What a difference a year can make. This time last year, Florida pro Koby Kreiger was frustrated, and vented those frustrations in a memorable story on BassFan.

He learned very late in the year that he wouldn't have the assistance of an FLW sponsor-team deal, and couldn't front the entry fee and expenses for the FLW

Tour all on his own.

He retreated and took the year off to focus on his new business – Okeechobee Fishing Headquarters tackleshop – and hunted sponsor support on his own.

His business thrived, he found the support be needed, and now he's back. And he starts the 2011 season with back-to-back events right down the street – this week's Okeechobee Southeatern EverStart, then the Okeechobee FLW Tour Open a month later.

"I'm looking forward to fishing again next year," Kreiger told BassFan during practice for the EverStart. "I wasn't able to compete in all the tournaments last year, just with buying the fishing store and not knowing until the last minute that I didn't have a sponsor. But to be honest, I'm pretty fired up about this year. I am.

"I'm ready to get back fishing again. I've got a couple new people sponsor-wise who believe in me, and that's a huge boost. The schedule's pretty good, in my opinion, for my style of fishing, and it just feels like it's time to go fishing again."

More About New Deals

Kreiger describes his tour-level goal as straightforward: It's about being able to make money. Meaning, if you cash a check, there should be some profit.

His frustration last year centered on that equation (or rather, inequation). If he checked in each event he still would have eaten money. "The payback wasn't there," he said.

The payback's better this year, in his eyes, and it's buoyed by a 10-event Tour schedule. Plus the EverStarts are better and his 2011 calendar's more full with potential money-making events.

Still, he might not have fished again this year if he didn't rope the new, critical sponsors.

"I was able to work on some sponsor stuff over the year. I have my own store now, and our (family) Trailmaster trailer shop in Indiana's going well, so everything's going in the right direction. All that stuff is positive."

He noted that "Humminbird and Minn Kota went above and beyond the call of duty for (him) this year."

As well, "RMC BoatWorks has been a sponsor of mine, but they stepped up this year to help me out. They got started in the business making trolling-motor locks for rough water and they also make a battery-tray system for rough water with a ratchet strap. They also came out with an electronics-mounting device to mount those great big GPS units, where you're not always readjusting it like with a gimble mount. And they have some new products coming this year that'll help them grab a bigger share of the marine markets."

Then there's Ouzo. "The neat thing is, they contacted me," he said. "They had faith in me and we're working on a couple of baits for sight-fishing. Debi Duplechain, who used to work for Wave, started Ouzo back more than a year ago.

"All my sponsors help, but RMC and Ouzo put me over the edge to where I don't have to worry about anything this year. I'll probably end up getting my boat wrapped by RMC. It's not 100% yet, but it's looking that way."

The Big 'O' This Week

There was some concern a month or two ago about water levels at Okeechobee. According to Kreiger, who began EverStart competition there today, Okeechobee's been "absolutely fantastic," but as always, the worry is cold fronts. A front's moving through today.

"The water level's a little low," he said. "It'll be okay for the EverStart and Tour Open, but it'll definitely need some rain early this year, otherwise we may be in another low-water situation by summertime. And I don't think it's necessarily going to fish small for either event. Obviously there's the areas of the lake like the North Shore and Monkey Box where there's always a lot of boats, and they'll be key areas because even though the water's dropping, there's enough water for fish to get back in, and the lower it gets, the more they come out.

"They won't be canal tournaments – there's enough water where that's definitely not going to happen. Cold fronts will dictate everything, though. Without fronts, we'll be looking at them. If there's a cold front, we'll be scrambling around and fishing slow."