I was always told as a kid growing up that you are judged by the company you keep. In other words, it’s important that you choose your friends wisely. This is also important when it comes to tournament bass fishing.
In each tournament, especially multi-day events, it’s important to have the right guys in the house you’re staying in. Guys that you trust and have the same moral and ethical values as yourself. Anglers that will come to your rescue on and off the lake if you have a problem.
Over the years I have fished all over the South and I have chosen who I travel with very carefully. There are several traits that make good roommates on the road. First and foremost, you have to trust the people you’re sharing a house with. I’m not talking about stealing or tearing the place up, but a person who when he says something, you can trust he’s telling the truth.
Some guys like to share information, but you must be careful and proceed with caution with the info you receive — even from the guys you’re staying with. There are anglers that will lead you astray and send you down a rabbit hole just to eliminate you from being in contention.
Understand this, bass fishermen are a different breed of people and love nothing more than winning. Oh, we all hope everyone in the house does well, but rest assured, each one of us wants to win!
The next trait I’m looking for in a good roommate on the road is attitude. Nothing is worse than having a guy in the house that has a poor attitude or rubs people the wrong way. It can make for a very long week of fishing when there’s one guy who the rest of the house can’t stand.
There are some guys that are always negative and like to drag others down with them. Fortunately for me, I’ve never had that experience before. But that’s because I choose the guys I’m traveling with very carefully.
The final thing that is very important in a good housemate is if he is financially stable. This can be a problem if one guy can’t pull his weight and pony up the money necessary to take care his share of house expenses.
I’ve always said, “If you can’t afford the expenses involved in tournament fishing like house rent, food, boat gas, entry fees, insurance etc., then you don’t need to be fishing tournaments!”
No one, and I mean no one, has been as fortunate as I have when it comes to great housemates on the road. I have never encountered one angler who I would later think, “He’ll never stay with me again!”
For the last 10 years the guys who have been a part of our road crew are Brett Hortman, Walt Stevens, Adrian James, Brennan Flick and Cole Garrett. These guys are as good as gold and guys that I have nothing but great respect for. Not one time have we had an issue with anyone in the house. I’ve also had the privilege of staying with Albert Collins and Clayton Boulware, who are both great anglers but even better people.
We’ve all had some great tournaments and some that weren’t so good. But the one thing I always knew, I could trust each and every one of them no matter what. Whether it was fixing a flat tire or making repairs on our boats, I could always count on these guys.
I always felt that if one of us was in contention to win, the rest of the house would help in any way we could. Finding guys like these is hard today with so many anglers fishing selfishly.
To wrap this up, if you’re a young angler and getting into tournament bass fishing, choose who you travel with wisely. It will give great peace of mind knowing that if you have a problem, one of your guys will go out of their way to help you.