Randy Howell may or may not win the 2012 Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) award. The only certainty is that whatever the number of points needed to cop the title ends up being, he's quite a bit closer to it right now than anybody else.
The 38-year-old is eager to take on the challenge that the summer months will bring.
"I really feel more excited about the four tournaments ahead than I was about the four that are behind," he said. "There were a couple back there that I might've been a little nervous about, but they worked out okay."
He's seriously contended for the title in previous years on both major circuits. His career-best final placement on the B.A.S.S. side was 5th, and he was the runner-up to Denny Brauer on the FLW Tour in 1998.
Next up is Toledo Bend, where he finished 7th last year. Then comes the Mississippi River, which will play to his greatest strength: shallow water. He made a pre-practice trip to Wisconsin and liked what he saw.
The mystery event will come a week after the Mississippi, and although he doesn't know the location, he knows it'll be someplace where the fish should bite like crazy. Then there'll be a 7-week layoff before the finale at Oneida – one of his favorite bodies of water in the country and where he finished 5th in a Bassmaster Northern Open in 2011.
He's finished no lower than 14th (twice) in any Elite event this year. He admitted that just about everything has gone right for him so far.
"A lot of it has to do with timing. The Lord has blessed me because a lot of things have happened that needed to happen as far as decisions on the water and the size of some of the fish I've caught. A lot of the breaks have been going the right way.
"I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing – preparing as much as I can to make sure I'm ready when I get there to start practice, and then putting in 12- or 13-hour days on the first couple of practice days. Then I hope I can keep fishing smart and making the right decisions."