By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor


Brandon Lester would've had a nice rookie season on the Bassmaster Elite Series even if he he'd had a lackluster day 2 in the regular-season finale at Cayuga Lake. Now, due to his clutch performance leading into the first cut, he has a chance to accomplish even his most far-flung goal for his initial campaign.

The 25-year-old Tennessean caught a 19-11 sack that day to secure his place in the AOY Championship. He's the only one of the circuit's six "true" rookies who'll be competing at the Bays de Noc in Michigan later this month.

Furthermore, he's now in excellent position to qualify for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic. His 17th-place finish at Cayuga – his best of the season – moved him up to 33rd in the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race, which is several positions higher than where the Classic cutoff will eventually fall.

"It was definitely the highlight of my season," he said. "I knew that day had gotten me into the championship and I knew it would bump me up in the points. Making the Classic is my ultimate goal.

"It was one of those days where everything just started clicking and I got into a groove. Besides qualifying for the Elites, it was the most pivotal day of my career so far. I went from 'bubble boy' (for the championship) to Classic range just that quick."

Too Much Going On

Lester fell into the same trap that snared a lot of competitors at Cayuga: The lake has so many fish and they can be caught so many different ways that it's difficult to settle on a primary plan of attack.

"The first day I had two deals going," he said. "I was flipping grass like (eventual winner Greg) Hackney was doing and I was also fishing boat docks. I got my limit and then went flipping, but I hadn't really realized the size of those fish in the grass."

His first-day stringer weighed just 13-10, which put him in 53rd place in the tournament and knocked him down to 49th in the up-to-the-minute points standings (he'd come into the event at No. 45 on that list). If he'd fallen two more spots the next day, there would've been no trip to Michigan in his near future.

Instead, he went the other way – big-time.

"That second day I just flipped grass all day," he said. "First thing in the morning I caught a couple of 3 1/2-pounders and I got up to about 14 pounds pretty quick.

"Pretty soon after that I caught a 5 1/2 and I decided I'd keep the flipping stick in my hand all day to see what I could do. I made one more cull after that for a couple of ounces."

No Knowledge, No Worries

Lester gained his Elite Series slot by topping the points list in the 2013 Bassmaster Southern Opens. Prior to this season, the farthest north he'd ever competed was Kentucky and the only '14 Elite venue he'd ever seen before was Lake Chickamauga in his home state, which was the site of the inaugural BASSFest.



Pro Fishing Management
Photo: Pro Fishing Management

Lester has determined that he performs best when he goes into an event without any preconceived ideas.

He proved his chops above the Mason-Dixon with his Cayuga showing and a 39th-place outing at the Delaware River out of Philadelphia 2 weeks prior to that. The Delaware was the only one of the eight events he pre-practiced for.

"That was because of that 7-foot tidal swing," he said. "I'd never had to deal with anything like that before. I spent 3 or 4 days on it just trying to wrap my head around the way it all worked. I'm glad I did because it helped me understand it."

Chickamauga, the venue that he had the most prior knowledge of and got the most pre-tournament help for, proved to be his worst showing as he ended up 93rd. Fortunately for him, that one didn't count in the points standings.

"I'm from that part of the country and I even went to college in Chattanooga. Before the (off-limits period) I talked to some good friends of mine who gave me some offshore spots. They were good locations, but four or five out of the (final) Top 12 ended up catching them shallow.

"I'd based my whole practice on finding the fish on those spots I'd been given and I had it locked in my mind that I had to fish offshore. If I hadn't had that preconceived idea I probably would've found that shallow deal and I would've had a lot better tournament, anyway."

That 93rd-place bomb has soured him on getting help beforehand.

"I just kind of like to do things my own way. I don't have anything against getting help, but I've just found I do better when I do my own thing and try to figure things out for myself.

"I don't have any experience in Michigan," he added in reference to the AOY Championship, "but during the week between the Delaware River and Cayuga I went to the St. Lawrence River and fished for smallmouth with a dropshot. I went out into Henderson Bay on Lake Ontario and caught some big ones. I'm looking forward to it because it's a really fun way to fish."