What Truck, Boat and Outboard does Richard run?

Tracker Pro Team 170, Mercuy 50hp, 2012 RAM 1500 Outdoorsman

My Sponsors

Inseine Fishing

American Tackle Co.

What Richard does for a living:

GIS Analyst

What you should know about Richard:

How Richard started fishing

My father started me at the age of four.  I fished my first tournament at age 16 (with ABA) but realized I wasn't ready for the competition.  I started fishing tournaments again in 2007 and have been obsessed ever since.

Aspirations or goals with fishing

Being a successful touring pro would be a dream come true but that's a risky undertaking.  I would love to run a successful bass fishing blog and work with companies on product reviews and development.  

Favorite way to fish

Either flipping a big jig or throwing a frog.  I love going after green fish with heavy rods and stout line.  Fishing this way usually leads to bigger bites.

Most exciting fishing experience

How Richard preps for a tournament

Aside from the typical tackle/gear prep, I spend a lot of time on Google Earth looking for areas on a body of water I think look good.  I don't always get to practice beforehand so this is always a good place to start.  When I do practice, I spend most of that time just looking and eliminating water.  You can't be everywhere or do everything in a single day on a given body of water so reducing the area I plan to focus on come tournament day is key.  

Three favorite search baits

I'd have to go with a swimjig, bladed jig, or heavy flipping jig. 

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

2014 was particularly awesome for me.  I won our division championship on Wanetta/Lamoka Lakes having never fished it before, aside from a single practice day before the event.  I figured out a new way to fish docks that weekend (which I'll refrain from indulging too much) that helped best the nearest competitor by over 15 pounds.  I also went on to win AOY for our division and finish 6th in the ABA National Championship on Old Hickory Lake.

I also have to mention the 2018 early bird (fished late October 2017) on Lake Ontario.  I had an incredible day bringing in my personal best limit of smallmouth to the scales weighing over 26 pounds.  I spent the day dragging a green pumpkin tube and a 4" swimbait in 13 to19 feet of water. 

Most challenging part of tournament fishing

The most challenging aspect of tournament fishing for me is knowing that no matter how good you are mechanically at the actual act of fishing, you can always get beat by anyone who happens to be at the right place at the right time.  

When tournaments don't go my way

I used to overanalyze all my decisions after the fact and try and figure out where I went wrong. Was I using the wrong bait?  Was I fishing too shallow?  Too deep?  Should I have made the decision to move quicker? Did the winner just simply have a better day?  I think it's good to do that to an extent (for learning purposes) but I try really hard not to dwell.  I know full well that you can't win them all and bad days are bound to happen.  It's best to just grab a beer, relax, and wait for the next one.   

Advice to give to an aspiring tournament angler:

He/she must have a strong mind before ever competing.  That was basically the reason I quit for six years before starting up again.  Blanking in a tournament is never fun, but blanking in a tournament on a lake you know well, during your first ever tournament, when you're young and aspiring, can be detrimental. Now that I'm older, more mature, and possess more mental fortitude, I can handle bad events much better and turn negatives into positives.  

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

Start simple.  You don't want to complicate things right out of the gate.  Rod, reel, line, and bait options can get overwhelming very quickly so it's best to only pick a couple things to start off with.  As you gain skill and confidence in certain baits/techniques, you can start to expand your selection.  Remember, you can only use one rod/reel/bait at a time and there just aren't enough hours in the day to fish everything in your tacklebox.  This is equally important: don't underestimate the importance of mechanics.  Learning how to cast far and accurately with both baitcasting and spinning tackle will allow you to cover more water efficiently and lead to way more bites.