There’s nothing better than being a dad, but there were some pretty good fishing moments this year. I managed top 5 in five events along with winning Big Bass three times. I look forward to what 2026 has in the water for me, and I am blessed beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. Extremely thankful for the community and the time BLat puts in it for us.

State Championship recap. This tournament was a two day event on Telico Lake and Ft Loudon. Fishing the main lake was a challenge. You could find bass chasing shad just about everywhere. The quality of fish was nothing to talk about as 5 fish limits ranged from 60-75”. Since the quality was not there and the fish weren’t willing to bite as well as I had hoped. I went river fishing. I don’t usually get to fish for smallmouth, but it felt right. First morning, I went to a saddle near the dam and within 15 minutes I caught this beauty. That was about all I can report. The dam wasn’t pulling any water and the current was weak. I did not adjust to scoping, which is what my teammates did to catch solid limits. However, I tried a lot of things and I can’t wait to try this again sometime. Taking what I learned this year and I’m going to make 2026 even better. I finished top 10 in AOY, made the state team, 4 top 5 finishes with multiple big bass awards. Thanks for all of the support and encouragement, I’ve seen a lot of growth from where I was a year ago.👊🏼