What Truck, Boat and Outboard does Jacob run?

2018 Chevy Silverado

2021 Xpress X19 Pro

My Sponsors

Witchdoctor Tackle

Titan Tungsten

What Jacob does for a living:

Deputy Director of Contracts

What you should know about Jacob:

How Jacob started fishing

My dad and my uncles.

Aspirations or goals with fishing

Fish for a living either through tournaments, content creation or guiding.

Favorite way to fish

Topwater

Most exciting fishing experience

How Jacob preps for a tournament

Prefish, dissect the body of water into most likely fish holding areas based on history, season, environmental factors, etc. 

Three favorite search baits

6th Sense Curve 55

Stike King one knocker

Zman Jackhammer

Best tournament finish and what you did that day when you were fishing.

7th place in the ABA Florida Central Open stop 2 in 2021. This event was during the spawn in Florida and most anglers were shallow. The canals were packed and beat to death, I chose to target prespawn fish staging outside the canals. I had 18 lbs by 8:30 and ended the day with 19.3 fishing an Alabama rig and crankbait. I missed a fish on a speed worm early, my non-boater caught a 3.6 in the same spot 2 hours later and that fish spit up my speed worm in the net! I also had a tank stone my 6th sense Curve 55 crankbait and roll it out of her mouth at the surface. I missed first by 4 lbs , no doubt I had the fish on the line to win that day but that's fishing!

Most challenging part of tournament fishing

Keeping your confidence

When tournaments don't go my way

Take a breath, look at all of your available information (weather, water temp, water color, what has not worked so far). I had an event mid spring  in Central Florida. Made a hour run (one way) to fish less pressured water with a frog and the bite was not there. Hit four more spots (deep ledges, fish attracters, shallow weed lines) and by 11am I had one bite for a 3.5 pounder in offshore grass. I revaluated my conditions and made a move to a different body water with about an hour left to fish. Put three in the boat in the last 30 mins good enough for a 5th place fish and solid points. Listen to the lake, listen to the fish. We tend to get hung on what "should" work and not what is actually working. 

Advice to give to an aspiring tournament angler:

Fish as a Co-angler for as long as you can stand it. It is the quickest way to learn what to do and what not to do in a tournment situation. Once you're confident in your abilities make the jump to boater and trust in your skills.

Some shared general bass fishing techniques for people just getting into the sport