Hawk Talk - Roy Takes Us On the Trail
Posted by Roy Hawk on Apr 22nd 2021
By Roy Hawk
The life of a professional tournament angler is multifaceted — it can be complex, exciting, exhilarating, frustrating and heartbreaking all at the same time. For me this season stacks up to be one unlike any other I have faced. I'm excited to share my journey with you right here on the Inside Line.
A Full Schedule
I have got a really full tournament schedule this year. The Bass Pro Tour is going to some awesome fisheries: Sam Rayburn, Lake Travis, the Harris Chain, Chickamauga, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, and Lake St. Clair. The Texas lakes fit my style of fishing well. Rayburn has some real giants in it and we're definitely going to be there at the right time. Travis fishes a lot like a western lake, it's a deep canyon style lake that reminds me a lot of Mead.
In addition to the BPT, I am going to fish five to six MLF Toyota Series Events to try to qualify through their Traveler's Region for their Championship as well. I'll be fishing all across the country, some out West, some in the Central, and some up North. This is the first year for the Traveler's Region and I am looking forward to having the flexibility to make it work with my schedule.
I still love fishing out West. I got to fish the AZ Open earlier this year, and of course there is the US Open. It's a really awesome tournament and it's one of my favorites. I feel winning that event in 2015 really helped to establish my career. I always plan my season around it. Winning or doing well can make a big impact on your life and it really did that for me.
When I'm home I spend a lot of time with my family, but I'll still sneak out and fish some local team tournaments with my buddy Mark White. Mark and I have been fishing tournaments together for some 30 years now. We're a pretty good team, we've got a lot of practice fishing together.
Sponsors – New and Old
I’m pretty excited to have a new boat and motor sponsor for 2021. I’ll be running a Phoenix 921 Elite with a Mercury 250 Pro XS. Phoenix builds a great boat and the people are just awesome to work with.
My Phoenix is everything I could ask for in a bass boat. It’s lightning fast, handles great, tames rough water and is an awesome fishing platform. It's just a great looking boat, and the fit and finish is second to none. I am really impressed with the little details.
It’s easy for me to see that a lot of thought went into the design of the boat: the placement of the net storage, the location of the tool holder, the heated seat option. A Phoenix is simply designed for the way we fish.
My Mercury four stroke has lots of low and mid-range torque and is super fast on the top end. Mercs have been incredibly reliable for me and I really like the fact that I don't have to worry about adding two stroke oil anymore.
Most of my other sponsors remain the same. My title sponsor Anderson Toyota here in Lake Havasu, Arizona is a tremendous supporter of western bass fishing. They sponsor a number of events and they take care of the fishermen really well. Jay Wright, another long-time sponsor and an awesome west coast fisherman in his own right, owns Life Source Water. He has always supported me and I feel good being able to support his product.
Yamamoto is my single oldest sponsor. I have been with them for well over 20 years now. We have been through it all and I'm glad to have had them as part of my go-to-team. Sure, I’m biased, but I feel they make the best soft plastics on the market. I make my living fishing and over the course of my career, Yamamoto baits have helped me catch more and bigger fish. My boat is loaded with their baits. I have full faith and confidence in them and there is just not a reason for me to grab much else.
I'll be fishing my signature series Taipan Rods again this season. Each rod is assembled and finished in Yuma, Arizona using only the finest components, and all blanks are rolled in house, so you know they care about quality craftsmanship. The casting rods are spiral-wrapped to reduce cross torque and to create a more natural bend when under load. The end result is a rod that is lighweight, sensitive, and durable.
The Challenge Ahead
Ok, now let's talk about the elephant in the room. This is my last chance to re-qualify for the Bass Pro Tour. I am currently near the bottom in points and I'll need to fish really well or I'll get booted down to the Major League Fishing Pro Tour. When I fished the BASS Elites I qualified for the Classic and had a number of high finishes, so this is the first time that the momentum has moved backwards instead of forwards.
Being in this situation is humbling but I know that God is in control and I'll go wherever he wants me to go. I'll just keep working hard. I know I can work even harder to dial in the details, whether it is tackle, map study, or time on the water during practice. I’m fishing against the best anglers in the world and I've got to be at 110% every single cast to compete against them. If you lose focus or get let your guard down for 10 or 15 minutes, you might find yourself sliding quickly below the curve. It happens so quick in the Bass Pro Tour – every cast matters.
I have never been one to go out and get lots of bites, so this tournament style has been a hard adjustment for me. I've always trained myself to catch quality 3 to 6 pound fish, but now I need to catch 2 pounders, and the more, the better. This has probably been the biggest challenge for me. I need to focus on getting more bites and finding big schools of fish rather than focusing on just the elusive big bites.
So come on along on this journey with me. Til’ next time.
