The last time BassFans heard from Gabe Bolivar, he was being chauffeured around the California Delta by friend Kevin Hawk.
That was just a week after he'd suffered a horrible accident at the Columbia River FLW Series, when his boat veered suddenly to one side at top speed. He and his co-angler Kirk Beardsley were ejected.
Bolivar's left leg hit the windshield, then his head impacted on the passenger-side gunnel. He then skipped across the water.
He was touring the Delta in anticipation of fishing the Delta Western FLW Series, which began yesterday. But he's not there. He's just not ready yet, he said.
A Physical Problem
There are a few considerations when any pro competitor attempts to come back after a high-speed wreck, whether it's auto racing, bicycling or bass fishing.
The first is physical – whether your body is ready for competition. The other's mental – whether a wreck will haunt your psyche and affect your performance.
For Bolivar, the mental part's not a problem. He's a former motocross racer, and wrecked several times in that sport and always came back. But in terms of this week's Delta event, it's the physical part that's holding him back.
"I just got some stitches out of my leg last week, and I had a lot of bruising on my leg and my body's still real sore," he said. "And I had a little bit of a swollen brain. That actually made me kind of sleepy and tired during the day. I'd be doing fine, but then I'd have to lie down.
"I think I probably could have fished (the Delta), but I really wasn't ready to fish it," he added. "I could have forced it. But to do 4 days of practice dawn to dusk – I just don't know if I could have went out and stood up every day and performed at the level I need to. These guys are so good that if you can't bring your A-game, you're wasting your time. So I didn't want to go out there and not feel right.
"I feel it's better to just heal up 100%, start with a clean slate next year and go get them."
The formal diagnosis on his head injury, he said, was a slight concussion and swollen brain. Despite that, he worked to get ready for the Delta throughout the prior 2 weeks. But each time he was close to a solution – like wrangling a loaner boat – a roadblock turned up. And he took each roadblock as another sign he should forego the event.
He hasn't fished since that tour of the Delta 2 weeks ago.
Next Year
Because he missed the Columbia River FLW Series, and then the Delta, he's out of contention for a berth in the East/West Fishoff. That means his season's over. But he's already thinking of next year.
"I feel really good and I'm looking forward to next season," he noted. "I think it's one of those things. This year was the toughest season since I started fishing the pro tour. At mid-point, it probably got me kind of down just a little bit. But I think the way this whole thing happened (the wreck), it reminds me of what's important.
"It sets your head free and clear and kind of helps you put life in perspective. I think that'll help me in my fishing. Going into next year, I'll feel fortunate that I'm able to fish and have a chance to do well. I think that'll probably help carry me. I hope."
That doesn't help ease the sting of missing the Delta. He said this will mark the first time since he turned pro that he failed to make the championship on a given circuit.
He's been talking to pros in the field all week, and has had trouble sleeping.
"It's hard not to be up there. It's a tough week. The night I made the decision not to fish, I literally didn't sleep a wink. It's hard. You're used to fishing and competing with all your peers out there. It's what your job is and it's what you like to do. It's a hard one to miss."
Notable
> The cause of his wreck is still under investigation. He's thus not allowed to comment on what might have happened, he said.
