Story by Dan O'Sullivan - photos courtesy Tom Leogrande
and Dan O'Sullivan
Winning any title on the tour level can be a challenging experience. For a
rookie on the FLW Tour, learning to do something as simple as competing can be
more than challenging, it can be downright crushing.
When you're faced with some of the best bass fishing professionals in all the
world, learning to compete at their level can be a daunting task. Every year on
professional tours new crop of anglers enters the fray with their hopes and
dreams set on becoming 1 of the best in the business.
In 2012 on the FLW Tour that crop included angler many would have guessed would
become the best of his class. That anger's name was Jacob wheeler. With the BFL
all American title under his belt, wheeler seemed to be the sure bet to win the
Rookie of the Year award.
However, another angler had also set his sights on becoming the rookie of the
year, and that angler was Clent Davis.
Davis, from Montevallo, Ala., set his goal at the beginning of the year to not
only earn the Rookie of the Year title, but also to qualify for the Forrest
Wood Cup on Lake Lanier in his first year on tour. Not only was Davis in the
field at Lake Lanier for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup, but he was also to hoist
the trophy he had set out to win when he started his campaign.
Decision to Go Pro
Davis started his FLW career as so many others do, on the Co-Angler side of the
ledger. He started fishing in the FLW Collegiate ranks, then sought the
experience as a Co-Angler to help him get his feet wet on the tour level.
"I found myself getting frustrated more than I did learning," he
said. "I'd often find myself second guessing the guy in the front of the
boat. So, I decided that, if I had other thoughts about how to be successful,
then I should be making my own decisions; I decided to turn pro."
After two events in the FLW Tour Opens as a Co-Angler, he decided to try his
hand at the pro division in the Lake Guntersville event won by Paul Elias. He
finished the event in 37th place, collected a paycheck of more than $10,000 and
decided to make the change permanent.
But, with any business venture, there are bound to be rough patches, and he
found out that there could be in his first event of the 2012 season.
Rocky Start
When the 2012 FLW Tour Majors season started, Davis, like so many of his
competitors hoped to get off to a great start. However, when a middle of the
road finish in 74th place ended up next to his name, he knew he needed to make
some adjustments.
"I tried to force a bite that I wasn't accustomed to because I thought
that it would be the winning pattern," he said. "What I learned
instead was that I need to fish how I'm comfortable if I want to consistently
do well."
Armed with a commitment to getting back to his fishing strengths, Davis started
to perform better. "I really went back to tossing crankbaits and a B&M
Swim Jig," he said. "Growing up around here means power fishing, and
I really turned myself around by getting back to my roots."
He followed with a 10th place finish at Table Rock, a 36th at Beaver Lake, an
11th at the Potomac River a 20th at Kentucky Lake and struggled at Champlain,
but his 91st place finish was enough to sew up his Rookie of the Year crown,
and find him in 14th place in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year standings.
"It really was a good year," said Davis. "I really needed to
have a decent year financially in order to keep going. If I didn't cash enough
checks, it could have been a one year and out thing, so I'm happy with the
year."
Future Plans
As for the future, Davis wed his fianc
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