After the Title Run, Reese Still Has More in the Tank
Posted by Pete Robbins on Sep 1st 2021
By Pete Robbins
At 56 years old, western bass fishing legend Jimmy Reese has nothing left to prove—except to himself.
After a career in which he’s won hundreds of thousands of dollars close to home, and kept a foot in the national game while running a business and raising a family, the 2021 season marked his first return to the Toyota Pro Series TITLE (formerly the Forrest Wood Cup) since 2016, and his best finish there overall. It was his best points finish since that same season, and comes on the heels of two years in which he finished 99th and 100th in the point race.
“I’ve wanted to quit several times,” he said half-seriously. “I was tired of getting my teeth kicked in. So I went into this season with a different mindset. I wasn’t going to allow outside information to sway me. I stayed in the moment most tournaments, and when I got a little bit out of whack, like at Smith Lake, I managed to get myself back on track. I fished my strengths rather than worrying about Google Earth and things on the internet.”
That consistency allowed him to bounced back from a tough first two tournaments, to earn five checks in seven total events: Four out of six during the regular season and then an 8th place finish at the Mississippi River out of La Crosse to end the year.
Despite not being willing to get sidetracked by outside influences, he didn’t shut them out altogether. They included his brother Skeet, who finished three spots above him in La Crosse, and fellow Yamamoto pro Tai Au, a tour-level rookie, also from the west. Au likewise made the Title event and finished 25th.
“He had lots of energy, which definitely keeps you on your toes,” Reese said of the Arizona rookie. “But I was still able to keep things simple and it worked. A lot of times at a place like Clear Lake I’ll have 15 things that I want to do rather than just doing the four basic things that I should that will help me win.” Experience has taught him not only to simplify, but also to distinguish between the appropriate time to take risks and the appropriate time to let discretion be the better part of valor. He utilized that hard-earned wisdom at the regular season finale on the St. Lawrence River, where a money finish vaulted him into the Title appearance.
“I felt good about the St. Lawrence,” he said. “I made the long run the first day and then caught a couple of key fish on the way back. Then I knew I’d only need about 17 pounds the second day, so I didn’t make the run and it worked out. I’ve learned so much about smallmouth fishing since coming east, just knowing how to catch 3 ½ pounders versus 2 ½ pounders. I knew that at the St. Lawrence you don’t always have to make a run, but your percentages go up when you do.”
Indeed, he’s proud of the fact that he qualified in smallmouth territory, which he once might not have considered a strength, but he’s equally satisfied that he continues to do well on grass lakes.
“I’m getting better at everything,” he explained. “When I really start getting in the moment, it hits me how much I’ve learned. I’ve learned so much about improving my presentations and different styles of fishing. All of that means that my instincts are sharper than they were 20 years ago. I’m always learning, but on grass lakes I’ve learned to follow my instincts, just like on Clear Lake.”
Notably, the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit schedule will be loaded with grassy fisheries, including Sam Rayburn, the Harris Chain, Pickwick, Guntersville and Lake Champlain. Reese hungers for the title that has eluded him, and while he’d love to win a US Open before his career winds down, he said that a championship or an Angler of the Year title on a major national tour would be more meaningful. “I’m not going to say that it would be life-changing,” he said. “But it would cap it off. It would be like an exclamation point.” He was in the neighborhood of a victory on the Upper Mississippi, but said that he wasn’t on the fish to win. “Every day I had the opportunity to catch three, four or five more good fish, but even then it wouldn’t have been 15 pounds. That’s why I left my main area for three hours the last day. When I got to the place I’d been saving I had three big ones blow up on a buzzbait. I still had one area in Pool Seven that I never went to and I’m still thinking about it.”
While he’s financially and physically healthy, the California pro said that comfort has not made him complacent. “I’m still hungry to win because of my competitive nature. Growing up with two brothers, fishing against them, it’s in m blood. I’m not going to call it an addiction, but it’s definitely in my blood.”
Of course, Yamamoto products played a large role in his success during 2021, as they do every season. Earlier in the year, he relied heavily on a vibrating jig and a swim jig, both with a white and silver flake Zako on the back. At the Mississippi River, he used a Neko Rig each morning to “put a limit in the boat” and calm his nerves. The key setup included 30 lb. test Yo-Zuri braid with a leader of 12 lb. test Yo-Zuri T-7 premium fluorocarbon and a watermelon with red and black flake Senko. When he felt that the fish became a little skittish, he’d switch to a green pumpkin watermelon laminate. In either case, he rigged it with a Frenzy Baits Wacky Saddle, which saved him time and Senkos.
“I had 15 Senkos ready each morning,” he said. “That saddle is great for durability and saving time. I’ve caught up to 10 fish on a single Senko with one.”
Another key element in his success was his Lowrance Ghost trolling motor, which he said kept him moving against the St. Lawrence’s current and through Okeechobee’s thickest grass mats alike. He’ll just keep plowing forward.
“There’s so much more I want to accomplish on tour,” he said. “I’m not happy where I’m finishing. I should be in the top ten in the points. I want to be there every tournament.”
