Wes Logan is a two-time Classic Qualifier and now a two-time Elite Series Champion. Hot off his incredible 1 oz victory at Lake Tenkiller “the little ball of hate” joins the podcast for his first interview since winning one of the most compelling events this season. But that’s not all! We are then joined by former bachelor, Bassmaster Classic qualifier and 3-time Bassmaster winner, Byron Velvick, with this month’s Byron Bunker segment.
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He is a two time Bassmaster Classic qualifier. He’s a two time Bassmaster Elite Series champion. He’s the most recent elite series champion. Joining us for his first interview since winning on ten killer The Little ball of Hate Wes Logan. But that’s not all. We are also joined with another edition of Byron’s Bunker. Byron Velvick, former classic qualifier, former bass master winner. Former Bachelor joins the show. Both of them join me this week on. Almost nothing. I know nothing worse than the man. I’m Bob Cobb for the Bassmaster. Welcome to Mercer. Welcome one. Welcome, all friends, family, freeloaders, fishing freaks. And of course, you my jumpers. Happy hump day to all of you. And welcome to the awkwardly honest fishing podcast that goes by my last name, which is Mercer. This is the 217th edition of the Mercer Podcast, and I hope wherever you’re watching or listening from the life is treating you well. I just got back a little while ago from Oklahoma. Ten killer, the seventh stop of the Bassmaster Elite Series. A phenomenal week, but a challenging week weather wise. I didn’t think it was ever possible. You guys know I hate snow. Just because I live in Canada doesn’t mean that I like snow. I hate snow, but Oklahoma’s weather actually made me kind of like snow. That’s how aggressive it was. I mean, it was either ridiculous, hot, or there was a ridiculous storm coming. I mean, it felt like there was tornado warnings every single day. So a special shout out to all of our anglers to, all of the Bassmaster live camera folks that stood out there and battled it out. Kudos to all of you. And thank you, because I think what we ended up with was a very, very cool event. People caught in a lot of different ways. There was, I mean, the only thing that remained consistent about the tournament right up until the very end is Andrew Lubbock, California rookie. Great dude led that wire to wire until the very end. Wes Logan won it by an ounce. But Andrew Luck, somebody you keep your eyes on. I think a lot of people got to see him for the first time. And, trust me, that will not be the last time you see him. An incredible talent. He’s a member of the surge squad who have already won two athletes already this year in their rookie season. I mean, that is an incredible house. Paul Marques, Emil Wagner, Tucker Smith and Andrew Lo Burke, I mean, all of them making a big impact on the Bassmaster Elite Series. So I want to thank everybody who came out and said, hello, we have great crowds. So many cool things. I mean, the angler of the year race tightened way up. I think we the top three J secure Chris Johnson. And Trey McKinney all within 12 points of each other with two events left to go. So that’s what you want. It is going to be a fun angler of the year race as it all comes down to the wire. Trey McKinney is made his fifth top ten of 2025. I mean, I haven’t checked the numbers, but I believe nobody’s made more top tens in the last two years than Trey McKinney. And he’s 20 years old. So unbelievable. Lots of unbelievable things happening. Here’s one of the most unbelievable things that really, I mean, I, I didn’t even know what to say. This is a special Olympic medal. And, my buddy Jade, Hank Cherry’s buddy, many of you know him from the Hank Cherry classic win. Jade was in the crowd and Hank went hugged him and all sorts of stuff. But Jade’s become special to a bunch of us on the elite series. Let’s fix that through the magic of focus. There you go. Lickety split. Barbara. Trick J’s become special to a bunch of us, and, proven how special he is. He took the time out of his day to be at the event. He comes to a lot of events, but brought five of these. I was lucky enough to get one from him. Hank Cherry, of course. Got one. Gussy. Randy Howell, Matt Robertson. We all got this awesome gift. And Jade, I cannot thank you enough for it. That is what makes Bassmaster what it is. The amazing fans and the amazing people that. Truly remind you that you got the coolest job on earth. So, Jada, we’ll find a spot to hang this on the set behind us, and we will, we’ll have that display. It always means the world to me. As I said, an incredible event. We got a great show. Wes Logan. The little ball of hate. I mean, such a driven, focused angler. I call him the little ball of hate. Just not because he’s hateful, but because when you watch him weigh in, he is, like, intently staring at that scale, wanting the number to be the right number. He hates to lose. He’s got incredible passion, and I thank him for making sure that this was the first podcast that he did after he took the W, his second W. So we have a great conversation. It goes a lot of directions. He opens up about a lot. So whether you love to fish, tournaments, you’re just a fun angler or you’ve never fished before. Trust me. Listen to this podcast. You’re going to learn some stuff from it. So we kick things off with a little ball. I hate Wes Logan, but after that, we’re not done. Don’t go anywhere. Our second Byron’s bunker. For those of you who don’t know, Byron Velvick, former Bassmaster winner, former classic qualifier, former Bachelor joins the show once a month and tells us his story and then brings us around Byron’s bunker. So it’s going to be a fun show. I thank you all for your support. Make sure to like, comment, subscribe. Do all those things to help keep the grow going. Oh, another thing. Average Ontario Anglers did their podcast. It’s a fun one. I’ll try to put a link down below, so make sure you check that out. I don’t know when it comes out, but I did the outdoor burrito with Vandy and Brandon Paul next, so that’s coming out probably later this week or next week. So lots of stuff coming out. But before that all comes out this is out. And I appreciate you checking this out. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it with a little ball. I hate Wes Logan, you are a two time Bassmaster Elite Series champion. It’s got a good ring to it. I like it, I like it, I don’t I don’t know that I would have ever thought I’d hear you say that, but here we are. I don’t think it’s shot. I mean, I think that just means you’re not a jackass. Like there’s other people who be like, go back to LA. Yeah, look, people will definitely, definitely argue that, I don’t know, I hope that, that people would think that I’m not, or that they would think that I am very humble. I might be a jackass, but I’m I’m I try to be as humble as I can be. Yeah. Do you look at announce differently all of a sudden? Do I look at one ounce differently all of a sudden, like I do that I still think I’m going to wake up like I it still has not set in yet. I’m being honest with you because, like, I didn’t think I won. Like I thought I’ve made a good run at it, made some good TV, like made it good to watch, but like, it, it just didn’t feel real. Like, I don’t know, like now when I was out there fishing, like as the tournament was going on, like every day I would catch 1 or 2 like that probably normally doesn’t happen. Like just catch one when I needed to, like, you know, you’re in that mindset like, man, I need a four pounder. And 20 minutes later I flip on a tray and catch a four pounder. It really got real. I’ve, and obviously I’ve won the elite. And I’ve won a bunch of or I’ve won three baffles just, you know, some bigger stuff. And like, you get that feeling like. Yeah, like you’re fishing it like you, I try not to like I call it that big one in that my five pan, our boat flipped it, put it in a boat, and I stand up and I just get back to fishing and everything calms down real quick. And I’m like, fishing. And I’m coming around his pocket and in my head I’m going, dude, you got like, it’s 945 and you’ve got 14.5 pounds. Like I kept telling myself, I can get to 17, I’d have a chance. And I’m like, I started getting like this weird feeling in my stomach. I’m like, man, I might we and blah blah blah blah. And I’m like, I was fighting myself all day. I do don’t get in that. Like lackadaisical mindset because the job is not even close to being over. Like, you still got this big mountain to get up, you’ve got a good start and everything is rolling. But stay focused like you know, do the task at hand because the the one time you, you let your focus slip like it’s going to be gone. So yeah, that’s kind of like how that deal kind of played out. Like I had that feeling like everything was going right, but I still had to do my job. I couldn’t let my emotions and my mind’s set, like, take over what I needed to do, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah, but when we were covering it on live, as soon as you got that five, I said that that exact fish just changed the whole complexion of this tournament because. And I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to go back and look yet or even absorb it, but like, you had the lead bass track lead, you know, the unofficial lead at that time. But I’m like, he’s got 10 pounds that that’s a fake lead. We’re in a tournament where literally one dude did not catch a limit every day. And it and it was and he was one short of it. So you have to assume Andrew’s going to get a limit. And but when you caught that five I’m like that that fish whether he wins that or not all of a sudden this entire tournament has changed. Did it feel like that to you? Like were you like. It it so I knew I told everybody or the few people I talked to and not tournament guys. I told my dad and one of my good buddies in Raleigh, I said, and that’s what it like if I can get to 17, because that will make him have to catch 12 or not, because I knew ten was easy. I’m not going to say easy night, none of it easy. But ten was attainable. If you got some bites like how ones two and a quarter like that’s what you were going to catch if you got bit. I knew that 12 was a whole different bench, more like you had to get a good bite. You had to put it in a boat or you had to catch five, two and a half, which was not, not quite as easy. I mean, 12, 12 pounds made the cut or 12.25. I think. Yeah. So it obviously wasn’t as easy for half the field. I just knew it would give me a chance, like it would make him have to catch him one more day, which he had taught him three days like. And dude, he called him great. Like I, he had two of the biggest banks of the tournament, obviously. And like, I knew he was going to catch them, but I just there was a weird feeling in me the whole that whole last day. But when I call it that big one, I told her, but I was like, I need to catch two. Like, if I catch two big two over four and one of them is closer to five, like it’s a legit chance because I was getting in the afternoon, I was getting a couple 3 pound bites every day. And I caught that one and I was like, man, it’s not even close to lunchtime yet. I just went down my best stretch the first time and caught a five pounder. Like, I’ve got a lot of time left. But it like I said, it gave me that feeling, but like, it’d be cool if there was some audio when I called it because, like, boat flip it and I’m like, fired up for I don’t like literally. You could ask like, everybody with me maybe 10s like I scream real loud, like I didn’t do it. I literally thought it was a three and a half pounder. When I boat flipped it, I’m like, I can, I can’t, like, I saw it come out of the mat, like with his mouth closed when it like, it just popped out, like out of all that junk. And it hits the water and like, it’s down there deep and on it and realize, like, how deep it was when I went to swing it. It’s like three foot down in the water, like it comes up and as it comes over the gun, I still think it’s like at the most a four and it hits the the deck of the boat, and when it lands in the bottom, it just lays there for a second. And I was like, oh God, that’s like a real big one. They like, fired me up for like just a second. And then I was like, straight back to business, like, calm down. Like the, you know, it’s not over yet, but, but I, I looked at or I looked at everybody out there. I was like, I just made up the difference right there. Like just that quick, like one bite and you know, it’s, you know, I’ve heard it my whole life on bass master, when, when somebody is behind and they catch a big one, they’re like, we just made up the difference, blah, blah, blah. But it was kind of cool to experience that. But it just in my mind, it just meant like, it got real. Like, now it’s time to really get to work. Like, yeah, it was cool to be fishing in third. Like, now it’s it’s it’s got it. Like there’s a legit chance to to make it happen. I mean, you didn’t get a chance to talk in the morning just because of the weather. I mean, it was it did not feel like. Yeah. It just it didn’t feel like you feel like we were going out there to, like Fisher, like ten boat team or like a, like a local tournament or. I don’t know, everybody was just kind of hanging out and chilling out under the pavilion. I’m like, it’s, it’s 620. We got to go like, oh, it just it was a weird deal, but no. Yeah, I know what you’re saying. Yeah, it was a strange morning. I mean, we didn’t have morning take off interviews and everything. It was just like it did kind of feel like a club tournament with people hanging out, asking off, like, hey, we did it. Yeah, but you said on stage and you’ve kind of referenced it a few times, even just in these last few minutes. You said you woke up feeling different that day. How so a calmness and I don’t like I’m probably the furthest thing from being calm most of the time. Like I’m normally like a, I don’t even want to say like, like I’m just always like, like wound up, like I want it to happen, like, real fast. I want to catch him quick. I want to do this. I want to do that. I want to be here. I want to be there. But I don’t know. I just like like I said, on stage, I didn’t even think about fishing the night before, like, I obviously I rig, rig my rods, before, during weigh in, because we had to go out there for the top ten, so, you know, I literally I just had three rods to three rig. I got that done, and I just kind of hung out, like, I didn’t think about where I was going to go, what I was going to do. I was like, I’ll just think about it. When I wake up. And I woke up and it was like, I’m going to go here, I’m going to go here, I’m going to fish. I’m going to leave from there. I’m going to go up there, and that’s what I’m gonna do. That’s whatever it’s going to be. That’s where it’s going to happen. May they’re going to lose it or something is going to happen. But there was just never any doubt in my mind. And I don’t know if if that’s how the the really good dudes feel all the time. Because normally I doubt myself like every other decision. I just, I woke up and I wasn’t nervous, like like, I don’t really I’m not going say I don’t get nervous. Like, if you don’t get nervous, you don’t care or get emotional, like stuff like that. Obviously I just there was no the, I mean, that’s the best way to put it. There was no like, worry, like I knew what I was going to go do. I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, and I was just gonna let it be what it was going to be. Have you ever had that feeling before? No, no. Never. Never. Not in a not I mean, probably at some point in my life doing something but but not not enough. Not in a tournament, not even close. And I truthfully man, I everybody like I think the, the, the consensus would be, well you probably didn’t think you had a chance to win because you were five and a half down and it really wasn’t that like I think I thought I could win was why I felt that way. Like, I don’t know, I just had a, calmness. Confidence like the the way I’m fishing, the where I’m fishing, like, I know what lives there and I know, I felt like. And this is not a knock to any guys, to any anglers that the way I was fishing, the what I was doing, like I couldn’t be beat. Like I knew what I was looking for. I knew how to present the bait. I knew how they were setting up. And it I don’t know, I just felt like I had a little bit something figured out better than everybody else. Because I was fishing around a lot of people like really good anglers. And I could just for some reason, I could just go kind of behind them and and I’d catch it. Maybe it was just meant to be. Maybe I’m really not that good. And I got really lucky. But in that type of fishing and everybody’s got their deal, like, it just is what it is. But I just when I was able to fish that way in that type of environment, I just felt like I was in my, I mean, basically just in my group. So how did the morning came the feeling you had the morning of your last elite series win versus this morning? Totally different. Oh man. It was like it was. There’s not even a comparison. I was so nervous. The amount of pressure I felt like that morning was like, I think I literally like threw up the morning when I left, before I left the camper, just because, like it was, it’s like you’re leading your own, your home. Like where you know every piece of grass, every, you know, tree on that, like every rock that gets a bass on it, like you are expected to win. And if you, I feel like I was going to let a lot of people down if I, if I blew that. And I think the next thing is, I don’t remember if I said I can’t remember if I ever talked about it. I have like I had led a couple like bigger tournaments and, and bomb like I just didn’t I couldn’t finish it. I, I mean, I had the first wood cup in 2018, blew that like caught one by the last day. And I mean, I just basically spun out like looking back on it, a couple like, you know, Toyota that were coaster series at the time, some open like I let an open at lacrosse that I ended up losing and I think that was like weighing on my mind really bad. Like, I was just like, I can’t screw this up again. Especially here, when I know, like, everything to do in the right place at the right time. Stuff like that. But yeah, it was a completely different feeling. I don’t know, like the only way to describe it, it was a calmness and, and maybe it was just the good Lord, like, just me trust in him and knowing what I was going to. And that’s that’s the one thing I do want to say. Like, I haven’t really talked about it to anybody, not even really like all day. I kept telling myself, if it’s meant to be, it’s going to happen. Like you can’t make it happen and you’re not going to keep it from happening. Like whatever you try and do to screw it up, it’s it’s going to replace like you’re going to be able to make up for it. And I guess that’s where the calmness came from. Like if I was supposed to win, something was going to happen for me to win. Just keep, you know, keep listening to your gut, keep making good decisions, pay attention to everything going on around you. And when you get this feeling, go act on it. I don’t know. That’s, I feel like I’ve been fighting that a lot this year. Like fighting that when I get a feeling like. Because it wasn’t comfortable. Does that make sense? Like like stop. Like. So perfect example is the Marina started in all three days. Was down the like like it was like one of the bigger marinas on the lake. And I had it all to myself all three days. There was nobody really in there messing with me. I got the fish real slow, but I knew like the like and I had caught 12 pounds on there the second day. But that day three, I got in there and everything was perfect, like the weather was good and they just, it just I caught a limit, but it didn’t happen. Like it didn’t feel right. And like normally I feel like Old Wes would have been like, hey, I know there’s fish down there. I knew I could catch a couple bass and that marine let me just go down there and, you know, get a couple bites and calm down. Well, I decided to go to a whole completely different Marina. I hadn’t fish since the first day of practice because number one, it was closer to the area I wanted to flip. And number two, the two bites I had had in there were were basically three pounders. So I thought the quality of bites was better, but the number like I it just I don’t think was it like a couple years ago or even a couple months ago when I made that decision to, to go away from something that that I knew was like a guaranteed couple fish, if that’s if that makes any sense or that was explain, you know, somewhat make sense. When did you make that decision? When I woke up. I mean, really not even when I woke up. I woke up and I do the same routine. I, I wake up, I start my coffee, I cook me some bacon and eggs and, I’ll sit there. I’ll get up a little bit earlier than like 30 minutes before I have to leave, just to kind of get everything, you know. So I don’t like being rushed. Like, I don’t like being in a rush like that. I’ve take my time like 30 minutes of sleep is not going to help me, like, be less tired. So I’ll get up and get everything situated and just calm down and, you know, just think about the day and stuff. And I was just sitting there eating and I was like, I call it. I called it the merry go round Marina. Because there were so many people in there. Every time I’d run by there, there’d be like boats in there. And I’m like, it’s like a merry go, because it’s kind of in a bowl, too. It’s so like everybody just goes in a circle as they’re fishing it. I was like, I’m gonna go to the merry go round Marina and, and see what happens. And it truthfully, I didn’t like roll up in there like, started biting. Like, I started second guessing myself. Like it was raining so hard when we took off, like. And I got there, the lights were still on in the Marina because it was like I thought I the, you know, the the power of the solar sail works like it thinks it’s dark. Yeah. And I it was probably 20 I had it might have been 15 minutes before I got my first bite, but it was literally those lights had been on for about ten minutes when I got to by. And looking back on it, I just wondered if the lighter it got. When that rain started letting up, those fish started gravitating more to the the actual Marina docks that were probably out there just kind of roaming like they do at night, because they know as that someone gets higher, like they’ve got it, they want to get in that shade. So I think it kind of pulled them because they’re for after I got that first smallmouth bite, they started biting like pretty quick. Like it was just like like how I thought it was going to be when I got there. So there was a little bit of doubt there when I went down, I thought the best, you know, side of that, that best marine, like that best slip. I was like, should have got bite through there. And I come around the other side and catch that good one. And then I ended up catching a limit before I ever got done with it. And I actually circled back through where I started. And two, that actually ended up cold a little bit. So it was it was a time in which the whole lake was, but it was a that was a little bit of doubt, but not much. So when you say that Old Wes wouldn’t have made some of these decisions, what did New Wes show up to? Just show up this week, or is this been an like, when do you think you’ve shifted to start making decisions a little different? I mean, I don’t know, it’s I felt different after the, the we had an event at Douglas right after Sabine had a horrible event. Clean or finish, you know, 60s or something. We went straight to Douglas, and I’m fishing like normal. I’m practicing first day of the tournament, and nothing’s going wrong. Like everything I found in practice is. Everything just kind of changed, like, basically par for my whole year. Like nothing. I’ve had decent practices. Nothing stays the same. I can’t figure it out in a tournament. I’m just having to scrap. So I’m doing that day one just I just don’t feel I never got comfortable and had like, you know, I was sitting in the 60s or 70s again. I’m like, I just I’m just hanging out here this year and day two, I made a decision. I had like two bites, like way up in an area and I ran up there to start. I was like, I gotta catch a bigger bag. I’m gonna run up there. And it was 12:00 and I had zero bass, had nothing. I had not had a bite. And I’m like, well, let’s just we’re just we’re just, you know, the training is just steadily going downhill. And for some reason, like, I was like, I’m gonna go back in there and check it one more time and I roll in there and Dave, I’m not lying, dude. I went to catch him and I probably caught 40 and the next two hours and I don’t know, like from that moment on, like, I feel like like I’m gonna go catch on the next day. I went up there, called him again. I get to practice at ten. Killer practice I like. I’m in a good mindset. I’m starting get some bites, I’m putting things together, and it’s literally I just feel like a I got my confidence back when everything was about to fall apart completely and zero on the light. This got millions of bass in it and I was able to like, turn it around. So and it might be a little bit of momentum, might be a little bit of just confidence and decision making. I don’t know. I think I think me having confidence in myself when I’m making a decision right now is, is key is is like a real key to what happened this past week. Because I trusted my gut. Like when, when I would be having this, like, urge, like, hey, you need to get up there to so-and-so. And I would go up there and catch one within a couple minutes, like, now you can’t like, you can’t replace that. Like mentally was in bass fishing. And if you don’t tournament fish, it’s hard to understand because like if you’re just out there fish, you’re like, oh, let’s go over here and fish these trees. Well you go over and catch some cool, let’s go fish these rocks like you’re not. There’s no pressure. There’s no. But when, when, when the you know, when the clock’s ticking, when the money’s on the line and your job is at stake. And you make a game time decision like that to run 20 minutes somewhere and get there and call twice in ten minutes, like that. That does wonders. Like it really does it, even if it’s just like a couple ounces. Like no one like, hey, I made a good decision. It really it’s it’s a real thing. Like, it’s it’s crazy. Today’s high tech fishing world can be a real pain in the neck, especially if you’re running the wrong mount beat down outdoors. They bring the graph to you and they support this podcast and care enough about, you know, this is your ad read. Check it back on the show. Yeah, watch it from the outside. As close as I’ve been lucky enough to see all of you guys compete, see a bunch of people in angler of the year that that’s it. I mean, and if you could bottle that up, you could sell it for what it. But it’s amazing. Like, I mean, I, I use Erin as an example because I saw him have highs and lows, you know, saw some when multiple angler of the year. I saw him have some rough seasons and the same angler when he’s winning angler of the year. He’s just like the right over there bro. That’s the right on that point. We need to go. We need to go now. Like I need to be there, you know. And it’s not it’s not arrogance. It’s just I know they’re there. And then that say, you see, I’ve seen him in other situations where he’s like, maybe they’re there. No, they’re probably over here. And once that battle starts, like, but it’s when you guys are firing at your best, it’s like there’s no thought. It’s it’s almost like, well, of course they’re there, you know that. That’s where they are. And, and it’s weird because you can go into the season wanting that and say, and I’m, I’m feel confident. But unless that confidence gets fueled by success, yes, that confidence starves itself out of your life in a hurry. Quickly. Trust me. I mean, I had a the best start I’ve ever had in my late series career. I mean, I, I go to we go to Saint John’s on Okeechobee and I’m in fifth in Iowa and I have an 11th and a 16th. I’m like, this is easy. Like not I’m not. I know it’s not easy, but I’m like, I’m just rolling around like fishing, like, and they’re bite. And I even roll into the first day of the classic and I catch four for 21. I’m. And then like almost top ten, I’m like, we don’t keep this try and roll. And dude, let me tell you something. I hit a brick wall the second day at the classic. Like I felt the wheels literally come off, go in the ditch, run up, go through somebody’s house like, blow everything up. The car blew up. I barely limped away. I don’t know what happened. And from that point on, like, it hasn’t been good. I’m not going to lie like it. I mean, you tell about my finishes and me being on stage, like I just could not get it together. And, and a lot of that is, like, just bad luck to like you. You finally get the right mindset comes off or you, you know, you break off, something bad happens. But that’s going to have it happens to everybody. You can’t let that affect you. It just seemed to happen at a really bad time. The last few tournaments, like when I needed it not to, obviously. But I don’t know. I hope we’ve turned it around. I feel a lot better, obviously, with myself mentally. I don’t know if it was either way. However, the rest of the season works out if I make the class or if I don’t, the, the way this tournament went down, I’m very proud of myself, of how I finished and how I handled the whole week, which is saying something for me to me to be proud of myself because I’m I’m definitely my toughest critic. You are. I mean, that’s where a little ball of hate comes from. Because you hate, like. I mean, in that meeting, you never. I’ve told the story once times, but I feel like that. Meaning, I never walked up to you and said, how’d you like to be the little ball? I hate it. Just started calling you that because I watch you like where you’re fishing and you’re just like when you don’t catch him, you hate it. And I don’t, weirdly, I think in fishing, it’s kind of messed up that that. And I know you’ve had people say this to you. You just get up there and smile and be thankful to be there and and I don’t I totally don’t I don’t think you disrespect the position you’re in. I just feel like having the drive, like in any other sport, you take a picture that is just so obsessed with being the best that’s celebrated. But weirdly enough, in fishing you’re supposed to take a weapon and smile and just be like, I’m just happy to be here. Which, no, you can’t. Well, at some some guys you are. Yeah. No, it’s it’s not. I wasn’t raised that way. Now I was raised to be very appreciative, which I am of the position I have. But I also feel like that I’ve been put in this situation for a reason. I’ve been given this opportunity for a reason. And I want to be able to, you know, perform the best that I can to allow myself to be it. I’m trying to figure out how to say this. I feel like I, I need to perform the best I can to have the opportunity to promote the reason I’m I’m here, if that kind of makes sense. Like there’s a reason I’ve been put in this situation to be a professional bass angler. There’s a reason I went through that. But Rick at Champlain, there’s a reason that I’ve lost so many times, and not one like it makes me want to be able to do well, because when you do well, you get promoted more. It’s just plain and simple how the game works like that. It is. What if you’re not catching them? Don’t really. Nobody know who you are. You’re not able to promote your sponsors yourself like nothing. None of that. So that’s where the pressure on myself comes from. And for people to be able to, like, look at me and be like, hey, look how that guy made it. Look what he all look what he went through, and he’s still there competing like he could have, just like, you know, he could have rolled over. He could’ve laid down and gave up, like. And it goes way past fishing. Like, that’s just why I get so upset. I’m like, I’m up. And I tell you, I’ve said this 100 times. I don’t go out there for me like I’m not. Yeah, I want to catch him for myself, but I’m out there for everybody who supports me family, sponsors, friends, like everybody. Like that’s why I go out there. I it’s just I and it’s not I’m not trying to be cliche. I’m not trying to be that guy. I’m just being completely honest. Like, I mean, I it just is what it is. You mentioned it on stage. Are you willing to tell me about what happened in Bill Owen’s boat and Hart? Well. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I I’m momma didn’t raise. No, as I say. But yeah, I mean, so the, data at heart. Well, I, or day one, I had a good I had a decent bike. I was like, right outside the cut. And I go do my little deal, and I catch me, like, right at 14 pounds. I know it’s not going to be enough. So I make that game time decision like it’s like 2:00 or no, I’m sorry. It was like 12:00 and I make a, like a 30 mile run up the Tougaloo. I’ve got one area that I called him a couple years ago, that I went and practice and I had one bite, but it was a real big one. I was like, I’m going to go up there and fix it. If I get a bite, it’s going to be a big largemouth, and it’ll, you know, we’ll jump from the cut and do what we need to do. So I’ll make that run all the way up there and I’ll fish for about 30 minutes. And, you know, I’m, I’m, I’m fishing. I’m throwing a horny toad around these docks and and, like, a seven, I’m going to call it seven. Conservatively. I don’t know how big it was. Eight. It like root at the trolling motor. And it’s one of them like short strings. You like, everything happens real quick. And I just, like, reacted jerk. And it broke my line. And like, as it breaks my line, like I ended up hooking it and it, like, the water’s kind of clear, so I see it, like, go down and it comes up over by the dog and it’s jumping, trying to throw my frog out of its mouth, and it almost jumps on top of the float and, like, it literally like half its body hits up there, and then it falls back, like I’m watching and I’m like, I can’t believe that just happened. Like, I, I broke down, like, I almost like, threw up. And I’m not trying to be, like, exaggerating or, you know, whatever the word would be. But like, that’s the kind of bite like the, the kind of decision and like, if it works out like you’re the hero, like, yeah, it’s like picture perfect storybook run up there, catch a seven pounder. You, you know, you jump into the top 15, top 20. I mean, you have over 20 pounds like and I go run. I try and get myself back together. I go catch a few more, don’t make the cut. And like and have all the fish I had lost up to that point that that really would have made a big difference in the standings. Like I’m just sitting there in the my boat, like in the campground, and I’m just I’m just sitting there like looking at the ground. And I don’t know, for some reason I just like tears just start rolling down my face and I’m like, I don’t know. I’m looking around and rallies in the camper and I don’t want to go bother her and Bill’s over there, rig in for day three, and I go over there and I got my glasses on and I go over and I up against Moses. I was up, but. And I just don’t say nothing like I can’t talk. And, like I he’s like, yo, okay. And I’ll, I just pull my glasses off and he’s just rolling and he’s just sitting. He’s like, dude, I get it. Like I’ve been there. He’s like, there’s nobody. There’s nobody that can understand it but us guys that go through this every day like nobody they can, like your family can experience like be there, but there’s nobody there’s no there’s no team. There’s no limit on the catcher. I can’t blame it on the running back. If I’m on the football like it’s you, dude. Like they ain’t. No, but you’re making the decisions. You’re making the play call your time. You’re not like. And you just feel like you’ve like. You’re just not good enough. Like, I really felt that way, I, I told him, I said, I really think I’m going to quit. I’m, I’m, I don’t feel like I need to be here. Like, for some reason, it’s just nothing’s working out, like nothing’s going the right way. I just something’s telling me maybe I just need to go do something else. And that’s hard to live with it like, because I don’t have a plan like. And I would say 90% of the guys out here don’t like. Yeah. I went and got a heating and air degree at a junior college. I could go work, but I mean, I mean, who wants to, and there’s nothing wrong. There’s great money in that. But like, the people don’t love working heating and air. People don’t love swinging a hammer. They do it to support their family. I love bass fishing and the fact that I get to support my family doing it is, you know, it. I’ll never take that for granted. But when you’re also in that having those moments where it’s just not happen and you get that self-doubt and I was completely submerged in it like bad, you know, he kind of taught me off the ledge and calmed me down a little bit, like, just like Bill does, you know, just calm, you know, positive, all that good stuff. And I really appreciate him for that. But, you know, we all sat down, like, later that night and rallied. We all went, we like, had dinner and everybody got calm down like we’re not going to quit, blah blah blah blah. But yeah, it was a, it was probably one of the lower points, or lower, you know, moments in my fishing career, maybe, maybe in my 30 years on this earth, to be honest. And, Bill, that kind of I don’t like I mean, it looks like I like to cry, too, because every time I feel like we’re doing something like I got here, it’s maybe not much, but it’s really not like it takes something, but it it’s just a it’s just like a passion thing. The I mean, it kind of goes back to the ball I hate deal. But yeah. I agree with you that nobody understands what it’s like except for people that deal with it. I mean, the constant pressure that and I try to, I mean, I, I have is close a view of it as you can possibly have without being in it. And I try to explain to people I’m like, it’s not the pressure of I want to win this week. It’s the constant pressure that never stops. Like, you guys have a career that and I think, I mean, I think I learned that in life in just in general, like you feel like you can get to a point where you’ll be happily ever after. You get to a point where you, you know, this is done. But in in life and in proficient, there’s no such thing. Like, you gotta work on the second you stop working on it. I mean, you have two Elite Series titles now, if you show up to the last two events a year and you don’t perform, nobody’s going to be like, well, I won this year. Like, you’re not gonna. Yeah, the pressure never stops. I think that I think that’s why the classics so unique. Because I feel like people go into it and they’re almost free because, hey, I can fish now, and and the pressure builds if you’re in contention, but you don’t have that pressure of you got to catch them every single day on the elite, or you’re simply not on the elite anymore. Oh, yeah. I mean, there’s some really good fishermen that aren’t here anymore that they I mean, it’s not their fault. Like, you just, I’ve heard Hackney say, and I don’t remember when he said a long time ago, probably. He, like, you can’t get satisfied like in this deal. Like every, like you just said every day, honestly and even truthfully, every fish catch like like. Yeah, you can feel good about it for a second, but I mean, it’s almost like that five pounder that I caught. Like, I could have been happy with catching 14 pounds. Like, I knew I’d probably stay in the top five, like, oh, we’re good, man. Let’s just go fish around now. You can’t get you can’t get lackadaisical, you can’t get satisfied. Like you’ve got to keep your freaking foot on the pedal and, you know, just I don’t know. I mean, I guess the best way to put it is you can’t get satisfied. Especially against these hundred guys. Dude, it’s a I can’t say enough about every guy from from 1 to 100 has every chance to win every tournament we go to. Yeah. Like that’s it’s it’s that style. Like they don’t let up. Like they catch them and they catch them better every day. Like the longer we get to stay out there, the better we figure it out. And I it’s just incredible to me how good they are. Like, it’s it’s unreal. So I’m interested about the conversation with Billy. Did he say anything to you or did he just listen because Bill kind of went through that the previous season. He you know, where he was just like really down? Yeah. Yeah. He just he kind of just I mean, he let me he let me get through my, my breakdown stage, obviously. And he was just like when he said, man, I get it. He was like, but dude, you just got to get back up and just get back out there. It’s going to change. Like it’ll change at some point. You just got to keep doing what you do, and all of a sudden it’s just going to happen. Like, you got to start trusting yourself and quit doubting every time you make a decision. And and he’s 100% right. Like when it flips, it just flips like you can’t you can’t really make it up. Like, I don’t know, there’s no way to make it like start getting better and there’s no way to make it be worse. It just, it, like you said, if you could bottle that up and figure it out, you you you’d have all the money in the world. Fishing was. Well, speaking of bottling something up and wanting to keep it. You wanted to keep that tree? Tell me about the smoke tree. Oh, man. Yeah. My little tree up there. Yeah. My three foot deep tree with a bunch of limbs. Yeah. You know, when I said that, and I don’t know if I should say it on here, I’m not trying to be like, I don’t know. I don’t think the. I don’t think the surrounding area would lie for me to take the tree out of the lake. Probably. You know what I’m saying? I got to as I that’s coming out of my mouth on stage, I said, oh, shit. I probably didn’t need to say that. I’m gonna go take a tree out of the lake. Like, because I, I mean, obviously, I hope a lot of people knew I was joking. Yeah. Go take a tree out of a like that. I mean, that’s that’s none of my business. I would have liked to have had a piece of the limb of it, though. That would be pretty cool. But. Yeah. Yeah, it was, definitely a special tree. I don’t I don’t know what else to say about it. To my camera guy, Mr. Tom, every time I’d go to it. Not get what? Not to go to Cole. He’d just look at me and shake it. Shake his hand. He’s like, I just can’t believe there’s that many there. I feel like, I don’t know, good Lord, just keep sending a three pounder. That strength, that bunch of limbs right there for some reason. What was different about it? I mean, I’ve been asked that like 30 times in the past couple days. I have no clue. And there was nothing. It wasn’t on a point. It wasn’t in a pocket. It wasn’t the only. It wasn’t the only tree there. Like, it would make sense if it was like all bushes. And there’s a big lay down out there like, no, there’s a lay down here, there’s a lie down right over there. There’s like 2 or 3 down through here. And even the ones like around it look better to me because they’re like, are they’re off the bank. They were more isolated and and man, when I found that, that stretch, literally had two bites on it, like one of them was a five pounder and one of them was a two pounder. I called a two pounder out of that tree, and I it a, shook a five pounder off because I pitched over to the bush and it rolled on it. So I was able to see it, so I shook it off. That’s not too bad. So I got and I rolled up there the first afternoon of the the day one, and it was lights out, like just bam, bam, bam, real quick. I was like, oh, like, this is this is pretty good. But yeah, the tree is and I didn’t, I didn’t under I didn’t I’ve told this a lot or said this, there’s a lot of people in practice. You don’t realize how good an area is most of the time. Yeah. Because you get or the way I practice, I go through a place, and if I start on a stretch that I think looks really good, like all the way down it, and I fish 50 yards off it, get to bite, I’m out. Like, I’ll break it down in the tournament. Like I’ll pick it apart. And that’s kind of what happened there a little bit. But so the first day I went up there, I run, you know, I run up there with like, two hours left. I catch, like three three pounders. I pretty quick and so I had, you know, an hour and ten minutes to do, like, just mess around. So I ran some other stuff that looked good, and called a few little ones. And as I was coming back, I was like, I’m to swing back over and fish that, you know, that little stretch. I got the two good bites. And because it was kind of a short day, I had enough time to do it. And I call again on the same flip. I was like, like light bulb went off. I was like, they’re they’re using the same color. They want to use the same piece of cover for some reason. And the only reason I had that feeling is Natalie Henry sets up just like that, that you can have a stretch that just looks amazing, and they’ll be in four places. If you’re going to get a bite. And it just like when I when that went off. And then day two, I did it again on other pieces of cover. I’m like, they just want to be on certain places and I have no idea why. Like maybe the current hit it different because they were pulling water out of the dam, obviously, and there was a little bit of current in the whole system just because there was so much water coming in and going out, stuff like that. That’s the only thing I, I think there may have been a brown bat in the area. I never really saw any brim around, but it would make sense that they were still like going to that deal. I don’t I don’t know it. I would love to know how many baths got called in that little section of that. Like like between me, Andrew Jordan, Lee, the Johnston brothers. There was a few other guys fish in it. Like, I just don’t understand how that was that many Basler. Never. We’ll have no idea. Another cool thing that happened in this tournament, and I even had a hard time saying it on stage. If you go back and watch the way and I, my voice actually cracks up. But you won your first one on Mother’s Day. Yeah, yeah. And you want your second one on Father’s Day. Like. That’s wild. You can’t you can’t make that up. You can’t. The parallels with that or that’s the way Riley said it, which it made sense to me. The parallels that happen with this tournament are made. It’s hard to deny that it wasn’t meant to be. Yeah. As far as that go. Like with with the, you know, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, I talked to dad the night before practice start to was like, you know, he was just mad at me. He’s like, you know, it’s Father’s Day coming up, and, you know, you gave your mom a mother’s day present a couple years ago. And, you know, I kind of want to. I kind of want a Father’s Day trophy. I was like, probably not going to happen, boss, but I’ll get you something nice. I’ll get you a pair of tennis shoes or something, like, you know, I’ll get you something. Well, then I called him good the first day, and he’s like, I still want my trophy on here. Haha. Whatever. Got him got the second day, whatever. And then day three I moved up to third and he was like, I tell you what, sign, if you don’t get that trophy for me, your Father’s Day, just don’t come home. I was like, yes, sir. So no. Yeah. They said the same thing to me. The first a fly or fish by myself at Neely. He said, if you don’t win, don’t come on. I said, yes, sir, I’ll do it. So no added pressure. But, I don’t know how like, the odds of that happening can’t be very high. Like. No, I mean, the odds that we have tournaments scheduled on those holidays is not high to begin with. And then to win both of them is just, I don’t even know, like, I mean, how what do you think? Like. Well, how do you. I mean, what did you feel about that? Like, how is that, like, that’s that’s why I had a hard time saying it. Like, my voice legit cracked. And and, I mean, I know your parents. I know how supportive everybody around you is. You got a great family, and I, I don’t know, I mean, it’s just what was wild like to me. I mean, somebody was going to win, right? And they were going to have it. Father, most likely. Who ever won. Yeah, absolutely. But for to have you to win two and one on Mother’s Day, one on Father’s Day. I mean, maybe it’s just a coincidence. I don’t know, but it’s it’s it’s pretty freaking. Yeah. Cool. Coincidence. Yeah. And like, the fact that there are some incredible anglers out there, like fishermen that are way better than me, like there will always be better than me, that have not hardly won one or only won a single blue trophy. And the fact that I’ve won two now, and they’ve both been on a mother’s day and a Father’s Day like it’s I don’t I get chill bumps thinking about it. There’s also another parallel in this deal too. Like, I mean, I don’t know if it’s a known thing, man. The me and Bill have become real close. Like he’s he’s, you know, one of my really good friends. I look up to him because, I mean, he I’ve looked up to him my whole career like, I mean below and flips a jig and throws a spanner. Right. And swims a jig, like, what is Wes Logan do? So I mean, a lot of the stuff that I know how to fish, I learn from, like watching him and so like to be able to share stuff with him is just like, I could never I could never, you know, pay him back for what he’s done for me. And, and a lot of it, he doesn’t even realize, like, he didn’t even tell me or like, I’ll just watch his mannerisms or stuff. How you like, how he does a jig on a skirt, on a jig, or how he puts his chunk on, like how he puts these different spinner bait wides. I’m like, I just watch and I’m like, that’s like so above my mental capacity. Like so the the weird thing is his first elite was in 21, my first elite was in 21, his second was this year, and my second was this year. Oh, wow. Yeah. So it’s, I don’t know, dude. You can explain it like I need you. I don’t want to ask why or how. Because it’s just. It’s just cool to be living it, man. Like it is. Yeah. It it’s it’s wild. And even the way you want, I mean, to be honest. And I hope you don’t take this wrong, but. If you had been playing the role of Andrew Berg, that is a Wes Logan way to do it. The lead wire to wire and then like because I mean, yeah, he won this tournament if you if you took it in it I mean three days of waiting now. Yeah. You caught him at the finish line. Every sport is a finish line. And you caught him. But, I know he just in a bad way, but that’s the kind of stuff that happens to you. Dude, I’m with you. I. I’m with you. But but but before we go any further, like, I really want to give a shout out to him. Dude, he pitched a perfect tournament. Like, I hate it that one of us had to lose. Like, yeah, I really do like. And the way it went down, like, I, it was going to happen one way or the other. We both knew it was going to be close. Obviously, I don’t think anybody knew it was going to be that close. Like, you know, the he entered the you know, now that I hear about it, everybody was like talking about it was going to be a tie, blah blah, blah blah. But like, you don’t ever really think that, and for him to have fished as good of a tournament as he did. And I went back and I’ve laid in bed and watched some of the footage, dude, he was he was dialed in like, he’s a really good fisherman. I’ve watched him over at MLF like he’s led some tournaments there. Like the dude knows how to bass fish like he is. He will be like I in my post. The one post I’ve made, he’s he’ll be around for a long time and he’ll have plenty of blue trophies. I can assure you. He his his mind is is he thinks like a fish. He’s like one of them guys. It was just for some reason, it was my time. Like I was supposed to win that tournament. I don’t know why I didn’t think I had won, and I still don’t know why I won. Like, it just, I don’t know, I, I do feel for him because he’s a really good. Yeah, I, I, I don’t wish that on anybody because I’ve been there. I, there’s not a lot of guys I can say, hey, I do not know how you feel. Like I really do. Multiple times. I mean, hey, dude, I forgot about I was late in my rookie year. Guntersville when, like. I mean, I’ve had, like, I’ve just I’ve been there, dude. I’ve lived it, so I he’s going to win. Like, if he watches it, I hope he does, like, dude. Like, just keep just keep your head down, like, don’t it. I, I feel for him, like, I really do, like I hated I did last night, I just that’s the only thing that way I can explain. I hate that one of us had to. I thought, I wish we could both won because we both we both basically faced a perfect tournament. He finished his stuff. Perfect. I’ll finish my stuff. Perfect. I just got lucky and caught a couple big ones the last day are blessed, fortunate. Meant to. I don’t know, it just. It’s just the way it went down. What is winning the second elite main? Do you? He’s still. Has it sunk in yet? I’ll be honest. Like it really like I will. I will open my phone like I can hear it going off now. I’ve still got my close to 200 text. I haven’t even opened. Like, every time I open it, there’s just more text and more phone calls. And it just, like sets me back because. Because, I mean, I’ve been practicing the last day and a half, like I came out, I literally we won. We went a I went to the camper, I literally passed out, woke up, set the camper up, drove to Eufaula, got everything set up, went out there, rode around, and then the day I spent all day out there practicing for this next event. And I really haven’t had a chance to, like, let it soak in and think about it. It it doesn’t seem real because I know how hard it is to win. Two. I know the guys that have won multiple and I’m like, my name is associated with these guys in bass fishing. Like, I’m not that I’m not that good. Like I just, I just don’t feel like I am like some of the guys that have won two. I’m just like, I’m not I’m not on that. I’m not on that level or I don’t think I am. Like, I feel like I can get better every day. Like I’ve got a lot to get better at and ultimately, it’s just. Like, if I, if I could tell that little kid that was that was flipping a jig behind his dad with a zip code 33 on a flip and stick it, that you’re going to be a two time Elite Series champ. Dude, I. I don’t even know how to. I don’t even know what to say to, like and to win it that way. Like to win it flipping. Not just flipping, but flipping a literally of jig with a zoom chunk on it, which is that’s all we throw. That’s all off throw. My whole life, I throw a big salty and a super chunk. We call it a rabbit ear because it looks like rabbit ears coming through the water when man dad fish, he throws one, I throw the other, and a lot of times I bought one better than the other. And then we’ll both be throwing it. But just for it all to happen that way is golly man. And on father’s Day day, like, that’s the craziest part about all of it. Like, I called them the exact way the man taught me how to fish and he the crazy thing like, he dude, he didn’t have to take me fishing. Like he didn’t have to take a six year old to a bass tournament like a club tournament. And mind you, in this club it was called Trustful Bass Anglers. I’ll just name a few, Randall Tharp, Russ line, Scott Canterbury. There’s a couple more, but like just those three off in, I mean, dude, like Matt Herring. Like just the dudes like Colby Carden, who’s fish 3 or 4. Joe Colby’s a beast y, you know, like he was a club like that. Like there was dudes in there. Like, they weren’t then, but they were, you know, they were kind of, like, making their way there. And for him to take me to stuff like that. And, dude, I can remember, like, I don’t know how I can remember because I don’t hardly remember anything, but I can remember seeing those guys like, way in and all these big fish and I’m like, oh, dude, how did they do that? And then we happened to win one of the tournaments when I was like 6 or 7. And I’m like, I just beat some freaking hammers. Like I didn’t know they were obviously hammers then, but like, I was like, these guys are like the best in the world to me. But man, it I can remember there’s a there’s always one memory that burns in my head. I was, I was you know, I was, I don’t know, seven, eight, nine. And it was Cole we were at like Mitchell, which is on the lower end of the coaster. And I would I would fall asleep in the bottom of the boat because I was so cold. And I remember I woke up, I grabbed my rod, literally. He gave me a zip code 33 on an all star flip and steak. What, 25 pound? I think it was strand monofilament, clear blue fluorescent. Then, like I couldn’t throw it from here to the freaking bluff bank over there. And I remember I stood up with my life jacket. I can remember it vividly. Pitch my jig over my brown jig, I pick up, I catch a 4 pound spot. He nets. It, goes to the do the livewell deal. And I said, this is way too easy. And I put my rod up and went by just like, right, right. And he says, like, that’s exactly how it happened. He says it tells the story exact. Like I literally called it. I said, I’m going back to sleep. This is too easy. But I don’t know, man. It’s just a it’s just a cool fish in memory that I got to share with him. And and for it to all come full circle on Father’s Day to win, my second elite, which is like, just a whole different level of winning, to win it that way, it just, owe it all to him. Really. Him and my uncle, my Uncle Kenny. Like, that’s all. That’s all we do. We flip a jig, man like. And we are going to catch him where we ain’t. And that’s kind of the mindset I had when I realized how they were bought. And I’m like, I mean, we’re gonna catch them, right? And we’ll put it in my hand and not lay it. Now, Afco not only makes incredible outdoor clothing, but they care about anglers. With their 10% pledge, Afco and the Shed family donate at least 10% of the company’s profits to conservation and make it feel better. Now back to the show. About something you said a bunch of times was, I don’t deserve this. What did you mean by that? That, like, I remember saying it and I don’t know why I said it. Like, I just have this and I still feel that way. I have this overwhelming feeling like I’m not that I’m not. I shouldn’t be a two time elite series champion. Like, I don’t feel like I’m good enough. Like, and I hate I’m not trying to be like, I come across people like, you’re so negative. I’m like, I’m not negative. Like, it’s just a realistic feeling. Like I have to get better every day to be able to stay here and compete against these guys. Like, I don’t know, I just like maybe it was because I didn’t think I was going to win and I wasn’t expecting it. And so I was like, man, I just I just don’t deserve to win. But when I really think back on it, like somebody had to win some, I had to lose. And the way I fish that tournament last week, I probably, I feel like I do I did deserve to win because I made some really good decisions at the right time and executed. I mean, I lost one bias that hurt me all week. And I thought it really hurt me, to be honest. And it almost was the first on Sunday, right? Yeah. It was a foul. It was a second five pounder. All right. It was a it was a 4 to 5 pounder, conservatively. Either way. Like, I really thought that was like, okay. And it really upset me when it happened. And about a couple minutes later, I’m like, the Lord didn’t want me to catch it because I did everything right. Like, dude, I pitched over there, I hopped it, it, hit it, and just sat there and I cracked it like I drilled it and it come off and just wall. And it just like I saw, like it was gone and it just come off. I’m like, I five minutes. Like I was like I wasn’t going to about it. Let me catch the next one. Like the better part of my day is still to come catch the next ones. That might but yeah, like like I literally I told Riley that night, I was like, I fish the most perfect tournament I’ve ever fished in my life. Like, practice. Good. It wasn’t the best practice. Like, I didn’t have that many bites. I just knew what was in the areas, and I just needed to, like, execute and stay and be where I needed to be at that time. And it just everything worked out perfectly. So, I mean, I guess, I mean, I’m not going to say I didn’t deserve it, but I just in my heart, I felt like at that time I was like, I, I don’t know it. I can’t explain it. No, no, the thing I can’t explain, like, it just I had that feeling. Well, I think you definitely deserve it. I mean, I think you’ve you’ve worked incredibly hard. You’ve overcome a lot over the years. I also think that’s who you are, though. Like, I think you’re always going to be that guy. Who feels like I, I think that’s what drives you being an underdog, being, And that’s just what I read from the outside. Like, am I reading that wrong? I’ve been like, oh no, no, I’ve. And everybody’s got this like, oh, you got to have the underdog mentality. I mean, dude, I played I played linebacker for our high school football team and I was five seven, 135. Like, dude, like I would go out there and get the hell beat out of me and so bad. But like, there was nobody that was going to do the stuff I did. Like I would go stick my nose in there when them tackles would pull, I would go make that running back in the hole now would hurt like hell, dude. But I’d hurt him like it would hurt him just as much as it hurt me. The difference was when then bigger dudes would hit somebody, it would hurt the guy like hit. And it wouldn’t hurt them. Well, it would hurt me this bad. Like, and I just I’ve always had that mentality because when I played sports, I mean, like I’m saying, I’m not that big of a, I mean, I’m a little bitty dude, but I played as big as I could because just that’s just how my parents raised me. And, I mean, I feel like I’ve just brought that mindset to whatever I do, even, like I worked in construction. Building houses was not with my uncle. Like, I’m going to outwork everybody there. I don’t know why. It’s just ingrained in me. I feel like I’m I’m feeling I’ll have that feeling of of worthlessness if, if I give anything less than my 100% and it don’t matter how tired you are, it don’t matter if you’re hurting. It don’t matter if you had neck surgery back at the end of October. The damn season’s about to start. Get out there and freaking do your job like, I mean, I think I, I didn’t even, I, I didn’t even remember when I was on stage that I had had I’ve had neck surgery the end of October, like literally don’t even think about it no more. It hurts like hell. But I mean, okay, so everybody’s got like everybody’s got something I. Nobody don’t feel sorry for you, right? Yeah I hate that mentality. Like. And I feel like it’s coming more and more like in the whole like just everywhere. Like everybody feels sorry for theirself. Everybody wants a handout. Like they want a handout. Work your freaking butt off. But it’s not hard. It’s sucks. It’s not fun, but it’s my life, dude. Like, yeah. So what you’re saying is you were a little ball of hate long before you were. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Some of my buddies back home when they when they heard that, they were like, oh, that’s perfect. But yeah. Why didn’t we think of like, we just called you a mean jackass? Well, it’s it’s the weirdest nickname because it’s the only nickname I’ve ever given that I’ve had, like pushback from people. People are like, why do you call them that? Like, like, like you’re hateful or. And I’m like, but if you watch him, that’s who he is. Like, that’s and clearly this is your football stories. That’s what fueled you. You know what I mean? You can’t tell me. I hate the fact that you can’t, that you’re telling me I can’t do this? Yeah. And you’ve overcome a lot like you mentioned the surgery did, I mean, me and you kind of laughed about it in retrospect, but, you know, the both things. Surgery. And then you set the hook at, like, the first event of this year and dropped to your knees and, and Dave Rush was in the boat with you, and Dave rose told me. Yeah. I didn’t know if he was going to get up, literally. Like, I mean, like literally my first cast of this elite series like Island, I catch a three pointer on a dirt bike and eyelet or a belly, and I get it up there and I, put it in a lot of turn level, and I turn around and I don’t know if a wave was different. It was real foggy that morning, so everything was wet and dude, I slipped and I literally, like, fell backwards and I just laid there. I’m like, I don’t know if I can move. I’m all both. My arms went numb, which is how it felt when my all the nerve there and I just lay there for a second. I was like, you’ve got to be kidding me. Like, if this ain’t my luck. And I mean, I kind of got worked out of it and we ended up catching him good. But like, what the hell? Like, how do you never fell on a boat, ever? Well, like that. And it just, I don’t know, it was just one of them things. But Dave was he was solid, like, he is like, no, he blew. And I got to moon, right? He’s like, you good. I, I don’t know, I don’t know. Don’t nobody move. Just just let me sit here for a minute. But everything ended up working out there. But yeah, I actually forgot all about that. Yeah. That was a that was a weird sequence of about 2 or 3 minutes, but yeah, it’s like I didn’t know if it was must be really bad or what. Because the one thing the doctor told me, he said don’t have any sudden impacts, don’t have a car wreck, don’t fall, don’t do anything that can never go, you know, just clumsy words. So now you’ve won two of these. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I’m always trying to improve on things and make things, and you know what I mean? I’m almost never satisfied like that. And I think that’s a good mindset for people to have. Did you get anything right with this one? Like, was there anything you look back and were like, yeah, I held that trophy wrong last time. If I ever get another opportunity, I’m going to hold this. Where I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that. Or was it a were you just didn’t Dreamville up there? I literally was in like a Twilight zone because, I mean, you can ask everybody behind the stage, like out there and talk about that. I did not think I’d won. Like, I really didn’t. I thought that 4 or 5 pounder, I was like, man, this would have been over. Like, yeah, it literally it would have been like, we’d all be like having a good time. Like, everybody beat you. Like, I got two 4 to 5 pounders in there. I got 18 pounds. Like it’s it’s pretty much, you know, is what it is. And the way it happened, I just I was like, it just wasn’t meant to be. And I wasn’t mad. Like I never got upset. I was just like, man, it wasn’t my time this time. Like, I fished a perfect tournament. He fished it better. Like I fished a perfect tournament except for one flip. And that’s. I mean, you can have a pitcher throw on a no hitter. It’s A00 game in the bottom of the ninth, and he he hangs one curveball, and they hit it out and the game’s over. Nobody remembers that. He almost had a no hitter. Hey, remember that they lost another time on. So I mean that’s kind of just the mindset I was in. And then when it dude. So I was looking when we’re looking at the screen like I can feel him like towering over me because he’s so much taller. I like, now you’re on my left and he’s on my right, and I’m just kind of standing there and I’m like, I can’t move. Like I like I’m just like stuck right here. So I’m looking at the box and the way our our screen set up, we’ve got a box for pounds and a box for ounces, and I’m just looking at the pounds because for some reason in my head I’m going, it’s going to pop up 12 and I ain’t even got to worry about it like I can. I was literally thinking in my head, this is kind of cool. Not not cool, but like, I was thinking what I’m going to do when he wins. Like, how do I how am I going to like, how am I going to shake his hand like I want him to know that I’m proud of him? Like it’s a hell of an accomplishment. Like, good for you, dude. Like awesome job. Like, that’s what was going through my head when I’m sitting in the seat and as he’s pulling up, I’m like, I don’t want to be because they like. And I don’t know if I’m different than a bunch of guys. I watched a lot of weigh ins, like growing up, and I saw how some people acted and I saw how other people act, and I’m like, I want to be like that. I don’t want to be like that. Like, that’s just a that don’t look good. Like, you don’t look good to me. And it, I don’t look at everybody. I don’t want to be like that. So I’m like, do this right. Do this professional. Be respectful. Like you wasn’t even really supposed to win any way. It’s his tournament. Like give him all the, you know, appreciation. That’s literally what I was thinking about. Like and I’m looking at that. So I’m looking at that pounds box and you say he needs all the ones. And I’m like, what the hell does that mean? It’s like he needs 1 pound. Like, hell, I know I had more than that. And well, then, like obviously the next sentence says he needs 11 pounds, 11oz and I’m still going. He’s got 12 something. And I’m looking at that pound thing and all I see is 11. My eyes never shifted the nine before you said it. And I’m like, like everything just kind of went blank. I was like, what the hell? Like what what what? And then you said nine else. I was like, holy. Like I just put my head now like I got I remember it vividly, but I just kind of froze because I was so much expecting it. That number to say 12. And when it didn’t, I didn’t even think to look at the ounces and see what the ounces were. I don’t know. But yeah, that’s kind of where my mom was at when it happened. Was was I need to congratulate him in a professional way and like, let it be his time. That’s that’s what was going through my head. The reason I laugh so loud. What? You said the he needs other ones because, dude, I mean, I don’t have a job where you get a dress rehearsal or you get the crap. So you when you sit that and just react and remember saying it and saying, does this make sense? But it made total sense to me because I’m like, he’s led every day. He’s got. So he’s had all the ones, but he needs like 11, 11, 11, like you need to 1111 and and I remember it coming out of my mouth and being like, yeah, maybe that didn’t make sense to everybody. And I like that’s it. That’s why I follow it up with he did, you know, and sometimes some of the it makes sense of it doesn’t, but it’s wild that you were sitting there getting ready to shake his hand. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that’s literally where I was at. I had been come to terms like won my what? My tournament. I thought up until about 1:00 it might be. And then like when you, when you have that happening and I mean do people lose fish like it’s part of it. It’s a bad deal when it happens, like in that situation. And I don’t, I mean, I, I don’t know, I don’t know what he lost. I’m sure he lost. There’s no way you didn’t the way we were fishing. But I will say this. If he catches everything in four days, that bites, and I catch everything that bites in four days, I think I beat him by a good bit, because I lost some every day that were. That would have been pound calls. Like when I was having the 14th and 15th, like I should have been having the 17th, which again, that’s the way the that’s the way the ball rolls, like everybody loses them. And they were in that nasty thick stuff like, it’s going to happen. You ain’t going to hit some of them, right. Or they’ll be, you know, going around a limb or something. And it’s part of it. Like that’s the that’s the cool part about it. Like hand-to-hand combat. But it was a, I don’t know, like, I just, I don’t know, I, I keep saying this like the, like, Andrew fished a perfect tournament like, and one ounce, like I was supposed to win by one ounce. It’s just in it. It’s just such a blessing. Like with everything that’s going on in my Raleigh’s life and my parents like, I don’t know, man. Like, when it when when, I mean, God’s timing is perfect. Load it. You can’t you can’t ask why when it’s bad and you can’t ask why when it’s good. You just got to appreciate it and, you know, do the best you can as a as a human being. I think it’s wild that the last two champions, yourself and Pat Sloper, are two people that at some point in this season, realistically looked at themself in the mirror and said, I don’t think I got what it takes. And two veterans, sorry to interrupt, but two veterans, Christy, is what made him realize that everybody feels like that, and Logan is the one that when that happened, we were sitting at the Yamaha trailer at the Hartwell tournament, and we’re we’re in the Castle was the same tournament. It was the same tournament because Pat had a really good first day and bomb the second day, like, wow, like, I don’t know that he bombed, but he obviously didn’t make the cut. And we’re all sitting there and Pat’s like, man, dude, I freaking saw. I don’t need to be here. Like, I can’t catch crap ball. I’m like, dude, I can’t, I’m I’m right here with you. Like, I’m over it. Like, I do not deserve to be here. And then like, a little while later. But Chris, he’s talking about like, where he faced and how he did and blah, blah, blah blah. And like, he makes the comment, he was like, I went and told I was talking to so-and-so. And I told him, I don’t even think I need to be here anymore. Like, I don’t even know how to bias fish anymore. And I guess, Pat, hearing that, that Jason Christie thought that, like, turned something in his head, because, I mean, obviously he, he rolls around and wins his first event. And Pat actually take messaged me. I saw it on Instagram this morning that he was just like, you know, replaying the story, like how we were both ready to quit and now we’ve both won in a late in the next like month and a half. Like, it’s just it’s just crazy how fast it can turn around. I don’t know that. Again, I know the parallel. Like, it’s so crazy, man. It’s it’s awesome to, like, live it like I can’t. I wish everybody could feel this, like, I, I feel kind of selfish having this feeling. I wish everybody could experience it. I really do. It’s a wild sport and it’s moments like like this and some. Yeah. The young man that was at the event, Jade that, you know, you get picked like it’s moments like that and moments like this that. You can hear what you want on the internet. The exact to me this is you know what I mean. This is what makes this sport so special. The people, the the the fact that you can go from literally just thinking, I’m not meant to be here to being on top of it. Yeah. To literally having to have me lining up against my, second blue trophy or Pat having his first like. And Pat had been close to winning before. I mean, he was. Yeah. I mean I think it was it Toledo band. He was the band. Was he. Here’s the wild similarities in his when he lost to lead a band. And he had a big lead that going into that final day, second and third was Patrick Walters and Q fajita. He wins and and and Patrick and Q are sitting on the stage in a two way tie. And the only guy who can break it is Pat. Like, yeah, it’s wild. It’s I don’t know, man. It’s the the way everything’s happened. I don’t know. And I mean, this might be a boring one to watch because it’s not like us goofing around and stuff, but, I just don’t feel like it’s like goofing around time. Like it’s just a time to be appreciative of. Of how. But, I mean, basically how that whole how this whole tournament went down, like, like it was just a cool tarp fishing tournament to watch, like. And I’m not trying to get into all that bull crap like, no, no, it totally was. And like, just like, I don’t care if we would have been out there on 100ft throwing a freaking four inch worm. Like the fact that halfway through the the final day, a dude that had a five and a half penalty, now we’re tied on bass track like, that’s crazy. Like, that’s cool stuff, regardless of who it is. Like it’s turned into a bat, like we’ve turned it. We got a battle going on. Why? Everybody’s tuning in like, it’s cool, it’s good for the sport. I am like, it’s good for bass fishing, regardless of how it gets, you know? But it was cool up in that big stuff. Yeah. Fun. That’s why you had to lose that other one, because it wouldn’t been near as cool a victory like it’s, I mean, to you it would have been. But to the rest of the world, like just that feeling. Yeah. That’s the magic that best track in live bass fishing. Everything is incredible. It’s. It’s what race got dreamed of. Yeah, but there’s some negatives with it. And the fact that you a lot of times know who’s going to win. I mean, it’s huge that this just the feeling that was around. It was very, very cool. And personally I’m thankful because, I got to be here for this one so that, so, so means a lot to me if I’m correct. Right. You don’t look at bass track on the final day, right? No. So you had no idea? No, no, I didn’t have it. I knew it was tied like I knew as we went into it. To be totally honest, it’s funny you said that you were sitting ready to shake his hand. Because I don’t know. I have no idea. But you generally I get a pretty good hunch when the second that the last angler weighs in before the final angler, I get to see, you know, when Lubbock’s light switches and it says he needs. Yeah. And it said he needs 1111 and in my head I thought he’s got it. Yeah. He’s got 1111 I mean 1111. He’s at least I think his smallest bag of wheat was 16 pounds. He had been he had been low in all his bass tracks. And I’m like, that’s kind of right around where he is. He probably has 12 pounds like I thought. So it’s funny that you were prepared to turn and shake his hand, and I literally I tried to be as natural and organic as possible, like, I don’t want to know. And I, I was in my head preparing to announce him as the winner, just because I just assumed, that he had it. But as did I know that old saying you should never assume. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because it made one out of you and me, buddy. I yeah, yeah, for sure, but I was with you. I was like, I know he’s got 12 pounds, like 12 point like. I mean he’s had that, you know, every day easily and obviously a lot more than some, but I don’t know man. It, I don’t know, I can’t it’s still it’s still not sunk in like I maybe will when I get to drive home. Like, if I get this tournament over with, dude, I might go out there, not catch a bass in the next three days and that’ll be okay. Like, that’s fine. It is what it is. I’m just going to go fishing. Because I can’t take the I can’t take the second one away from me, like, yeah, well the one thing you said and you’ve kind of retorted back to it and said, I don’t know why I said that, and I’m glad you did, because you do frigging deserve it. And I’m glad that I was able to be there to announce this one. And I’m going to tell you, I don’t think it’ll be the last one I’m announcing for you. I think you you got more in the future, my friend. Hey, if we’re blessed enough to be able to do this for a while and win a couple more, that’ll be. That’ll be great. But I could never. I could never, like, be not be happy with with the short career I’ve had so far. And it’s like I’ve only I’ve been on the elite series for six years and I fished FLW for two. So, I mean, I’ve, I don’t feel like I fish professionally for eight years, like, it I don’t know, like I said, if I never if I never cut another check again, if I never record another bass in a tournament, like I could never, like, be grateful for what I’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. Like there’s like I said, there’s incredible anglers that I look up to that don’t have those those few accolades and why I’ve been chosen to get them. I, I, I don’t know, I can’t ask why. I get them like, I get them like not crying emotional, but like, I just, I don’t know why me like why me what what what what good am I to like to deserve this? It’s kind of where that I don’t know if I deserve this. You know what I’m saying? Like it might not be like a talent standpoint. Like how good I can finish. Like, I just don’t, I would like to somehow figure out. And maybe I don’t need to, like, why me? Like, why did I deserve to win a second one? In. And again, you’re not supposed to ask why. Like, so I’m going to take the opportunity to, you know, promote everything that I like to promote, share my faith, share my sponsors, you know, enjoy all my family. Let everybody know about bass fishing, how cool it is. And, you know, just I try and be a good person. Like, I try to be a good dude. Like I try to help people. And maybe that’s maybe that’s why I won. So that that can be spread out a little bit more. I don’t know, I hope so. Well, I love watching it. I love being there when it happened and, enjoy it. Dude, you’ve worked hard for it, I appreciate it. And I want to just thank everybody that that’s reached out to me. And, and I want to thank my wife and my parents. And like I said, the Lohans and all my family and friends that that have stuck with me through some, some couple tough months, they always they always said I could, that I was fine and I knew I was where I needed to be. And they weren’t wrong. Amen, Amen. The little bowl of hate. Our little bowl of great has I said on Sunday. And, I think you’ll be right back to. Hey, I mean, you say if I don’t catch another bass, trust me, I know you well enough. Just see, you know. But tell me. Get to Saint Clair. If you don’t catch him, you’re going to be pissed. Yeah, yeah, I’ll be mad. I got to make the classic man. I know my stuff a little. How I got back up into I think, I, I mean, I keep up with the points, I think I got myself back up in the 20s, but when they series catch them, like, we got to catch him three more or two more tournaments. And, you know, we’ll make my that classic special. I don’t care how many you make. You always want to make the next one. So we got a lot of work to do. Go get it done. Wes Logan, ladies and gentlemen, two time Elite Series champion. Love it. Pirates one good virus bunker. He tells the story and then sends you some stuff. It’s back in your life. Ladies and gentlemen, Byron’s bunker. Once again. As the song says, he’s going to tell us a story. That he’s going to sell us some stuff. Byron, how are you? It’s the song I already played, right? Yeah, I love him, mercy. And this song is, like, too much, too funny. She’s so cut and dry, black and white. He’s going to tell his story and then sell us some stuff. I mean, I believe in no transparency. It’s crazy. Yeah, just that’s what it is. There’s no social here. This is like, buy my eBay stuff because I don’t want it anymore. I want. Life is good though. Oh, gosh. It’s summertime. I just took my daughter and her friend over here to the lake, and they’re hanging out in Burning Lake right now, getting some sun, because the u.v. factor is 12, whatever that means. These kids nowadays, they don’t they don’t go out unless the UV factor is a certain number, like the sun is out, there’s no clouds. Go tanning. You know, my daughter’s like, well, no, the UV factor has to be above ten for it to be worthwhile going out. I’m like all these kids now. Have you factor Mercer? I’m serious. They have you, me factor on their phone. And if it’s they, they do all their stuff outside based on what their phone tells them. They’re like, just go put it on your shorts and bathing suits and go to the beach. Yeah. Sometimes you got a good tan, sometimes you just. It’s kind of like fishing. I mean, people, people have apps and things that tell them nowadays. I mean, it’s not people used to just go fishing, but, True. Yeah. We, apps to tell you everything. Now, sadly, I have to show you how to get around. So we forgot how to navigate without a phone. We used to have. You know, Rand McNally Atlas is in our head, knew where to make turns and landmarks. And the smartphones have made us a lot, lot more stupid. A lot of dumb smartphones make us dumb. Really? We don’t remember people’s phone numbers and we don’t know how to get around. So every landmark we used to use and everywhere is navigate. Our brains are becoming mush because of smartphones. But that’s another show. Gosh, that’s depressing, but it’s true right? Back up anymore without a camera. Like if you tried to back up and hook up the guy. I used to hook up my boat all the time. No problem. Yeah. And now if, like, I had an issue a year ago where my backup camera stopped working on my truck, and I swear to you, I was six feet from it, I’m like, oh, that should be good. And then that’s a, for example, Mercer like you could before you could look at your two fenders of your trailer, you knew your truck, and you could put that ball almost on the dime of the hitch just by sensory perception. And now you are lost as a go with your backup camera being off. That is so funny and so true. Perfect example. Well, you’ve got dumber because of your smartphone and your smart camera, just like I have. Yeah, yeah, all of us. Well things evolve. Yeah. Big part of technology is forward facing sonar and fire and Velvick. You were the freaking forefather. I mean, you were part of the gang. The forward facing sonar boom, boom, boom point in that direction. I don’t know how these cameras are. Point right. There it is. They’re there, I got it, I understand, see, I got you this right. There you go. Forward facing sonar nine years ago. Sons of fishes. The Garmin ad. Sons of fishes. And it’s so funny because, you know, it was the most primitive, most primitive, forward facing. Sorry. You can imagine. Just like some kind of a tornado out there. If you remember this. Yeah. It was just these lines, and then you had to make sense of these lines, and it was like. It was like reading a radar on a submarine kind of is what it was like. And he were on a salary trying to read radar scans and and somewhere in the middle, there was some kind of a thing that might have been, a line that was supposed to be a fish instead of one of the other lines. And Garmin, Sons of fishes. Man, I hope you put the link on there for the thing. Will you do that? Can you? I will, I will for the link to the fish. This was cool. Bill dance. Brett Chapman. Scott Martin, me. Gosh, I can’t remember all the guys that were there, but they they asked us all to go do, cool ad nine years ago for the pioneering of what was forward facing sonar. Back then, it was just I can see fish in front of the boat now and I can catch them. And, it was a couple actors. The two people that do the most talking are two actors. And and they left us with they let us take all the clothing at the end. So that is that is it right there. I got to give it. So this was so cool. Tons of fish is on the back. On the front you got the little sunset. That’s and it was this. And that was the best we wore. I actually I think I sent you some pictures of me and Scott Martin just kind of cutting up afterwards. And they made us where, you know, we had to get all slicked out. So, you know, I don’t have a bathroom. Like I told you, this has to get sold on eBay because I have no use for this. I’m not going to wear this out. This is I. I am not a mason. I, put it on one last time right now. I could see you at Party Cove shirtless, wearing the sons of fish. You got the wrong man, de Mercer. He got the wrong man. Living fans going. Hey, I just covered up my Livingston logo. Sorry, Eric. Yeah, but they pointed out when you covered it up. That’s a pro move right there. There’s a pro movie cover up your sponsor for what you’re selling on eBay. But yeah, I, I, you know, I was joking to you about this. I’m like, I sold Ike and Ellie’s jersey a while ago, and I’m going through all this stuff, and I don’t do a bass cave anymore. So this leather, this letter thing, somebody is going to dig it. It’s one of a kind, that’s for sure. Pretty cool, So that commercial was cutting edge. I mean, at the time, it was also on the heels of Sons of Anarchy being the biggest show ever of the time. Obviously, that’s where Sons of Bitches came from. But what was that experience like? Like, what is it like getting all dressed up in leather with Bill dance? Oh, you. I hope you put the pictures up too, because, you know, they they gave us bandanas and they told me to grow my beard out, you know, and Scott Mart was trying to look as rough is pretty boy. Scott. Good luck. I guess I was trying to look like a biker and they put tattoos on him and he’s like, yeah, I’m like, it’s still pretty boy. Scott, you know, you ain’t gonna make the grade as a biker. He’s, he’s he’s the handsome the handsome guy bike club. And I got all dressed up. I was working out a lot at the time, and, man, it was so cool to get with all those guys. Bill, dance and everybody. We were all having a great time. We got invited down to somewhere outside of Tulsa. It was at a biker bar. It was a real cool place. Just. They found this place they had. It was a major production. I used to do TV commercials years ago when I was a kid. I forgot out of college that help me make the money I needed to make, along with golf, bowling, to go fishing. And so the TV commercials, it was just like a full blown TV commercial. Stay out of all the catering there. They had all the production do. They hired two actors to do all the talking. So the one kid and the old rough man are actually just professional actors, and then the rest of us, we’re kind of the talking pros and the cameo guys. And, and it was it was it was an amazing experience. And who knew then that little nine years ago infancy of of what they know, I panoptic looking in front of you sonar thing that looks forward. You know, forward facing sonar would become all that. So Garmin was pioneering it and it was primitive. And it was awesome to be a part of the beginning of it. And I wish I would learn how to use it. So you were a part of the commercial, but you never really. Dude, I could make sense of it. None of us could. I mean, even to each other. We were talking to each other and like the younger guys, even then, I forgot who it was. But the one younger guy that was there, and. And I’m. I’m bummed out, but I can’t remember who it was now. But he was talking about how he actually saw fish coming through that submarine radar. That is what it looked like. I mean, it was a hodgepodge of electronics, just kind of staring at you on the screen. And he said, oh, there’s this thing that came off the bottom, and they were coming to the top, and all of a sudden I saw the fish schooling, and we were all like, oh my gosh, really? And he goes, yeah, I actually saw him one time coming up. And then they started screwing out from my boat. The rest of us were like, no way! Because it was so new and we had it on our boats. But it was hard to make sense of it because it didn’t look like anything, like the Garmin stuff. It was. It was night and day compared to what we got going on now, which is, you know, you can see the tail, the fish swimming. It’s just not you’ve been having a little fun with it on your lake stuff. So I had a kid that I’m having fun watching the young guys do it. I had a kid hire me for two days of all swim mates. You know, he. He got a hold of me and I got it on my thing. And the instructional swim bait only. And so this kid is, amazing. Dylan. And Dylan’s. Dylan’s a high school champion. He’s going to. He’s got a full ride scholarship to college. For an Alabama for bass fishing. He’s just 19 years old and I took him out. I showed him a whole day worth of soft plastics were amazing. And we did a whole day of hard baits. And he says, I don’t care if we catch a fish or not, but he goes, I really want you to help me with forward facing sonar. I’m Clyde Bates, and I’m like, I can help you with glide baits and hard baits, but the forward facing sonar thing, I mean, I have it all on my boat, right? Like the best arm and mates. But, I let him play with the settings. Thank God I let him do all. I go get in the front of the boat, I’m going to watch you, and I’m going to show you where to go, to show you what to do. And I’m going to show you the baits to use. I’m going to show you how to weight the baits. I’m gonna show you how to work the baits. I’m going to show you every trick I’ve ever had for 30 years of swim bait fishing. So I gave him everything I could give him and it was a lot. It was two days worth. We had to break it into two days of soft plastic like I said, the first day and, and then, hard bass the second day. And he caught his first glide bait. That was a seven pounder. Can you I don’t know, can you put that video on? I don’t that’s me. He put a lot of pressure on me. You tell me to put links, put videos. Don’t worry about bunkers, dude. Supposed to be low maintenance lift so you can see the glide in the water. You can see the Livingston six inch Viper bro. And it’s because it’s got all that electronics in it. It’s giving off this huge signal because it’s got a speaker and a microchip and a battery and stuff. So it’s a super loud bait visually, and it’s out there 60, 70ft. Dave. And you just see the the six inch glide coming. And I’m back there filming like just casually filming and I’m all excited how well we can see the Livingston Glide, the way he set up all the electronics and has and he’s on the front of my boat. And then we see the fish coming out of the grass straight for it at about 30, 40ft and then about 20ft is I go, oh my gosh, he’s coming for he’s coming for it. And I’m still chipping in and I’m filling, taking the screen and I videotape and then my video screen a video to him and he goes, I got him. And he sets the hook. He goes, I think it’s a striper. And he starts yelling, goes, no, it’s a big bass. And he reels it up and he both flips a seven pounder at Canyon Lake during our instructional guide day. And he go do that. Goes that your first fish on a glide. He goes, yeah. And I go online. School begins. Yeah. And he’s like lit up and his dad is all excited. His dad didn’t come with him. But 19 year old kid, he’s like the next superstar on bass are showing he’s crushing everything out there. And and he’s, and he’s, he’s just he’s a great guy. But but it was a it was a cool experience for me to watch Dave and see how how it looks to see a big fish eat a glide bait on four facing sonar, you know, 30, 30ft out, 20ft out, all that stuff you talked before about being on the cutting edge of sight, fishing in general. Just just traditional side fishing. Was that any less exciting? If you watch the video, I think Let Me See is going to post it pretty soon. And when you see this video, I’m squealing like I’m I’m still like, everybody made fun of me for how excited I got, but I’m in the driver’s seat of the boat and I’m so happy for this chair. I’m excited to see this kid. The first day we went out, he said, I don’t know anything about swim. It’s like, I don’t know anything all about swim, bait fishing. And I said, well, you know, I’m glad you guys got a hold of me. He goes, that’s his weakest link. You know, I liken it to a kid that likes tournament fishing and say, you’re a tennis player and Andre Agassi has the best serve out there. So you hire Agassi just to teach you about a surf. Yeah. Dylan hired Biffle. He got a hold of Biffle and used before for flipping and pitching. So he’s already been with with Tommy before. And then he goes, man, he goes, I want you for swim baits. I want you to teach me everything you know. And he goes, you’re not on the tour anymore. You got nothing to lose by telling me everything. You’re not going to hold anything back. I’m like, I’m your guy, man. I’m your huckleberry on this one. And it was exciting. It was more exciting. Dave, to answer your question, watching this kid’s days come together, watch him catch him on the soft plastics the first day, catching him on the big bass tracks. And, and the big Ray goes and him understanding. He’s such a good fisherman. He picked up on it so fast, like I was watching I go by the end of the first day, I go, you got the soft stuff all down. Now, whether it’s fishing around the marinas or skipping under docks, all the swimming tricks I got. And so the next day was hard baits and I’m. I know you saw the video. I was so excited and I was going nuts, like, I’m going now because I saw two days worth of education come to where I think he’s going to be. I’m going to watch him on television, throw a swim baits. I’m going to feel a sense of big, big pride, you know what I mean? Yeah. Because I’m not in the future. On TV and I’m going to be like that kid. And I spent two days on Canyon Lake and it was awesome. Just awesome. Wow. Wow. Very cool. Anything weird or bizarre happened when you were shooting that commercial? Geez. Anything weird bizarre happen? That was nine years ago. Dave. I’m so old, I can’t remember anything too weird or bizarre. No, it was just a standard day. You and Bill de or the actor? I’m glad they kept it in for the one piece that you’ll probably get, which is the long one, because the short commercial was cut up a lot and the actor was getting he couldn’t stop laughing about Cut and Dry Bill dance. So there’s that point at the end, he goes, this guy cracked. That was it scripted. That was just the actor thinking that we were done with. The shooting goes, this guy cracks me up because Bill was he was he was dry as could be. And that when camera is on and then he’s making everybody laugh hysterically when the camera’s off, but he goes, give me your patch. And the guy goes, you crack me up because it was Bill. Dance had us in stitches the whole time he was he was rolling with it, you know, and Bill, Bill and Bill had no use for for chasing sonar and all this electronic stuff. He was just like, okay, Bill shows up, but what is he got to do with any new electronics being in the club? Because the whole concept was for fish. The Sons of Fishes was a bass club and they they were all moving over on their electronics, you know. So it was, it was Bill dance was the best year to spend two days working with him was incredible. And then we just had a great time. And, you know, I think we drank a whole bunch of alcohol at the bar while we were shooting. So some of us, I won’t say who, but some of us in that shoot might have been a couple of sheets in by the time they use the final cut. So it was, it was it was a good time to be had for all in that show. But you were definitely one of those, right? Well, I had to be a biker, you know, I think I had a, I had a skull actor. I heard I’m like that. I was newly divorced. So I was definitely looking away. My I was I had the divorce diet going on. You know, the divorce diet when you lose like 30 pounds because of stress? No. I thought people just lose weight because their divorce is like, I got to be appealing to other humans all of a sudden again, not ever get the divorce diet. It’s I don’t want it. I don’t want any divorce. And and I was losing weight through it. I went back to my high school wife. I was working out a lot, so I was this freaky looking dude. Everybody made jokes about how I looked because I look at it now and I’m like, God, that was a different Byron. But I mean, I had alcohol involved as well, but it was it was a lot of fun. It was a super cool shoot. I just wish I would learn for facing someone. I’m I’m learning nowadays that I’m just too old. And I’ve tried everything and I’ve realized these kids are a different generation. And I watch that kid, and he can keep that cone on that bait, and the wind’s blowing and the boat shifting, and it’s second nature for him to watch his bait the whole time. And I’m watching the boat do, like 180 degrees, and yet he’s just sitting there and I’m watching the screen. I’m like, this is why these kids kick our butt right here. Like, like, you know, I I’m up there and I’m like a monkey trying to procreate with a football. So we use a better term. So great way to put it. You know, I said procreate, I said I’m a monkey. Procreate. Anyway, everybody knows. Everybody listen to the podcast. Otherwise it’s just you and me. I’m not even a different thing. I’m out there on the front, and, I mean, I’m. I’m falling over and I gotta get my butt seed. And where’s the cone? And where’s my lure? And where am I at? And, you know, I mean, us all men. You can’t stand up on the front of the boat. This kid’s up there surfing with the cone in the the. And those were his betas. And he’s catching fish one after another. And I’m like, this is so far removed from what I’m capable of doing. I don’t care how many years I spent out there. I’m just too old to do it. I believe now there’s an age problem. Yeah. You could. You’re in the first. I mean, you were sons of fish is you could have been. I’ve run a Yamaha outboard for over 30 years. It has got me home safe each and every time. If you enjoyed this podcast, remember Yamaha supports it and they care enough about you to make this ad read very short. You better check it out. I was too old. The problem was I don’t have it. I didn’t grow up with an iPad in my hand. I wasn’t in diapers with an iPad. I wasn’t watching everything I ever watched on a thing. My daughter is navigating my electronics better than I am. My daughter hates fishing. She goes out on my boat. She’s like, dad, it’s easy and she flips around and stuff. I’m like, you don’t even know how to use a Garmin. She goes, well, I know what you’re trying to do. And I’m like, she’s a 13 year old girl. Back then she was 11 or 12 and she’s just like redoing my electronics for me. And she doesn’t fish. I’m like, oh, forget it. I give up. So I’m just selling everything. Yeah, yeah, you know what? I’ll throw a swim bait. You know how I go. I throw a frog in a swim bait. I’ll fight fish when spring comes along. I’ll go side fishing. But but I since I retired, you know, it’s it’s it’s easy to retire when you see how dominant is. And even locally around here, there’s 1 or 2 guys that catch 15 to 20 pounds in a tournament at at Amistad. Danny Brower this last tournament had 8 or 9 pounds. All my friends had seven to no more than 10 pounds. And then two live sculptures were duking it out, one at 20 and one at 17, and then the rest of the guys had 12 or less. And it’s that’s, it’s it’s crazy the dominance that this is and it’s crazy also that all these guys that I see, most of them for the most part with the rare exception, you know, they’re under 30, you know, no more than 30, 35 and usually a lot younger than that because I think they just have a they just have a knack. And I don’t think an old guy can can harness that because we didn’t grow up with the electronics. They did. And I see it, you know, I see it loud and clear. Okay. I, I don’t know how much time we have. I think I don’t tell you the story at the US open where, you know, Brian. Ryan. What? The guy that won Brian. Smith. Schmidt. Schmidt. Brian Schmidt won the US open. He was Ryan Smith. I got tank, I hung out with him all weekend. Listen, we got a guy in the elite series called Brian Schmidt, and then we got another guy called Brian Smith. How does that work out for you? I stay across threads for my brain. Every time I come for you on stage. I swear to you. And and the evilness of the universe. Several times they’ve taken off, like, right beside each other. And I’m like, the universe hates me. It I swear to you, a lot of times people will see you on stage and think you’re pretty relaxed. I panic every time I say their names. Like, that guy literally panicked when you were like, hey guys, guide that one. That and I know exactly. I was hanging out with him on the weekend. I mean, he’s a great dude, a great angler. But anyways, continue your story. Do not ask me to say his name again. Brian Smith yeah, I, I just I was fishing around him. Okay. In practice there was this kid and I wish I remember his name from Arkansas. He came up and he was one of these super live scalpers, you know, the super live scalpers because they have the propellers on their power poles. You know, they have the power pole propellers. And he had his boat broke down. He was up in Lake Mojave. He was up and he had broke down, and he had his boat beached and he was taking on water. I was trying to help him. I said, hey, I want to make sure you don’t spend the night out here stranded like we talked about I was before. And I go, I want to help you make sure. So I came back and checked on him and he had his propellers on his power poles and and he was alive. Scope where you could tell from everything. He had boat, raft and everything. That young kid out there all the time live scope. And every time I saw him in practice. So I got to be friends with him by trying to help him. The last day of practice or second last day of practice. During the tournament, I’m fishing an area at the U.S. open. Fish in the bank like all the old guys do. Throw on top water like all the old fishing shallow. You know, we have a lot of boats. All of us lost boats are fishing the bank, doing the normal stuff. Grass lines, points, rocks, all the stuff for fish used to live on. That’s what we were doing. And out there is the armada of live sculptures, including this kid from Arkansas and in the middle of the Armada. I see Brian Smith going around. Just pick it up. And Smith Ryan Smith. Bryant. Bryant. Smith. Smith. Okay. Bryant Smith not Brian Smith. No Brian Schmidt. And then there’s Bryant Smith. So Bryant I’m putting a T I got to put a T at the end of Bryant’s. Yes. Bryant Smith is putting on a clinic. And he’s zipping around out there Dave. And he’s like going pop pop. And I’m watching all these Wes Coast guys and this Arkansas kid out there. And I see Bryant Bryant. Yes. Dude that’s tough. Dude, I don’t envy you one bit. I see I said a hard name to say individually, but when you put them together I see I see the winner of the open. Okay, I’m gonna go with this. I see the winner of the open out there, and he’s putting on a clinic, and I go see the kid at the doc after the tournament. I’m like, man, you were out there with him. What was going on? He goes, dude, he goes, I’m a really good live sculptor. And that guy is great. He goes, there are good life sculptors like him. Very, very good live sculptures. Then there’s the super great guys. Then you realize how far removed you are. Yeah, the dude, the monkey procreating with the football in the front of the boat. Not sure exactly where your boat is. And then I hear there’s great ones, there’s good ones and there’s great ones. And I’m telling you, Dave, it’s like back in the day when safe fishing was relatively new and I’d been doing it for 20 years, I could go out and run circles around guys on beds. If they were fishing a bad fish, I’d let them catch them. I I’d go back and catch the female like I knew, and when I pulled into a coach, I’d see ten guys bad fishing. I’d make an order where those ten guys were located, and then I would at the end of me catching whatever fish I want, I went and check every one of where those ten guys were, because sometimes they catch the 3 pound male and they leave and the 7 pound female would pull up. I had all the tricks and all the techniques and all the secrets with putting stuff in the water to make it calm down so you don’t see. So you get rid of the Ripper. All the tricks I had. Well, fast forward what I used to have when I was, super proficient, bad fishing early on. That’s what those live sculptures have now. Those superlative sculptures, the the Bryant Smiths of the world, those guys are light years ahead of the good live sculptures. That’s kind of where I sell the hierarchy. And then I realized some of us out there that can’t even find our bait in the cone, we we have no business even doing it. That’s my that’s my spiel. And that’s why I’m getting rid of this light scope fast. So you you are EPA and the sons of fish. His vest. Oh, yeah. I got to put that on there this week. You know what? Because we’re doing this, podcast. I said, if we’re going to talk live scope, if we’re going to talk forward facing sonar, if we’re gonna talk about Dylan out there catching seven pounders on my lake and my boat with a freaking Livingston glide bait, the six inch glide, it’s like I’m. I’m going to sit there and go ahead and sell the vest. In honor of Dave Mercer’s podcast and and, and forward facing sonar. It’s just something I want to see what it goes for. I’m gonna do a ten day auction, and I’m just going to see what what that brings. Who knows what it’s going to go for. I’ll start at, like 150 bucks and hopefully somebody at least pay more 150 bucks for it. And what else are we selling? And you said you got lots of new stuff coming up. Yeah. Thank you for asking because I got a bunch of it here. I asked you about this real. So I don’t know anything about these, but apparently this haveo real. Are these magnesium, these magnesium rails that weigh about three ounces, three point something ounces, and they’re all magnesium and carbon fiber. So you said it looks like a Shimano kind of. What are you saying about this? Well, it’s got that kind of a Shimano vibe to it. I don’t know if it’s so I don’t know. These are all made overseas and have yo has all these different variations. I but this one’s called the the arise. So I looked it up online and these things are like 400 or 500 bucks apiece if you can find them. And it’s just, it’s just this, where is that thing at? I want my glasses on so I can show you stuff because I’m squinting like the old man. This is also, I can’t do foreign facing sonar. Just got my glasses to do it. How do you do? How do you do for a business owner if you don’t? But yeah, these are crazy. These. Okay, we got some reels. Have your reels. What else we got? I’m going to get rid of all of my, That’s the whole box of liverworts. I saw the bunch already when I did your last one. And some of these, like this one. I caught so many fish on it. Like the paint’s been chewed off the thing. So this is one of my absolute favorite wiggle words. A couple of them that I modified. This one. I changed the hooks out. I went to small hooks. But these are all original wiggle words because they said, well, we’re already at the bottom. I was told that Brody of the Lake educated me. He does his eBay store and he goes, you can read wiggle word on the bottom. That helps a lot because it’s they’re authentic and they’re all like I said, this one caught so many fish. The only reason I’m selling is cuz I’ll never fish on another wiggle word lake again. And so I’ll just show you around. That’s the crazy eBay realm right there so far. That’s the bunker, dude. That’s the small part of it. The garage is full of so much more shit. That’s all. Wiggle words. This is a whole bunch of stuff. There’s more of those swim baits that I sold. Thank you for for telling me about the slim baits that I got rid of. These things sold for crazy. Those are the original glide baits and these are all my old boxes. So like I was talking about, can you see this? It’s your actual tournament boxes. These are my tournament boxes. These are all my lucky craft. Those are my man’s 30 pluses. That man’s made for me. Some of the custom colors. That’s a bunch of river to see stuff. That’s a bunch of live target stuff. I know you got a bunch of live target stuff, but I’m getting rid of all my tournament boxes because I’m not fishing tournaments anymore, and that’s all golf stuff there and a bunch of golf I get right now, I guess. Golf pretty hot. So you can see all that. I have to ask Brody at the lake, I go, Brody, he has the eBay store. I go, Brody, what’s selling right now? And swim baits are definitely not selling because it’s not the right time of year. So what I’m learning days right now, it’s big worms, big power worms, deep crank baits. And I’ve learned with eBay you got to kind of put out there whatever is the hottest thing going for the season. Obviously, frogs, buzz baits, timing, timing. So I need to call you and find out what the fish are being caught on in tournaments. You know, Brody was like, hey, last couple tournaments are being won on big worms, power worms and other ten and 12 inch worms. I got a ton of that Berkley stuff over there. And then I’m north. They’re using a bunch of the golf stuff, so I’m selling a bunch of that. All that old golf stuff I have that hasn’t dried up and turn into beef jerky, because a lot of it does dry up and turn into beef jerky. You don’t want to sell that. And then any bait that I’ve caught them on that I don’t think I’m ever going to throw again. I’m like, I’m not going to fish tournaments. Somebody else will take this little wig award that’s caught so many fish for me. Hopefully somebody that fishes tournaments, that’s in the area that loves them, you know, and is like, man, I could use a really good, super effective wiggler and I don’t need it. I’m never going to go back to Missouri. I’m not going to be in Tamarack. I’m not going to be anywhere. There’s a hot bite on wiggle word, so why not give it to somebody else? And that’s the altruistic side of it, is I’m getting a kick out of all the people that are riding me and they’re like, oh my God, how do you still have that? I’ll take all that you have. Or what colors do you have? Or do you have more of these Berkley Purple power worms? Because they don’t make purple anymore. And it’s I have no idea what to discontinue. That’s the coolest part of this whole thing. They’ve no idea what’s been discontinued until they write. People write me your fan stompers. Well very cool. So how do they find you? Once again, for those who don’t know, Byron’s bunker is how they find me. So you. I know you helped out a lot, but now they can Google Byron’s bunker. EBay changed their thing and now you can go on and search on eBay. Byron’s bunker. And it doesn’t look like you’re trying to buy Byron’s bunker because they used to. It was pretty archaic. It’s barely. God, Brody and I were talking about this because Brody’s Mr. eBay Brody of the Lake and eBay changed their search engine because I had a one hour conversation after the Bassmaster Classic with the guy at the classic that said, dude, I can’t find you on eBay. He goes, if I type in Byron’s bunker, it looks like I’m trying to buy a Byron’s bunker. That’s the way I’ve had it set up. No joke. Dude. Look, if you want to put in Brody on the lake, you’re trying to buy a Brody of the lake like it’s a damn item, right? So after a long call with eBay, they changed their thing. And now if you go into their search engine, you just put in Brody Lake or Byron’s bunker. We actually come up as a as a seller and they didn’t have that before. So that’s kind of cool that they eBay change their program. But if they can’t find me there, Google Byron’s bunker and and just let me know let me know. You found me on Mercer. I’ll try to throw in some extra stuff like I’ve done before. You know, I, I got a lot of cool bass to sell, and I just appreciate all the jumpers and and I’m going to put about 100 things on now that we’re doing this show, so it’ll be fun. Nice. Check it out this week. Byron’s bunker. You could own the very the original. The only Sons of Fish is the only one of a kind. Any of them. There’s probably 7 or 8 of them out there in existence, because they’re only 7 or 8 of us in the show. And after you watch it, this would be cool for somebody. This is a cool man cave. This needs to be in somebody’s man cave that’s really in the fishing. That’s what somebody needs to put that up on their wall because that’s that is one of a kind. He’s Mercer. You should bet on it. I might, I might your sign it I assume if if somebody wants, I’ll sign it. But I don’t want to lower the value. That’s what I mean. You’re you’re a sons of fish. I could I could sign it right there. Yeah. Sons of fishers. And put the year the year that was done. I want to say it was nine years ago, but I could actually if somebody wants that number, call Scott Mart and tell me he’s to sell his two. He probably lost his. Scott Martin’s is gone somewhere. I’ll find out where he put his. Yeah, yeah, well, thanks for having me on, man. And, you know, I check out all the stuff I listed. Hey, I know if you need anything, you can always ask me. Mercer. I don’t know what kind of talk you might want, but, man, I got a lot of stuff you do checking out Byron’s bunker, and, he’ll be back here next month with regardless with more stories and tell us more stuff. Thanks for having me on my uppers. The always entertaining Byron Velvick. And if you get a chance, head on over to Byron’s Bunker. I’ll put the link down below in the description. Make sure to check that out. It’s always awesome to hear from him in here. So how supportive you guys are. And as you saw, he’s got lots of neat, bizarre and cool things. So make sure you check that out. I think Wes Logan for doing this show. And I thank you guys for tuning in. And before hear it in the comments, there’s some of you wondering where’s the clutch inclusion? Rick Klein will join the show next week with his clutch inclusion from ten killer. We’ll also be joined by Jake Letendre with Jake’s take from ten killer. I’ll be honest, this show was just getting too long to squeeze them all in there. And and I mean, well, it’s efficiencies and I’m going fishing, so, I mean, I think of all groups of people. That’s an acceptable excuse to you. Fine. Folks, I thank you for tuning in each and every week. Have a great week. Get out and go fishing. Enjoy being. And as always, Bob Cobb, take it away. Thanks for watching. Please like comment and subscribe. Because Bob Cobb of the Bass Masters told you to, you hear?
36 Comments
I'm always on Byron's trail
I always look forward to Wednesday’s, love me some Mercer!
Finally was the first to like and comment from a real profile 😂
Wes Logan looks with hate and Brock Mosley looks at the scale like he’s gonna puke or have diarrhea on Dave’s feet 😂😂😂
I've known Wes since he was in diapers he grew up with my nephew they played high school football with together other ..congratulations Wes awesome job
Yeah Dave,its kinda like he has the best way points at every event. Imagine that.
Hey Humper’s, Happy Humpday all & Thanks for watching. Please remember to like & subscribe. Here are the links I promised
Check out Byron Bunker – https://ebay.us/m/vE7yJP
Check out the AOA podcast I did- https://www.buzzsprout.com/2141377/episodes/16794893
Wes congrats! He is funny definitely wound up ! I thought he won by 2oz ! Apparently not ! Was a fun one for sure ! Limmit's out the WA ZOO !😅😅😅 PEACE DAVE!
Great show and Wes you are good enough or you wouldn't be fishing Elite or have won 2 Blue ones. Stand tall dude. Im 78 years old and took 50 years to win my 2nd team tournament with a bunch of okay finishes. You will get another, have faith in your ability.
Love those tight tournys! That was a fun one. I was looking forward to hearing Wes talk about it. And a good follow up with Byron 😎
Haha Byron thought you could pull that commercial up like Panger does. Thought Bryant Smith was from California. Good one Dave see you and Mr.Clunn in a week.👍👍👍👍👍
Great show Dave Where is our Jakes Take Jake is the man like his behind the scenes stuff i will let you slide this time Dave
Awesome show tonight!! I’m so happy for Wes and Byron seems like he might be the funnest dude to hang with! You need to figure out a way to get him working for B.A.S.S. Our sport needs more people like him!
Logan was one of best…spontaneous honesty!!!
Great show as always Dave!! Wes is a great dude!
Wow your face must be sore from Smiling so long, two of the best story tellers ever, with the best host of fishing shows ever. Gotta say last Event you in the morning plus you and Jess n bo knows is turning into, with all the guest, best part of live broadcast, anyway good show as always thnxs Mercer. Bman
Congratulations Wes he will always be my favorite fisherman I met him at the Classic this year and he is one of the nicest guys I know it could not have happened to a better guy well deserved Wes!
Whats up Dave, I appreciate all the Podcasts. You do a great job with the LIVE and weigh-ins. Tenkiller was an awesome tournament. Looking forward to the last two tournaments and the AOY race. Here is some gas money, go catch some fish! Enough work.
Good job Wes!
Great show as always . The hardest worker at his trade are usually the most humble. Thats what makes them great and what keeps them humble. We definitely will see more from Wes . I live on the Lake Byron was talking about , Canyon Lake . I have been a fan of Byron since he was on The bachelor . We have fished the same Thursday nighters tournaments a few times . Unfortunately Canyon lake is 30' low as all the lakes in south west and central Texas are extremely low . We cant even get boats on the water here and brother it sux . I have lived on Canyo for 28 years and if I could pull up roots and relocate I would do it . Even though im old and struggling with live scope i still need that excitement that I fill when i fish a tournament . Going from pretty much two tournaments a week in my back yard to maybe one a month a 100 miles away has me depressed . We need rain and better water management . The good news is I know ever Wednesday you will put out another very well dune interview and I thank you for that .
Dave, Bro…if you’re in danger blink.
Great show. Congrats to Wes.
40 years ago I knew guys that trolled for trout and salmon on the Great Lakes that aimed their flasher behind the boat. They’d get their bait in the beam and watch the fish follow it and very their presentation accordingly. I think if trolling was allowed guys would have figured out how to catch the fish they are targeted with ffs years ago.
Great show Dave
I watched for 5 min. and what a great job thanks. can't wait to hear all of it
Another great one Dave. Your pod really brings the fans closer to the anglers. You are good at what you do keep it up.
Byron's Bunker is 100% the best place for old fishing stuff! I can't wait till he sells some swag from all the women he's…… his lucky # is 3!
Gread pod dave! Sadly his lifeline went to jail… so hes gotta "bunk" his stuff for a couple bucks 😭
Heres to the Byron's condom fund
Very happy for Wes!! You have to have Cody Meyer and Byron on together. I swear they have the same personality. Would be an awesome show!!
Dave, I get the name you gave him. Hate=Intensity. I was in the weigh-in line with Wes at Lacrosse 2019 when he realized he lost it. Painful. He looked like someone shot his dog. Love his passion.
Enjoyed the pod cast !! 👌👌
Great show Dave!
Oddly enough, I fished a tournament with my wife had to use balance beam to cull she said either one could be called i told her every ounce counts . We were watching wes use to call fish and at end of day when he won by ounce I told her that why I used balance beam
,it's nice to see u still kicking!
Any hints on whose on next time? 😂 Wes was great
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