Putting together a tournament winning day in extremely unfavorable conditions both from the weather and haters all in a single day wasn’t an easy task but we got the job done, and that is all that matters.

Welcome back to the blog! It’s been a while since we sat down and wrote about our fishing adventures here in Northeast, TN.

It’s been a wild ride to say the least.

From switching kayak setups around, to dealing with some utter nonsense, starting an insurance business, etc.

Yet, here we are, back in the saddle and doing what we love to do the most outside of telling people about Jesus Christ and the deliverance He offers them from whatever is plaguing them in life. He really is enough in every circumstance or situation.

So how did we do it? How did we manage to put together a winning day even against all odds?

I’m gonna share it all with you minus a few details, (like baits used, location, etc.) but the rest of it, I’ll give you all the juicy details.

So put your seatbelts on and let’s get ready to tackle this post with some enthusiasm and grace.

If you are ready, let’s dive right into it.

 

Winning A Tournament Begins Weeks Before You Ever Get On The Water

That’s right. Winning a kayak bass fishing tournament begins weeks, days and hours before you ever get on the water, before you ever make that first cast when it’s time for lines in.

Winning begins in the mind. If you can’t visualize or see yourself ever doing it, you won’t.

Now, having the right mindset doesn’t mean you are going to come away the Champion after every single event.

What it does mean however, is that you are going to go into every single event with a clear mind and focused on your goals and what you want to accomplish.

Having the right mindset is critical on so many levels.

In order to help you understand what I mean, let me take you back to the beginning of this season.

Our first event this season with the Northeast TN Kayak Anglers I managed to lose about $800 in rod/reels, and although I caught more than a limit of fish I was only able to get one on the board. I had one of the most challenging days on the water that I’ve ever experienced.

In our second event on Douglas Lake I managed to finish in 4th place. Leaving that tournament behind we pressed onto the next event which happened to be on Douglas again, this time a joint even with the Tri-Cities Kayak Anglers club.

In that event, I don’t know exactly where I placed, but I only managed to find one fish that day to score as a keeper.

Following that, we traveled to Watts Bar Lake in another joint event with TNKATT and WBKF. The weather that day was brutal with 25 + mph winds and on top of that the day got off to a rocky start with the spot we were told about only having about a foot of water at the launch making it impossible to get out more than 200 yards and getting stuck in the middle of the lake in mud. I ended that tournament with a zero day pushing me out of the top 5 and into the the top 10 in points ranking for AOY.

Next up we fished on the South Fork Holston River launching at the Beech Creek ramp in Rogersville, TN where I managed a 6th place finish with 61.25″ with just 4 fish. One more above 15″ and that would have turned out to be a win!

Throughout this season one thing I’ve done is shut out the noise of negativity. I don’t have time for it and I refuse to participate in it.

I know for a fact that I’ve got people who despise me that I am competing against, but regardless, they can’t get to me and break me because I’m unbreakable.

I’ve been preparing for weeks upon weeks as I’ve dedicated myself to growing in this sport and believe that the best is on it’s way.

Winning happens weeks before an event ever takes place through planning, preparing, praying and engaging in the right activities to set yourself up for a solid day. And let me say, you can have a solid day without catching a single fish. Let those times give you reason to reflect on what you possibly could have done differently, then go execute that the next time you get on the water.

Guard your mind and don’t allow the distractions to get inside your head and tear you apart.

How I Won The TCKA Cherokee Lake Warmup Tournament On Saturday April 09th 2022 In Less Than Favorable Conditions. 

Our morning started off with me catching a 15.50″ Largemouth Bass in an area that was surrounded by 190 boats. Myself and Adam Chapman who I fish with often had to deal with boats cutting us off and just making it an absolute nightmare to fish in the spot we had settled on. On top of that shortly after I submitted my first catch to tourney x leaderboard I started getting messages from all kinds of ppl because of the Timestamp App that I use as an identifier instead of writing it on my hand with a sharpie or using a piece of paper and attaching to my ketch x board.

One thing became quite clear to me that morning. I have haters, and those haters are mad because I’ve taken an early lead.  I took the liberty to address it in a facebook live that I hosted after we had made a risky move.

Not only did I have to deal with that stupidity early on, the weather was extremely less than favorable. We had high winds, temps in the mid-upper 30’s snow, ice, etc.

I could have done one of two things. I could have let it affect me and knock me off my focus, or I could put my head down and fight to the finish.

For the most part I led the field the entire day with a few lead changes happening at different times. Regardless, I stayed focused. I fought, and ultimately with God’s help I conquered.

During the tournament I stuck to two rod/reel combos with similar baits. Others were throwing various things and some that I talked to even threw what I was but perhaps they just were not holding their mouths right, lol. Who knows?

What I do know is I fished my style, my game, and it paid off.

Last season, which was my first ever, I did not do that. I paid too much attention to what others were doing to the point that I lost myself in the process. So I took a little break, got back in the game and won my first event on the South Fork Holston River with NETKA last year. I coasted into the top 10 somehow in TCKA and made the state team although I was unable to attend.

If you were to ask me how I won this event, I’d tell you one simple thing. Guard Your Mind.

Pay no attention to your distractors, Put your head down and focus on what you are there to do. Catch Fish!

I hope you enjoyed today’s article and that you will share it out with as many people as you possibly can.

Stay safe, Stay Strong, and Remember always, you are a champion, Be One!

JD