Bassmaster Open: Day Two Smith Lake! (Day in the Life of a Bassmaster Pro) 2021 

Yes sir!

I use some 7’11” for punching and 10XD’s

He caught them on an off shore rock pile

I was skipping a 3/8 on 14lb

Less than 15’

I can look at this. From the point of view. Of looking at a participant. Who if they moved up to the ranks. With the other bass master elite anglers. Next year. To what extent. Is 'Andrew Upshaw' the angler (say if one was looking at some critical position on a baseball team). To what extent. Is that player. Competent in all areas. That are needed. In order to make it look easy. To the spectator. Even when this guy 'Andrew'. Is fishing alongside. The very best. And in some of the most difficult competitve situations. In all of professional fishing. And that is why. I look at these bass master open circuits. And I keep telling myself. That is exactly the right place. Where anglers like Andrew. Need to be at the moment. In order to cover. All of those 'advanced' stage lessons. And final tutorials. That they need to have. Underneath their belt. When they do move up.

And when I look at Andrew Upshaw the angler. The competitor in the sport. I see someone. Who is able to analyze events. And see the sport. In a way. That is very close. If not identical. To an sports person. Who is ready to go to the big leagues. What I mean by that. Is you throw another bass anglers. With maybe 'twice' the amount of talent. Or potential as Andrew Upshaw. Into one of these bass master open circuits now. Who might have. A small fraction of the experience. Yes. That angler could potentially be. One of the best ever. Is that hypothetical younger angler ready? To move up in weight? Heck no.

How many times. Has one seen it in boxing. Where the young sports person. Who has come out of their Olympic amateur career. They've just taken an amateur title. Or done something. That has impressed all of the experts. The people who are behind that boxer. Push the youngster. Into some really 'head on' smash. For the sake of a purse. With a bruising champion. What happens? Before that boxer. Has even had the chance. To develop and learn. Everything they need. For that journey. They are thrown into it. And the rest is history. Andrew Upshaw is very lucky in that respect. In that the competition environment. Has been such. It has enabled Andrew to get to a stage. Where at least. He's still in with a fighting shot. And more importantly. He's a dude. Who 'knows' what is going on. Around him. As opposed to being. Kind of. Getting carried along. In the chaos. And there is no doubt about. These tournament are chaotic, fast moving, intense experiences. One is able. To only go back and figure them out. Upon reflection.

What I am saying. In a nutshell. Is that all of the things. That have happened. In the northern bass master open tournaments. All of the things. That happened. On Norman. On Smith lake. And in general. Are sort of like those 'body blows'. That those boxers. Take to the chest. This happens. That happens. One thing is outside. Of one's control. And another thing too. You really see. You do see. What can happen. And you'd have to experience it. To believe it. Those are the kinds of lessons. Where if one did. Get that 'clean' clear ride through the qualifiers. And one did end up. Somewhere in 'big time' top level of the sport. You'd fold in half. Unless all of those things. Had happened in some way before. And they had happened too. At the right time. In the sports person's career. Where they had the necessary maturity levels. To look at them. And to understand them.

This is not a sport. Like football. This is not one of those things. Where one can become drafted. Out of high school. Drafted out of college. Receive contracts. To play in the professionals. And further contracts. Which enable one. To earn a lot of 'real money'. Before one is twenty five. Fishing is not that. I said it someone. A while back. Someone who had had one of those major type careers. On the media and public exposure. Side to fishing. Who had had that roller coaster ride. From late teens. To late twenties. And was asking themselves that question. Is it all over? Is it all gone? All I said to them. Was to relax. You really don't start fishing properly. Believe it or not. Until you're at least forty. To which I received. A kind of slap in the mouth. For my efforts. But it was still true. Real anglers. Really don't start to put it together. Until that long.