There’s no arguing that Matt Arey had the finest season of his career this year. The sixth-year FLW Tour pro from Shelby, N.C., logged five finishes between 23rd and 37th in six Majors and finished 9th in points.
When BassFan caught up with him earlier today as he finished preparations for next week’s Forrest Wood Cup, he was quick to point out how close he was to having a spectacular season.
“It was great. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take 9th any year, but it was frustrating at the same time,” he said. “I executed perfectly all year and was around the right fish all year. I just felt like I was one bite away.”
He pointed to Lake Hartwell (23rd), the Potomac River (24th) and Lake Champlain (23rd) as tournaments where a few more ounces would have earned him an additional day on the water. He missed the Top-20 cut by a combined 13 ounces at those three events.
He’s hoping to avoid another close call at Lake Lanier next week when he competes in his second Cup as a pro. He took 42nd last year at Lake Ouachita.
“I’m really stoked,” he said. “I learned a lot at the last one and I’m going into this one with a different mindset. I have some different ideas about fishing to win and trying not to treat it like another points tournament. You have to get that out of your head.”
He spent 4 days at Lanier during the last week before it went off limits. He marked countless brush piles on his graph, but found the fishing to be on the tougher side and he anticipates the same next week.
“I think it’s going to be a grind,” he said. “It’s typical August fishing. What makes it tough at that lake is the timber and blueback (herring). The lake being down 8 feet changes things, too. The majority of the fish are out beyond where even the deepest piles are. Those fish are just roaming around with the bluebacks. What I noticed, though, is you could catch one, but it’s hard to catch another because the school tends to break up.”
He said someone who has a milk run of productive brush will put himself in a good position to contend, a la Kevin Hawk, who won the 2010 Cup at Lanier by maxing out his GPS unit’s waypoint storage.
“I think I have 40 to 60 (piles) that have potential to hold fish in the right place,” he added.
He knows dropshotting will be one of the major techniques that’s going to be in play next week and it’s something he’s worked on religiously this season, especially in local tournaments around home.
“I’m extremely comfortable doing it,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard to perfect it.”
He and his wife, Emily, are expecting their first child – a girl – in September, right around when the Toyota Texas Bass Classic is scheduled for Lake Conroe, so he knows what a Cup win would do for his family and his future.
“I’m one of the few guys in the Top 10 (in points) who doesn’t have a team or wrapped-boat deal,” he said. “This could be a huge deal for me. To win could solidify my career and just be a huge boost for me.”
