them
for using a piece of equipment that has literally transcended

(50:54):
the game into understanding the.I mean, all the things that he
talked about on your podcast, you know, I'm going to say this
past week because of. Yeah, it's going to.
Air, Yeah. So the things that he said, like
how he determines what a fish his mood is in how he's going to

(51:17):
present a bait across, you know,a grass line where a, a, a fish
that he knows went into hiding in taller grass.
He circles around, he presents one bait from One Direction
another. These are all things that are
brilliant. They're they're old school
strategies that are applied to new school technology.

(51:40):
And he's using it to the very best of his ability and he's
proving to everyone that no one understands it better than he
does and he can go catch him other ways.
People keep denying him that presentation to be a a
well-rounded bass fisherman or an angler and even a human

(52:01):
being. The kid is he's a good kid.
He's always plot, he doesn't curse, he listens to music, he
stays positive. After all the people that have
beaten him up on social media and drug him through the and
gauntlet and fire pit and, and nail pit and everything else, he
remains a, a guy with a smile onhis face.

(52:23):
And I have a, a tremendous amount of respect for him for
the way he's handled this whole thing.
I, I really do. I, I, I'm, I'm, I, I defended
him yesterday on social media and we're not going to get into
that, but I'm going to continue.We're I 'cause I you went.
To war with a bot. 'Cause I do curse and I swear

(52:44):
where and I'll start doing that right now on this show if we
have to. I just think the kid I, I really
like him and as a parent, I understand the support.
He's 20. Last year he was 19.
People make fun of him 'cause his mother is at the all these
events and she shows a tremendous amount of support.

(53:08):
My oldest child, Aspen, is 13. Seven years from now, you think
I'm going to stop supporting herand the things that she does?
Nobody there. Nobody says anything about
Patrick Walter's parents, who are at every event.
Nobody says anything about John Cruise's parents.
His dad is at every event. And Judy?

(53:29):
Peyton Manning's dad was at every.
Oh wow, we're going football. We went straight.
We're going, we're going how it's skewed differently.
And dude, let's just say let's play devil's advocate.
I do not believe this. I believe the Trey McKinney is a
skilled angler in many ways. I've watched him.
It's kind of my job to watch proanglers.
I may suck, but I'm pretty good at at assessing what I see.

(53:53):
And the the kid can freaking fish.
But let's say he can't. Let's say that he is a forward
facing sonar trick pony that people want to make you believe.
He's the freaking incredible at it.
One of the best in the world. You're watching, I mean he prove
it like and again, what floats around about him is, you know,

(54:18):
hey, his his career is bought and paid for, which is so crazy
because we're also going to get well, you're saying that because
you work for Bass. No, I'm saying that because
you're watching a kid that I honestly believe in five years
we'll have a ton of fans and everybody will deny ever hating
him. Let's take it away from bass,

(54:38):
yeah, For. Exactly because just going to
keep winning them. There's a.
Bunch, there's a bunch of come in this industry that went
through the same thing. It's kind of gross.
Or go to the other brand. Look what?
Look what Wheeler's doing over at MLF.
I mean, he's freaking crushing it and.

(54:58):
And so I was talking about, but I wasn't going to mention it
because I didn't want to suck him.
And like, it's just so you're feeding the trolls like, but
again, what my, I've my head's all over the place.
But what I was thinking too on the on the, you know, his mother
buys, you know, him stuff. And dude, he did this in front

(55:19):
of everybody, like literally there was no secrets on Lake
Saint Clair. What he did was catch the most
weight ever, become the youngesttwo time elite series champion.
And he did it right in front of everybody.
And he didn't just do it one day.
He did it every like if he, if he had a had, you know, insane

(55:40):
waits the first few days and just kind of stick handled.
He caught for all intensive purposes.
Trey McKinney could still be outthere catching £23 a day.
I mean. Right.
Right where? Right on the exact waypoint he
caught 96 lbs in four days. That is insane.
I mean, if you, if you have never been on Lake Saint Clair

(56:04):
and fished like in a tournament,or at least I haven't fished,
I've never fished there, never even casted one single lure.
But I've been on Lake Saint Clair many, many, many times
with some of the best bass anglers in the world with front
facing sonar and without front facing sonar.
And to me, what they have figured out, no, I mean no one,

(56:28):
no one talks about like when I was with Jason Christie, was it
last year on day one on Saint Clair, he was throwing a two
years ago, he was throwing a huge tube jig.
And what he figured out was he was bomb casting this huge tube
jig and he was bouncing it over the grass.

(56:49):
OK. That was his way of revealing
fish that were hiding in the grass.
And he didn't necessarily catch anything, maybe one or two on
that big jig, on that big tube jig, but he revealed fish and
then he marked where they were. And then he went after him with
a drop shot and a, you know, a long leader, all that stuff.

(57:12):
So it's like you figure the system out and what what some of
these guys have done, like I mean, Brandon Polonik, you know,
he went and caught that big one up river on the last day, but he
was doing it too. To be able to come back out
there the next morning after youcatch 23 lbs of small mouth, you

(57:36):
go back out to that same waypoint where you're going to
start again. And you have to find the school
of fish that have moved on you first of all.
Then you have to identify the fish that are aggressive.
You have to identify the fish that are bigger than all the
rest of them. And what Trey McKinney said in
your podcast is spot on. He is hunting and, and you have,

(57:59):
you're a, you're a, you're a predator in a boat and you're
looking for the largest, most efficient way to catch the
largest fish in that system. And the fact that he did that in
Arbor Bay with all those other boats around him, both local
guides, local fishermen, tournament anglers, 50 or 60,

(58:22):
probably 70% of the field were out there.
And for him to have done that four days in a row is absolutely
phenomenal in my opinion. Yeah, unbelievable.
And two things. It's Anchor Bay #1 number.
Two. I'm sorry, what did I call it?
Arbor Bay? Yeah, I was thinking of Ann
Arbor. Bay, That's two mistakes, three
strikes, you're out. And the other part is if you

(58:46):
don't like the hunting element, if you don't like the fact that
somebody can see a fish, I get it.
There's parts of it that I hate.I've spent a lot of time at Bass
Life kind of ridiculing like should we put a cast counter in
because it's ridiculous watchingsomebody not cast and but I but
I also have respect for what they're doing no different than

(59:08):
I have respect for watching GregHackney pick a part of Cypress
tree with a jig. I mean, it's incredible what
they're doing and it's a lot of it's marketing dude.
Brandon Polnick, he won a tournament earlier this year in
forward face and Sonar, but you could see the shore and it was

(59:28):
Brandon Polnick. So the industry thought it was
cute. You know, it was OK.
Jason Christie has won multiple tournaments using forward face
and Sonar and one of them, he gets a credit for winning it old
school. I mean, you were in the boat
with him. He's forward facing Sonar first
thing in the morning. So again, this isn't a forward
facing sonar thing because there's part of me that wishes

(59:50):
it would just disappear. But it's here now and.
Just because I'm the elephant inthe room.
Because there's elements I dislike about something doesn't
mean I can't respect the people that are doing incredible things
with it. Because here's the truth,
everyone's got it. They've all had time with it

(01:00:11):
now. They've left sponsorships,
they've gained spot like they'veadded giant screens.
They've figured it out. There's people who are clearly
better at it, self admittedly bythe others.
No different than there's peoplethat are clearly better at
throwing a jig. So anyways, and they keep

(01:00:32):
getting better. They keep getting better at just
freaking fireworks every, every time, every time I go out in a
boat and the whoever angler I'm with is using front facing
sonar, the what they're learningsomething new every day, even
the best of them. And, and, and let's just narrow

(01:00:53):
it down to, you know, the younger generation of anglers,
they're learning something new every day, like how a fish acts.
I mean, Easton Fothergill, you know, being in the boat with him
for two days was, was a tremendous experience for me.
What a great kid he is. He is just, he is tremendous.

(01:01:16):
And the things that he taught me, I already knew some of these
things by observation. And in the years I've been in,
you know, in boats with anglers using it.
But one of the most important things that people are missing
are how how they they read the fish and understand the the

(01:01:39):
cast, the cadence. Who knew even out there on on
Champlain when that pelagic bitewas, you know, was really
becoming the, the, you know, a featured, A featured environment
and a featured event for front facing sonar.

(01:01:59):
You know, they were casting pastthe fish and reeling through the
school just like you would drag a planer board and a crankbait
through a school of walleyes, knowing what depth they are.
That's how they were fishing forthem now.
And I, I saw Taku do this and, and, and Kyoya, they're so

(01:02:19):
specific on their casts that nowit's become, all of a sudden
it's become, no, you have to be a pinpoint caster.
And, and again, you know, they're looking down at their
screen and they literally backflip a drop shot of a Nico,

(01:02:40):
whatever it is they're they're baiting with.
They literally backhanded back, cast it 17 feet to the fish and
drop it on their head and all ofa sudden that comes into play
because they've made the right cast.
Then all of a sudden they have to read the fish, how the fish

(01:03:01):
reacts to that bait on that particular cast.
They twitch it. The twitch becomes a reaction,
and sometimes the react. Most of the time the reaction is
the fish sees what they're doingand they turn around and go back
to where they came from or go down or up or wherever and
disappear. And if they get a positive

(01:03:24):
reaction, sometimes they get a follow and then it becomes a
cadence. Whatever.
Does everyone understand what the cadence is?
How they twitch their bait back to the boat Right And and if
that doesn't work they have to re bend over, grab another rod
with a different bait on it and try it again.
If 5 baits don't work they have to circle around and come from a

(01:03:47):
different angle. Like it's it's way more
complicated than people give it credit.
Yeah, but but the truth is, if you're not willing to accept
that that is technical, if you're not willing to accept
that that's the way you like to fish, you're never going to
agree. Like, there's there's, there's
scopers listening to you right now going you're right, you're

(01:04:10):
right. It is.
It is that all of these things come in like, dude, the nuances.
Like the fact that Kya tells youwhere to stand in this freaking
boat. I'm now know why I've hosted.
Go ahead. Yeah, but I've hosted a
television show. I've made a living fishing my
whole life. I'm not Curia Fujita, clearly,

(01:04:30):
because it would take me years to figure out.
Maybe I should tell the camera guy to move around in my boat,
You know what I mean, to get that subtle.
Exactly. Unless you're going to tell me
it's all wrong and you know why,and it's because he's got a
squeaky compartment and that's why he's been moving you this
whole time. We way overthunk.
It no. I think it's because it's the

(01:04:51):
bottom, because people have figured out the big fish hide on
the bottom, especially small mouth.
When they see the boat coming, they just go right to the bottom
and if they're in grass or rocks, they can't see them.
So especially if the boat is tilted, which obviously dictates

(01:05:13):
the angle of the transducer. And I think that's the whole
reason why he wants me to stand or whoever the camera guy is
right behind the passenger seat,especially on calm days.
And then he can read the bottom better because that's where
that's where he's looking for for bigger fish.
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(01:05:34):
about anglers. With their 10% pledge, Avco and
the Shed family donate at least 10% of the company's profits to
conservation and making fishing better.
Now, back to the show. Yeah, but that's what I'm
saying. Like there's so many subtle
nuances to it, but bottom line, to end our whole conversation

(01:05:55):
that started with Trey McKinney and it went into we haven't even
talked about the anglers we wereplanning on talking about.
But I mean, bottom line, none ofthat stuff, whether you like
Ford phase and Stoner, you don'tlike it, whether you accept that
there's talents and skills to itdoesn't doesn't matter.
That's a personal choice. But ain't none of that got to do
with Trey McKinney, Kya Fujita, Easton Fothergill, or anybody

(01:06:21):
that you would locate Paul Marx.Paul Marx, Any of those guys?
Tucker, any of them, anybody youwould put in that group, it
ain't their fault. You're literally going out in
the road and yelling at somebodybecause you think they're
driving too fast, but they're within the speed limit.

(01:06:43):
I mean, is that an insane or? They're using now they're using
their their rear view camera, rear camera to back into a
parking spot now when we didn't have to do that 30 years.
Ago. You know, or you're using your
GPS map that's in your car that you've logged an address into.

(01:07:04):
And we didn't do that 30 years ago.
We had to read a map. Yeah, yeah, I got to this house
the old fashioned way. I didn't use the GPSI took out
the map and got here the old fashioned way.
No. And again, if you want to use
maps, that's cool. If you don't want to use forward
facing somewhere, that's totallycool.
That's always how fishing's been.

(01:07:26):
Let's move on. Let's do I have a giant zip
bothering me, Jake, I'm playing injured.
I have really big zit like I'm 51.
Hey. Come up here.
Nasty. Hey, that would go viral on
social media. Yeah, that's that's the thing.
Yeah, that'd be pimple Popper shows.
No thank you, but it could be onthere.

(01:07:47):
Trust me, I'm happy that he squeezed and.
Popped and hit the camera lens. That would be.
Come on, Jake. That would absolutely go viral.
Oh God, nobody's watching anymore.
Oh my. God I would make so much fun
here. It was good to see your family
at the at the event. Yeah, they love seeing you.
What? A great what a they are always

(01:08:08):
so happy the first day I saw them.
Around while hungry, yeah. I don't live with you, but every
time I see them, they're happy. Oh, they always are.
Yeah, 'cause I'll beat them if they're not go around and parade
like show ponies. No, no, they're, they're great

(01:08:29):
kids. It was awesome having them
there. Exhausting though, like after
Saturday. I mean, I went out to that party
with Travis Pastrana, which was dude, I never wanted to stay
somewhere longer in my life. I mean, I don't know, I was
like, oh, these idiots out here partying and then I got there
and I'm like, they're not all idiots.
It was just an Incredibles 3 people invited me.

(01:08:52):
So I jump in the water and rather than walrus my ass up
back into the boat, which there's thousands of boats
around me, it wouldn't have looked pretty.
So I'm like, I'm smart. I'm like, I'm just going to go
on the back of one of these big boats because they all have
ladders. So I'm walking towards one set
of big boats, but I have to walkpast this black boat and the guy

(01:09:13):
looks down at me. He's like, you OK, you need a
beer? And I'm like, no, I'm good.
Then I go to the, there's two boats that are rafted together
right here because it's just getting started.
When we showed up there and I'm approaching the other guy and
the guy's like, what do you need?
And I said, can I use your ladder?
And he's like, sure. And as I'm on my way up the
ladder, he goes, do you want a beer?
And I'm like, no, I'm good. And while I'm getting on the

(01:09:37):
guy's deck, the guy rafted to him is like, is he OK?
Does he need a beer? I mean, it was just a very
welcoming environment is what I'm saying.
So then we went and played top Golf that night, so.
With with Travis. No, no, no.
With my kids, with my kids I wouldn't have got.
Travis asked. But my kids made me feel like I
should be a good dad and go, andI'm glad we did.

(01:09:59):
It was fun. Well, I hate to go there, but
that whole, you know, we, we didn't go there on Saturday, the
day that the raft was, you know,the organized raft was supposed
to be the public. The publicized raft was I I
guess bigger than normal days, but we did go buy it on Sunday

(01:10:20):
coming back downstream. And I was like, you know what?
This this is like tailgating at a an SEC football game,
particularly in Knoxville on theTennessee River, where all the
Vol Navy they. Go that far though.
But like the dude that was several miles of boats.
It just not that big, but there are hundreds and hundreds of

(01:10:42):
boats that show up. Yeah, it's, I mean, God, I want
to do that entire. Day.
That entire wall all the way down to the the other ramp under
the bridge, all the way to Thompson Bowling Arena and
Knoxville is full of boats. It's pretty cool.
Oh, I want to do that. Yeah.
So it was incredible. But yeah, I know it was great
having my family there. Let's get to some fish and stuff

(01:11:05):
because people are frustrated ofall our I mean, we're half we're
half hour into this podcast and we haven't talked already.
Logged out. They're talking about Trey
again. But day one, a guy that
everybody loves to talk about. Another guy that uses forward
facing sonar but does it in a cute way.
He's always laughing and people love him.

(01:11:28):
Takumi Ito. That picture was when talk the
Taku phenomenon really started. That was on Saint Clair in
20/20/2020 and I think he came in 3rd or 4th and that was when
when he caught the eel unagi. In Japanese, eel is unagi and

(01:11:52):
the thing you know, the lamprey eel came off the fish and fell
in the sea and he was going, oh,what is, what is what is?
And then when I said it's unagi,he goes, oh, can you eat?
That's what to me, that was the that was the the beginning of
the Taku phenomenon. And the guy is his just evolved

(01:12:17):
so well. And I always enjoy getting in
his boat because I know we're going to go have a good time.
And I know if it's in small mouth country, he's going to
catch him. Yeah.
Yeah, he's a great angler and a great marketer, a great human
being, a great dad. It was good seeing his family
there. They're going to be in lacrosse

(01:12:37):
as well. So no, it's Takumi.
Takumi is a gift to our sport, man.
He is for everything he deals with that's negative.
He's not from where we do wins. He is not English is his second
language. You know, like you imagine

(01:12:59):
trying. I don't care who you take.
Take whatever pro you want. Take Kevin Van Damme and put him
in Japan. It's not going to be as smooth
as Takumi and I mean Kevin Van Damme.
Japan would be badass. I imagine though, because he's
Kevin Van Damme. But I'm just saying like you
take a young I mean Kevin Van Damme is international language.
I mean, you don't need to speak anything to KVD.

(01:13:21):
I know what you're saying. Yeah, but you know what I'm
saying. So.
Yeah. No.
Takumi's great. What did you what?
Give us some Nuggets. You've been getting light on the
Nuggets. Been giving us a lot of fluff
the last few episodes. I'm holding you to the point.
Give us some goods. So he's definitely using new
baits, lots of prototypes, boxesfull of them.

(01:13:45):
And for me to describe what he was using, all I can tell you
is, you know, some of them look like centipedes, some of them
look like bugs. Like he's just got this, this,
this Taco belt full of tools that he uses.
And he's constantly experimenting with different

(01:14:08):
types of bait. What do you Does he actually
have a belt? It's under the hood.
It's under the hood. Yeah, Yeah.
Would have been awesome if he just had like, a little box.
It's like a Japanese Fanny pack.Goes all the way around.
You can see him wearing it. Actually, I could too.
It's a good. Watch you guys, he's going to

(01:14:31):
have them next year at eye test.I think I buy Rich.
He used to wear that life preserver that went around his
waist. Do you remember that?
I think that, yeah. But anyway, he, you know, he's
constantly experimenting, even when even in the tournament, you
know, because at the end of the day, a tournament like that,
they got to figure out A what, what, what triggers a fish B

(01:14:56):
what the cadence should be and Cthat should probably be
reversed. B, once they find the fish that
they're going to target, they got to figure out what bait
they're going to throw at it. And I just think, you know, now
they have, they're like, they'reall like they leave a little

(01:15:17):
slack on their baits And they, instead of, you know, putting
the hook back on the, the hook holder and wrapping the line and
putting it back down on the deckin, in line, they're all like
they fan their, their, their rods out on the front of the
boat. So that if, if it's, if it's

(01:15:40):
rough or WAVY, the baits and lines aren't getting twisted up.
And it's just an efficient part of the, the evolvement that
they've discovered and how to beas efficient and timely as
possible so that if one bait doesn't work, they can reach
down and grab another one. And I don't know, so I don't

(01:16:00):
know much about. Who is they, Jake?
Front facing sonar. Users OK, OK, sorry, just.
Wanted to make sure you weren't.Grouping anybody?
Them OK. Those foot.
You know, yeah, Fluffs, the fluffs their cable.

(01:16:25):
Their cable is their umbilical cord.
God, you're just giving too muchmaterial to people right now.
But. They fan out the rods.
They fan out their rods so that they can be more efficient, so
they can keep baits in the waterlonger.
And that's the name of the game.Now, you know, they're, they're
finding a fish. Takumi's really good at it.

(01:16:47):
He, he, he draws up a fish or reveals a fish that he knows is
3 to 5 lbs and he goes after that fish.
And that's the thing that they're all doing now is, is, is
chasing these fish down. I mean, sometimes if you were to
hit a waypoint on the moment, Taku or Trey or Easton or any of

(01:17:09):
them, any of them locate BrandonPolonik, locate a fish that they
want to target. They might actually follow that
fish for a half a mile and cast at it, you know, 10 or 12 or 15
or 100 times before they finallytrick the fish into eating their
bait. It's, it's, it's, you know,

(01:17:31):
it's, it's a process and every fish is different.
And, and it's, it's so interesting.
It's such a different perspective, particularly with
someone like Taku. They all do it differently.
Taku is different than Killya. Killya's Killya and Easton so
far are the two people that I find to have the closest

(01:17:56):
similarities and parallels and how they fish.
Yeah. Gosh, that's a compliment and a
half to both of them. Like literally a double sided
comp. Like if you said to Kya you just
got it compared to Easton he'd probably be like and vice versa
like that. That's a compliment and a half
to both. They do it the same way.

(01:18:16):
Not everything, but for the mostpart, they they fish.
I told Easton that actually, after the tournament was over,
in a text message that he reminds me.
He asked me and here's how. Here's how Clued in Easton is.
He knew he was smart enough to just ask me because I've been in

(01:18:38):
the boat. I'm not.
I'm not a pro angler at all. I'm just a camera guy.
That's all I am. But he knew that I've been in
the boat with some of the best in the world for many, many
years. And he asked me, you know, what
am I doing wrong? What am I doing right?
He asked me these questions. And I thought AI was honored

(01:18:59):
that he would ask me that. But BI was also intrigued by the
fact that he was. He was, you know, inquisitive
enough to ask those kinds of questions because he's probably,
it's probably difficult to go upto another angler and go, hey,
man, what are you doing? You know, how do you do this?
Maybe they maybe they share information to the little groups

(01:19:22):
of anglers that room together, whatever, they share
information. But to go up to someone that you
don't know that's older or younger or whatever it might be
that intimidates you in asking those questions, it's easier.
Like it's easier for me to ask the UPS driver where the big
deer are than it is to go aroundasking all the farmers if this

(01:19:43):
is, if that makes sense, right? I guess.
I mean, it's a stretch, no? But here's what I will tell you
about Easton. He's a freaking sponge from
everything I've seen. Like he is actively learning at
every moment. Like you watch how he watches
live footage when you have him on set.
He is just. He absorbs he.

(01:20:06):
Absorbs and he is always like, Ithink that also like you hear
him communicating with a lot of the younger anglers.
And I think that's also a trait that's coming from college.
I mean, dude, when you go fish the opens, nobody helps you.
Maybe you get a buddy or two that'll kind of sometimes tell
you the truth, but they're goingto lie to you a lot.

(01:20:29):
But in college fishing, the sharing is that's where it all
started. And that's why so many younger
anglers are not. I mean, there's older anglers
that share, but there's so many younger anglers that are sharing
and maybe doing it more effectively because guess what?
It was a learned trait over fouryears in college.

(01:20:49):
Listen to what Trey said on yourpodcast.
He he, he wasn't hiding anything.
He was, you know, he was literally I, I was engaged in
that podcast when I listened to it because he was teaching.
He was literally teaching you what he's doing and the fact
that even if he tells you what he's doing, it makes you, you

(01:21:14):
know, a bit more of a microscopic analyst to that
technique, if you're into that sort of thing.
But that doesn't mean you can goout there and do it just because
he told you that and he knows that.
I mean, there's nothing to hide because there's something in
there's something intuitive. I, I again.
The young anglers are very good at hiding crap like.

(01:21:39):
I think, I think they're hiding it for for reasons that they
might exist somewhat, but at theend of the day, the old, the old
adage goes back to I don't even know who coined it, but I
remember maybe you know, hearingit on the end fishermen.
You can give a guy the same boat, the same rod, the same

(01:22:02):
bait, the waypoints, whatever, the same exact location after
you caught, you know, 10 bass ona spot or 50 crappie or whatever
it is you're fishing for. And that person can go out to
that same exact spot and might not get a bite.
And I, and I still believe that to be true.
So the, and these guys, they're,they're hiding their baits.

(01:22:25):
I, you know, I mean, there's, there's part of this that all
understands why that's old school.
I mean you know, shoot, I remember being a kid, my dad
hiding his baits when we come back to the boat ramp cause nosy
people are walking around. Yeah, but it's also not impro
fishing. You show like they show that.
I mean, that's a sale. Like Pollock showed a bait on

(01:22:47):
Sunday, and I forget who would have, might have been Zona.
Yeah, it was Zona. I think it was on live.
And he's like, whoa, did we justsee?
5 inch. Anglers, anglers show a bait
because that used to be the normand that definitely isn't the
norm anymore, right? But it's good times with Takumi.

(01:23:07):
So we kind of got into Easton a little bit.
You got anything more on him? Easton, he's very cerebral and
one of the, you know, one of thereally interesting things, and
this is a transcendence of an angler that continues to leave
his mark in the pro bass fishingworld.

(01:23:28):
Almost all of these younger guysthat I talked to, I always ask
him, who is your who is your biggest influence?
And almost all of them say AaronMartins.
And and I asked Easton, I go, what is it like?
What is it about Aaron Martins that like, did he just open the
door for all of you guys to come, you know, to come learn

(01:23:49):
from him? And he and he goes, oh, I never
met him. I just think the way he fished
and the way he thought was intriguing.
So that was the person that I followed.
And you know, we all know that to be true, but I just thought,
you know, with his relationship with some of the younger guys,
like especially Tucker Smith, knowing that that background, I
thought he was just made himselfavailable to all these young

(01:24:12):
guys. But he is literally continuing.
He continues to to influence young minds deep into deep into,
you know, his, his in into the future of Bass and and Aaron
Martin's past. I think it's really interesting.

(01:24:36):
Well, I, I think it makes sense in a lot of ways.
I mean #1 he was one of the mostincredible.
I mean, Ken Duke, I think, called him the natural when he
first showed up, which is a great nickname, because he was
as natural. The way he thought, the way he
saw things was different than anybody.
I think sadly, because Aaron passed, he's become kind of a

(01:24:56):
mythical character, you know, like, and that will continue on
for years and years. But I think it's also timing,
dude. Like if you look at the age of
Easton, when Easton was watchingthe Elite series on the way up,
it's when Aaron was winning his Angler of the Year titles, you
know, when he was a little kid. I mean, even Kevin at that
point, his mega dominance had petered off a little bit.

(01:25:20):
I mean, he was still making classics, but Aaron was winning
Angler of the Year in those years.
So I think it makes sense. And he's just, he's Aaron.
I mean, he's going to always. He's a special dude.
That's what I see in in Easton. I see, I see.
I'm going to say this and, you know, kick me to the curb or

(01:25:42):
throw me under the bus if you like.
What? You're going to say.
I, I see, I see Aaron Martin's mentality in the way he thinks
in Easton and I see Kevin Van Dam's efficiency in the boat in
Easton. And so he's, he, you know, he's,

(01:26:03):
he's learned from those people. That's who he followed and
that's who he conditioned himself to become.
And, and he's not as flamboyant.He's he's still very quiet and
reserved and, and private. But you know, aside from all
that, his fishing technique and his patience and the fact that

(01:26:26):
he absorbs every second, he knows again, you know, we've
said this before, probably basedon what happened to him just a
few years ago, he absorbs, he absorbs.
I, I don't know that I've ever been around a young man or a
young angler at this point in, in 15 years of being around

(01:26:47):
Bassmaster, that I've been around a kid that absorbs so
much of everything. And he takes it all in, even the
sun rises and the sunsets and you know, the experiences aside
from catching fish or being successful or making a top 10 or
bombing a tournament, he just absorbs the experiences.

(01:27:09):
And I think that's that's huge in in the big picture.
Yeah, he's a special dude, but you don't need to put the Kevin
and I get where you're coming from, the Kevin and Aaron, ain't
nobody needs that smoke, Jake. I wouldn't put that on any young
angler, but I see 100% where you're coming from.

(01:27:30):
He's, he's very good. Yeah, he's very, very good.
He's got a bright future. And I.
Feel, I feel comfortable. I always feel comfortable around
Easton Fothergill. And, you know, you can tell, you
can tell like I'm, I'm much older than he is.

(01:27:50):
Obviously I'm old enough to be his dad and an old dad at that.
And so some of the things that Isay that he laughs at or things
that he says, you know, reminds me that he's still a kid at
heart and he's still, his entirefuture is in front of him and

(01:28:11):
he's already accomplished so much.
Yet, you know, when he's quiet and he's doing his thing, you
realize you're around a, a, a young man that thinks beyond and
outside the box and he thinks beyond just traditional thoughts
about fishing. He takes it to a completely
different level. And that's, you know, to me,

(01:28:32):
that's the, that's the Aaron Martins in him.
So anyway, I, I have nothing butgreat things to say about
Easton. I enjoy being in his boat.
He's a tremendous angler. He literally just ran out of big
fish and and he covered as much ground as he could.
You know, he kicked his trollingmotor into into a 10 spot and

(01:28:53):
zigzagged across that flat as many times as anyone else did.
He just, I think sometimes, you know, your intuition tells you
to go left because of certain variables.
And the big school of bigger small mouth went right.
And you can't ever explain why. It just happens that way.
And you can't win every tournament.

(01:29:15):
If you did, it wouldn't be what it is today.
So, you know, Easton's very tuned in to what he's doing.
He's very, very good at it. And he's got a we all know he's
got a a humongous future in front of him.
Yeah, yeah. Great kid, great kid.
So then the next day you're withPolnick who just snuck into the

(01:29:38):
cut but did exactly what you need to do in his position, and
that's whittle away a few points.
I think he earned five points that day.
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(01:30:00):
And now, back to the show. And one of the things that we
haven't talked about in this podcast, this segment based on
the youthfulness and all the newtechnology is experience.
And I think what happened with Brandon Polonic, his experience,
his experience got him back intothe top 10 after he kind of

(01:30:24):
dropped out. I think on Day, day after day
two, he dropped out of the top ten.
He jumped back into it on day four.
And when Easton got bumped out of the top 10, you could see I
always keep, I watch weigh in, you know, and keep up with the

(01:30:45):
leaderboard just like everybody else does.
And I could see that Brandon hadmoved his way back up and all
the rest of the top ten, like the the top 9 maintained their
their top ten status from from day three to day 4.
So there was only one camera guythat was going to get a new

(01:31:06):
angler and that was me switchingfrom Easton, having been with
him on day 2 and day three. I was going to get back in the
boat with Brandon Polonik on dayfour.
And we try to figure it out. It's been, it's been at least
four years since I've, I've ridden with Polonik and he and I
have a long history going back to his sophomore season at, at,

(01:31:31):
at Bass. When I used to, I used to get in
his boat a lot and we had developed a relationship, a
friendship. I love his family, Tiffany and
the girls, you know, they're just, they're some of my
favorite people on, on planet earth because of his, his
demeanor, his, his professionalism, all those

(01:31:53):
things, just a great human being.
And so getting to the assignmentto cover him, even though he was
in 10th place on Day 4 was a special situation for me because
I got to get back in the boat with him.
And I knew, I mean, every time Iget in the boat with him,
something happens and he makes it.

(01:32:14):
It's not luck. It's he, he makes it happen,
which he did on Sunday and he told me.
So he, so he fished out there onthe flat in Anchor Bay just like
everyone else did. And when we got out there to his
first waypoint, he said to me, my goal is to catch, you know,

(01:32:35):
1918, nineteen 20 lbs here. And if we still have enough
time, once I've got to that point, we're going to make a big
run up the river and I've got something special that I want to
show you and your camera becauseit's going to be something
totally different than everything else in this entire
tournament. So I'm sitting there waiting on

(01:32:57):
him. He's like got 17 1/2 lbs and he
keeps catching, you know, three 3 1/2 pounders and he's not
upgrading. I'm, I'm looking at my watch
going, man, I really want to go see this spot that he's talking
about. And finally at about 11:50 AM,
ten minutes to noon, he's like, we're going to make a 35 or 40

(01:33:19):
mile run up the river. And I went what I thought it was
too late already 'cause he only had, we got to be back by, by
three. So we take off basically we took
off at noon. And, and I mean, it was, it was,
you know, a ride because all those boats were coming down the
river, the yachts, the pontoons,the speed boats, the cigar

(01:33:40):
boats. I mean, it was like literally
running 35 miles up a washing machine waterway and he was
jumping waves. He's destroying his electronics
on the front of his boat. And we finally get to this spot,
Dave and I'm like, holy crap, this place look like we went

(01:34:03):
from we went from fishing a great lake flat to it looked
like a spot where you would go snook fishing in one of the
canals in the keys. It was so badass.
The water was super clear. You could see 20 feet down to
the bottom. There was a a water, a little a

(01:34:25):
little dam that was releasing A tremendous amount of water.
So the current was coming out ofthis outflow, fighting the
current coming down the river, which was fighting the wind that
was coming from a different direction.
And when he got to it, he got about, I would say 100 yards,
maybe a little further downstream from his main target

(01:34:48):
location. He starts casting a mag draft,
A5 inch mag draft on a bait caster at small mouth.
So you know his target. Like he knows there's some
giants in there. And for him to be doing that
after all the finesse fishing that we had been watching for 3

(01:35:09):
1/2 days was phenomenal. So the first cast, he throws it
in there. I'm still getting my camera
ready and I'm just hoping I've got a signal because we're so
far off the beaten path in Canada and I look down and
there's like 4 of them, four huge small mouth following his
bait out. He's like screaming going Oh my

(01:35:29):
God did you see that? He makes like 3 more casts with
it and hooks up and catches. I think it was a four, like a 4
1/2 or 4 and a quarter. So he actually upgraded called
one of his fish and he's fishingalong the shoreline and the the
waves are just crashing into theshore, but you can still see
everything so clear. It was like Rooster fishing in

(01:35:54):
in Cabo. And so he finally gets up to the
current, the confluence of whereall the current was literally
just smashing together. And he goes, he he goes around
and gets to where he can spot lock his boat and feel
comfortable and safe and all these things.

(01:36:15):
Here's where the experience comes comes into play with
Polonik. He's thinking about things like,
if I do hook up, I got a cast across the current because that
fish is on that little point. There's a Little Rock shelf
right there. That's my target.
I know he's in there, she's in there, so he's positions his
boat thinking about all things. If I do hook up and I get a good

(01:36:37):
hook set, I got to deal with hiscurrent.
So I got to, I got to turn my boat around.
Once I hook up, get away from these pylons and there's two
boats behind him watching. He tells them to move out of the
way because he's going to have to swing back around.
So he bomb casts across the current into the spot that he

(01:36:58):
knew that fish was, was where that fish was located.
And let me back up. He caught a 6 1/2 pounder in
there during practice. That's the only fish he caught
in there. But he saw those other ones
because they revealed themselves.
So he left it alone and he had enough.
He had the, the, the patience, knowing that he wasn't going to

(01:37:21):
go back to that spot unless he made it there on Sunday.
And so he goes any bomb casts across the current, boom, he
hooks heads and he's on his toes.
And I mean, he leans back on that one and he's got this fish
and he's trying to beat it. You know, he's trying to keep up
with his fish who's swimming through the current, circles his
boat around the fish. I mean, it looked like he had a

(01:37:43):
10 LB largemouth on, Goes under the boat, comes up on the other
side, jumps on the other side ofthe boat while Brandon's on this
side. And I, I spin the camera around,
I catch the fish going down. He's got a huge, he looks like
he's got a squid in his mouth. He's got a white pearly white 5
inch mag draft on the side of his mouth.

(01:38:06):
He comes back under the boat andyou know, Brandon, all the thing
all the way he played the whole thing out was just experience,
knowing how to deal with that current, how to deal with a fish
of that magnitude, what to say on camera because he's got my
camera, which was live. He's got his camera crew, which

(01:38:26):
is filming for his show. He just knows what to say.
And it's, you know, 15 years of professional bass fishing at
this level that got him there. And that one fish made him quite
a bit of money because he jumpedfrom 10th to 5th place in the
final standing. So, yeah, thank you, Brandon.

(01:38:47):
What a great experience. That was epic.
The whole day revolved around that one move upstream.
And it was a tremendous one of the biggest highlights of my
filming career at Bassmaster. Yeah, and definitely going to be
one of the highlights of the year and definitely going to
probably sell about 1.7 million different mag drafts.

(01:39:12):
So that's a pro angler doing their freaking job.
Huge, huge fall neck is it's cool when you see that because
you look at somebody like Eastonand they've got so much going
for them. But clearly still has to invest
a little time into like the putting on a show part of the
job, which is hard to freaking do in his situation or in any

(01:39:35):
young guys situations. Because the toughest thing when
you show up in anything new is getting confidence.
Well, it's hard to get confidence when the Internet is
what the Internet is. So yeah, stop being jackasses.
People build up. The next generation did no
different than I tell the next generation to show respect to

(01:39:56):
the veterans, the people that have built it.
But Polnik has got all the pieces together.
I mean he is the perfect pros pro right now so.
I would say pretty good freakingtournament and and I know I give
you a hard time since, you know,you've stopped bringing the
juice. I think you brought the juice
this time around, Jake. Yes, yes.

(01:40:19):
Well, Taku, you know Taku, I'll pay.
You double for this episode. Everybody's got, Everybody's got
the the I call them Octopus Bates.
Everybody's got those in their boat now.
So the Japanese guys are moving on.
You know, they're letting those baits dangle on the boat.
We can zoom in on them. They could care less about those

(01:40:39):
anymore. And they're just moving on to
new baits. And I am firmly Huey Aoki, the
guy that won Kentucky Lake Open.He, he, we follow each other on
social media and I, I, I keep upwith him because I think he's a,
he's a good dude And I think he's going to, he's going to be
in the elites for sure one day. And he puts out videos.

(01:41:03):
He's one of the few Japanese guys that actually reveals the
baits and the cadence and the action that these baits provide
underwater with an underwater camera.
And if you go look at his page, you'll see he's using baits that
look like little humans. They look like little Gumby
Gumby dammits. And he and his cadence, it's so

(01:41:26):
weird 'cause they go and you just look at these baits
underwater and you go, no wonderthe freaking fish bite those
things. They just look like this weird
little creature that needs to beeaten.
You know, it's, it's just, it's,they're so enticing.
And I think that the, what's in front of us, the types of baits

(01:41:47):
they're going to, you know, get manufactured and, and put to
market, It's, it's an endless, endless movement in, in the
transcendence of soft plastic finesse baits.
And they're coupling them. The anglers are coupling them
with power finesse rigs. And I'll tell you this, Easton

(01:42:10):
Fothergill is the fastest, fastest spinner bait retriever
I've ever seen in my life. And I told him I go.
He needs one of those old fly rods that you used to pull that
had the the wind up that you could pull the hand and go.
You remember those? You mean spinning rod?
I'm saying spinner bait. He needs the spinner spinning

(01:42:32):
reel. Oh, OK.
Yeah, that's a thought, yeah. He needs like I don't under I
don't know the gear ratio and and spinning reels at all.
I like. I've never paid.
I've never even paid attention to that, but dude, that guy's
like and it's in and I'm like, dude, you need like lose needs
to make a reel for him. That is like, you know, an 811

(01:42:58):
spinning reel because because hedoesn't waste any time when when
he wants to get that bait in theboat, he's a freaking machine
with that thing. Well, Revo makes a rocket really
fast retrieve. A lot of guys use that important
face in sonar. There you go.

(01:43:19):
There you go. It's a badass reel.
It's red. And if you couple that with
Phoenix boats? Yeah, BKK hooks Yamaha
outboards, checking all the boxes.
AFCO Apparel. Well I'm comfortable that's I'm
comfortable with my AFCO. That's what I was saying.
Now watch I forgot someone and I'm screwed.

(01:43:41):
OK, real quick, last question. We got the most epic angler of
the year race going down tomorrow.
It starts when this podcast comes out.
You have Trey McKinney and the reigning and defending angler of
the year Chris Johnson in a two way tie Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

(01:44:04):
What are you thinking? I'm not saying you have to pick
somebody, but thoughts? Just better than I'm not picking
bro. No, no.
I can't do that. I think that this is going to go
down like the Brandon Lester, Brandon Polonik deal did, the
AOI deal did on the Mississippi River the last time we were

(01:44:27):
there. Remember that.
Yeah. They were very close and it's an
it's exciting to watch. You know, half the people are
going to be rooting for Chris Johnson and half the people are
going to be rooting for Trey McKinney and.
Some people will be rooting for neither.
Yeah, that's true too. Some people will be rooting for

(01:44:48):
next year to start. No, he's going to be.
I mean it's. He's in 3rd and 4th right now.
Oh, well, you got Curia, but I mean, they got 690 points and
Curia's got 650. Oh yeah. 40 points.
So they got to drop. Neither of them got to finish in

(01:45:09):
the Top 40, which I mean could happen.
Could you imagine the unthinkable?
I mean the but I I the top 2. From last year, the top 2 from
this year. Yeah, yeah, it's all the same
people. Trey McKinney was in the mix.
Chris Johnson obviously won it. Jay was right there.

(01:45:30):
Jay Shakur was right there. Patrick Walters was right there.
Yeah, that's your top five all over again.
But it's going to be the most epic angler of the year battle
ever. And Chris Johnson could become
the 4th person ever to win him back-to-back.
Obviously the first Canadian to do that.

(01:45:52):
So if I just mentioned that people get angry because I live
in Canada and I mentioned he's from camp, but I also mentioned
that Carl's from Australia and he's the first Australian, but
it's not near as offensive. And then Trey McKinney obviously
would be the youngest ever to doit.
Either way, it's going to be like if Trey can take out Chris

(01:46:14):
on that river where he finished second the last time, that is
huge. But I could see a world where
they both make the top 10. I I totally agree.
It's like you imagine on Sunday.Oh gosh.
And not to mention all the people that are fighting for
classic bursts and just to stay in the tournament.

(01:46:35):
The last all you viewers who whoaren't familiar with this the
the intensity of the last event of the season, y'all need to
watch it to the end because everybody is fishing for
something. People are fishing for points,
people are fishing for their careers.
People are fishing for to win the tournament.

(01:46:57):
They're fishing for checks, they're fishing for AO YS.
It's it is literally in my opinion, the last tournament of
the year is always the most intense because people are
fishing so hard. And I've often said the last two
tournaments of the year, you seepeople, they're they have been
on the the bubble or the struggle bus throughout the

(01:47:18):
entire year. And all of a sudden with two
events to go, they're fishing their asses off and they show up
in the top 10. Paul Mueller, look what he did
at Saint Clair. And it's like, it's like, how do
you, how do you lift yourself upand, and focus more at the end

(01:47:39):
of the year than you have the entire year and, and, and do
that for yourself. I don't, I don't understand how
you know how they, I mean, in baseball or football, when
you're relying on, you know, your skills against a ball and a
pitcher is one thing. But when you're dealing with
Mother Nature, I just think it'sphenomenal that they can lift

(01:48:03):
themselves up like that and, and, and just show up out of
nowhere. Yeah, that's incredible.
And for some of them, it's the freedom of, you know, like the
most epic one probably ever. Was Chris Crowe making a top ten
his final Elite Series event? But in his situation, I think it
was like almost a freedom where he's like, yeah, I'm not.
I don't have stress on me all ofa sudden because I know I'm not

(01:48:23):
re qualifying. I'm just going to go fishing.
And then it, you know, that stress, it's tough what they
deal with this is the most exhilarating weigh insurance,
but the most the toughest ones, like we're going to, there's
going to be some veterans that step away because they're not re
qualifying. It's going to be tough to see,
but. It always is.
Yeah, it's it's always tough, but they.

(01:48:48):
It's part, it's the part of the game.
I mean, it's what they sign up for.
And they all know that that possibility, you know, is a
cloud over their heads. If they if they, you know that
if they start the year off badlyand they continue to fall, they
know no matter how long you've been doing it, that is a

(01:49:10):
possibility. And that's part of your contract
when you sign up for, you know, this level of bass fishing, you
got to keep, you got it. You got to be consistent, man.
Yeah, and it's easy to say what people say in the Internet or
whatever, but these are guys we celebrate people when they are
achieving their dreams. These are guys who are saying

(01:49:31):
goodbye to their dream. And it's tough.
And I always, I say to all the staff and everybody, I'm like,
hey, man, imagine how you'd worktoday if you knew every shot has
to be in focus or you're literally going to lose your
career. It's not easy what they go
through. And I only say that to say that
I have a lot of respect for themall.

(01:49:53):
And every single person that's come through the Elite series is
an integral part of it. And you'll all be missed.
And I thank you for for your time.
Well, this is an emotional roller coaster, Jake.
I mean, we went off on a tangentto start.
We're leaving it down, but it's been another incredible Jake's

(01:50:14):
take. I thank you for your time as
always. You're welcome.
At least I didn't end the show being an idiot like I started
the show. Oh God you were so dumb at the
beginning. I loved it.
I loved it. I wish we could replay it.
I. Take full responsibility for
myself and I was an idiot. That's OK.
I'm going to make a comeback. I'm flying out tomorrow morning

(01:50:35):
for the Leech Lake Open and thenI'm filming.
All you make it super confusing,you're making it super
confusing. Yeah.
Yeah, guess what? Day one got cancelled.
It did, yeah. Breaking news.
I forget. I'm sorry.
Oh so. Yeah, so he had fun at Leech
Lake, and now he actually leavestomorrow or he leaves today for.

(01:50:59):
Thanks for watching. I'll leave, bye.
So I did end being an idiot. Great bookend.
Great stuff from Jake Latondres and all of our guests.
I thank you all Jake. I got a right or wrong though

(01:51:20):
because it just dawned on me that all of our features have
intros except for the longest running feature which is Jake's
take. So we will right that wrong.
I will get to work on an intro for you.
Sorry. But thank you all for always
bringing it a big week here thisweek.
Remember everybody got pressure on him to re qualify to win

(01:51:43):
angler of the year, win to win rookie of the year, to qualify
for the classic. And it doesn't matter where you
are in points because if you winthis week in lacrosse,
Wisconsin, it is winning. You're in.
There is a Bassmaster Classic berth on the line.
So even if you think your seasonis over, you can change it all
with a victory here this week. I don't know who's going to win
Angler of the Year. I know you guys probably have

(01:52:05):
your thoughts. Let me know in the comments.
Who do you think is going to pull it off?
Who will be our Angler of the Year in 2025?
I hope to see a bunch of you in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.
Make sure to tune in to Mercer in the morning one hour before
Elite series take off time. You can see an Instagram,
YouTube, all those things. It's kind of just I walk around

(01:52:26):
when everyone's half awake and Italk to them and sometimes it's
fun, sometimes it's not, but sometimes that makes it even
more fun. If you're in Lacrosse,
Wisconsin, make sure you say hello to me.
Love to meet you fine humpers, and have a great week.
Enjoy being and until next time,Bob Cobb, take it away.

(01:52:48):
Thanks for watching. Please like, comment and
subscribe because Bob Cobb of the Bass Masters told you to you
here.

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