Story by Todd Goade
I write this as we are halfway through the 2024 season on the National Professional Fishing League. We’re about to head to Saginaw Bay for our fourth stop of the season, and I’m currently sitting in eighth place in the Progressive Angler of the Year standings.
It’s been another good season for me. I’ve made a lot of good decisions, a couple of bad ones, and I’ve lost a couple of fish that I know will hurt when I look back at the end of the year.
Reflecting on 2023, I still can’t believe what a magical season it was. The decisions made — both in practice and during competition, on and off the water — are things I think of often as I prepare for the events this year.
Everything has to go your way in every situation to win AOY. The competition is just that good. For me to compete at this level, preparation is key. I make a pre-trip checklist of everything I need to take to an event at least two weeks prior to leaving the house. I compare it to a NASCAR crew chief checklist kept taped to the door of the race car.
A lot of detail has to go into your preparation before an event. That preparation can reduce stress during practice and competition because you’ve addressed most situations that might arise before you ever leave home. That helps me keep my mind clear of clutter so I can simply go out there and “do my job.”
Last year, I earned 1,470 out of a possible 1,500 points in the AOY race. It’s something I may never do again, but who knows? I think of some key fish throughout that season that were difference makers, like a 4 pounder I lost on the first day at Pickwick … but it clued me in to what I should be doing and enabled me to go out the next day and catch 18 pounds, so I was able to finish that event in 10th place.
I think about the 7 pounder on a swim jig at Wright Patman on Day 1, another 7 pounder at Santee Cooper on the final day, a 5-pound smallmouth on my second cast at Saginaw Bay, the 1 pound cull with eight minutes to go the final day at Eufaula, and a 5 pound spot at Lanier the final morning that sealed AOY for me. These memories will live with me forever.
Another great memory is the outpouring of support I received from my buddies on tour, my other fishing friends, my amazing wife and family, my sponsors and the media. I’ll never forget that, and I’ll never forget the bear hug Patrick Walters gave me as he said, “You did it, dude!” right before we had our picture taken standing in front of his boat with my AOY trophy and his for winning the season finale at Lake Lanier.
It’s memories like that I’ll cherish for my lifetime.
