Story by Luke Clausen
This year marks my 24th year of fishing professionally at the highest tour levels, but it’s going to be a lot different than previous seasons. I started my professional career with B.A.S.S., then fished B.A.S.S. and FLW until 2006, then I fished FLW exclusively for a while until moving back to B.A.S.S. In 2019, there was a big split, and a lot of anglers—me included—went to Major League Fishing to fish a new format for better payouts.
After six years of competing on the MLF Bass Pro Tour, I did some self-reflection and realized that competing was not as much fun as it used to be even though my desire to fish was as strong as ever. This past October I decided to not sign up for the Bass Pro Tour. Instead, I’ll be fishing the NPFL and some WON Bass events in the West.
My lack of excitement for the Bass Pro Tour was driven by a few factors. My lack of success was certainly one of them though I’m still unsure if it was the format, my level of enjoyment, or just poor decision making on the water.
Another factor was the lack of fan engagement on the Bass Pro Tour. That’s a part of fishing I have always enjoyed. Seeing and hearing others’ excitement for the sport I love is a rewarding experience for me.
Finally, the format of fishing a portion of the day with forward-facing sonar was frustrating for me. That short two-and-a-half-hour period often determined the outcome despite being a minority of the competition day.
Then there’s the fact that FFS is not my strength as a tournament angler.
Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy fishing with FFS and it’s a game-changing tool, but I felt like I was fishing two different events in the same day and, in hindsight, I wish I would have kept it simpler and fished the way I know how. FFS in an every-fish-counts format is very different than a 5-fish limit format, and it can often feel like there’s an insurmountable hill to climb after just one period.
This year, I feel a renewed sense of enthusiasm to fish a traditional 5-fish format and return to my roots and fish more western events on fisheries where I have fond memories and where I learned so much when I was young.
In my opinion, the NPFL is the only league with positive momentum in growth and a positive environment amongst fans and anglers.
I’m looking forward to having fun, getting back to the basics of bass fishing, and reigniting the fire to compete that I’ve enjoyed for so much of my career!
Luke Clausen
