FLW TOUR

Since I was introduced to tournament fishing back in the late 90's I dreamed of fishing at the highest level either with Bassmasters or FLW.  At that point it seemed like no more than a dream and way too lofty of a goal for someone who didn't even catch a keeper their first year of tournament fishing to accomplish.  After several years of basically dedicating my life to becoming a better tournament fisherman, I started to feel like my goal of fishing with the big boys may not be that far fetched after all. I'm not saying I believe I could go out and dominate at the highest level because if I really believed that I'd already be out there. About the time I started fishing full time in 2009 it was obvious the Elite Series was probably not my best option. Between having to qualify through the Opens and the fact they were having 11 events at the time with a $5500 entry fee per event, I knew that was more than I'd ever be able to afford.  At that same time, FLW was starting to look more appealing.  It was a lot less expensive to play the game with FLW, they were starting to put a lot better venues on their schedule each year and most importantly a guy with enough money could usually get in.  After a couple of winters trying to find a title sponsor to help fund a tour campaign with no luck, I was beginning to think I may never get a shot at the highest level of competitive bass fishing.  At that time I really wanted to be a full time touring pro but after fishing some Rayovac events and watching my guide business become more and more successful, I realized I was probably better suited staying on Kentucky lake and trying to win as much Triton Gold money as a I can in a year and focus on guiding. I hadn't given up on fishing the tour but I was content with just doing it for a year and then coming back home where I have a steady income and spend a lot less in the process. When FLW released the 2014 tour schedule back in August, I was foaming at the mouth.  Almost every lake on the schedule I had some experience on and the ones I didn't know really suited my style of fishing.  Not to mention I had a free place to stay at all but one event which cut's cost dramatically.  I immediately started putting a proposal together and talking to local businesses about sponsorship. My goal was to come up with enough cash to cover entry fees and most of the expenses without having to dig too deep into my own pockets because the last thing I wanted to do was gamble away a successful career in fishing that I'd established here on KY Lake.  The first two businesses I talked to both jumped at the chance to help me out and by the end of August I already had 1/3 of the money I needed to make this thing happen. After such a fast start raising money I figured it would be no problem to come up with the rest before the deadline in January. Little did I know when January rolled around not only had a not come up with additional funds, one of the initial sponsors had backed out.  By that time the BFL and Weekend Series schedules had come out and were KY Lake heavy.  I'd also already booked a bunch of guide trips which helped ease the pain of not making the tour....again!  On January 20 FLW released the 2014 tour field, a list that included a lot of friends of mine which did sting a little bit.  On January 25 I was visiting with a loyal client and great friend and he asked me what my plans were for 2014.  He knew I'd been trying to fish the tour and he thought I'd come up with the money.  When I told him I hadn't gotten in, out of the goodness of his heart, he offered to foot the bill for me to fish the tour.  When I asked him what I could do in return he said that being the one that allowed me to fulfill a dream was all he needed.  I was speechless.  I couldn't believe that someone could make me an offer like that and not ask anything in return.  I headed straight home and started packing for Lake Okeechobee and rearranging my schedule for the season.  I called the FLW tour director the next day and he gave me some very disappointing news.  He informed me that the field was set and I wouldn't be able to get in unless several people dropped out the following week.  It was hard to stomach at the time but everything happens for a reason and as soon as I hung up with Bill Taylor calls started pouring in booking guide trips for 2014 which helped ease the pain of being so close to reaching a goal I set so long ago.  It's still going to hurt a little watching my buddies fishing the big leagues this year, especially when they roll into KY Lake, but knowing that there are people in this world like my friend that are willing to put up that kind of money for no other reason than to try and help someone fulfill a dream means a lot more to me than any fishing tournament I could ever compete in. I'd like to give a special thanks to a great friend and an even better person, you know who you are.