The Win

     Winning. It’s what we all strive for whether it be as small as success in a new area or winning your first tournament. All of it boils down to dedication, effort, and a little bit of luck on your side.

      Luck, the intersection of preparation and opportunity. Without either you cannot expect to be a winner, you’re not going to trip into a pot of gold. Your effort and time plays into your outcome. Take the extra time, over prepare, and be persistent, it pays off.

      This summer was special for myself, this was my first opportunity to fish in a local tarpon tournament in my own skiff. I spent a copious amount of hours watching, finding, studying these fish throughout different tide cycles, currents and times of day all spring and summer. I really felt good about where to be and when lines in hit.

      The night before I spoke with my anglers before the captain’s meeting about our plan.  We toughed out the rain that night, loaded up on bait, kept them cool and fresh all night, and knocked that off the list for tournament day. When others were looking for bait we were planning on putting a tarpon in the air. We hit the bed early knowing how fast 4:30 am would come.

      The alarm goes off and jump out of bed like a kid on Christmas. Suited up, checked my baits, and splashed the boat. Lines in was a 6:30 and we were making great time, no need to rush whatsoever. Where we were going I had these fish consistently showing up for the past week. It just felt right. We show up 6:15 drop trolling motor and immediately rollers in all direction, I couldn’t wait to drop a bait.

     6:30. Lines in. Not ten minutes we are tight, 5 minutes in never saw the fish, and it was gone. Bummer. Re bait after 3 other bites at 7:24 am. We are tight this feels different, next thing, a silver fish is in the air. Myself at the helm, Jordan on the rod, and Michael videoing, it was like a symphony. We worked perfect harmony, and 11 minutes later we had an official release. Holy shit, that felt great. We never put another one to hand but neither did anyone else. We won the tournament, on time. I believe our preparation lead to our success, we showed up prepared to win.

      This was one of the most rewarding days on the water of my life. Even though it was a small local tournament, I felt like we won the Gold Cup. Some weren’t thrilled the new guys won, but hey, everyone hates a winner. Especially, when luck is on your side. Stay humble, work hard.

-Johnny