We used to just bounce around and do
“whatever” on tournament days, but
we often found ourselves struggling
and not being competitive. For the last
two years, we’ve made a game plan the
night before and have mostly stuck to it
depending on water levels and conditions. We choose five or six spots to hit
in order, with time limits, and do our
best to follow the plan.
All anglers “win some and
lose some.” What are your
top four tips to win more?
Always go for the win. Some guys play
it safe and do well, but our plan is to
win even if we get disqualified due to
an oversized fish.
Take the time to know the waters you
fish. Study maps, tide, and wind direction.
Spend time fishing with your
tournament partner and
know each other’s responsibilities. The
toughest tournaments
have been the ones
where we didn't game
plan enough.
Use the right equipment,
from Polarized sunglasses to
the proper livewell, and everything
in between.
Name one thing you see
most teams doing wrong.
Stop catching fish the day before the
tournament!!! That’s the most important rule of being successful on tournament day.
You & Kris obviously spend a
lot of time together, do y’all
ever butt heads over strategy?
We butt heads all the time, but it's usually after a tournament when we
bombed. It’s easy to look back and realize you made mistakes, but 90% of
the time we go where I’ve done my
homework. The other 10% of the time,
Kris has found something pre-fishing,
and we know the spot is hot. Our most
infamous “headbutting” came at
Cypremort Point to end last year's
Louisiana Saltwater Series (LASS) season. We scouted Dulac and Dularge for
two days prior, but ended up going to
an area we never fished and didn't really know how to find, all because I
wanted to go against everything we’ve
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learned, and play it safe with our “Team
of the Year” championship hanging
within reach. We bombed, and we were
pissed. I knew I made a mistake, but it
was too late to make the long run to
our fish, so we sat there and fumed. To
make matters worse, LSU was embarrassing my Auburn Tigers with Leonard
Fournette running all over us. My day
couldn't get any better until we saw
Josh and Mitchell pull up with a big fat
ZERO! Then all was forgotten. We
hugged, made up, and celebrated our
Team of the Year Victory!
Do y’all listen to music while
tournament fishing?
The only music we hear is when Ben
and Adam are rocking out at blastoff.
When we fish, we focus and make as little noise as possible.
Name three other
teams that always
keeps you on
your toes.
Barnie and Steve
White,
Chris Kennedy and
Steven Hooter
There used to be several others, but they are taking a break from the
tournament scene right now, and we
wish they would come back.
Favorite area to tournament
fish: Delacroix Least favorite:
Cypremort Point
Hypothetically, you can
ONLY have three baits for an
entire season! What three
and what color?
Matrix Shad in Shrimp Creole
Vortex Shad in Purple Haze
Matrix Shad in Lemonhead
What leader and knots do
you use most?
No leader, just straight 40 pound PowerPro braid with a palomar knot.
Name three things you attribute to your & Kris’ success:
We fish together whenever we can. We
fish trout, redfish, snapper, deep jigging, deep dropping, sight fishing, etc.
We spend time together on and off the
water so we trust each other.
How did you meet Kris & Benny?
Benny called me a