By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Bradley Dortch wasn’t sure where he ranked in the latest FLW Tour Angler of the Year standings.
Upon learning he was tied for 8th and hearing the names of the competitors also near the top of the standings – Thrift, Morgan, Rose, Nixon, Gagliardi, Dudley – he started to appreciate where he’s at.
“So far, that’s sounding pretty good,” Dortch said last week after filling his limit of red snapper off the Alabama coast. “That’s good company to be involved with.”
In all honesty, though, Dortch hasn’t invested much time or effort in relishing his accomplishments during his rookie season on Tour. As it stands, he has three top-20 finishes, including a win, two finishes in the 80s and a 32nd at the recent Mississippi River event.
The goals coming into the season for the Atmore, Ala., resident were modest, but no cinch. He's checked one off the list and other appears to be a lock.
“I wanted to make one top 10 and make the (Forrest Wood) Cup,” Dortch said. “I figured that’d get me a couple checks. I told my wife I wanted to make a top 10 just to say, ‘Hey, okay, I’m here.’ For the first year, I’m happy with it.”
‘I Can Compete’
Before the season, Dortch was going through the same uncertainties that a lot of rookies encounter.
Can I afford to do this?
Do I have the skillset to be out here?
Can I compete with these guys?
It didn’t take long for Dortch to answer the last question as he logged a 15th-place finish at Lake Guntersville to open the season. It was a confidence booster, for sure, but it also relieved some of the financial burden right away.
“Coming out of the gate with a top-15, that just said (to me), ‘Ok, I belong here,’” he said. “The money was the biggest part. That gave me $12,000 out of the gate, so that eased the pain of the deposits. All of a sudden I’m the in Top 20 (meeting) with (David) Dudley, (Andy) Morgan and (Bryan) Thrift. I’m like, ‘I can compete with these guys.’”
The difference for him was finding an area that suited his style. He prefers moving water or anywhere a spinnerbait or vibrating jig can be effective.
“The biggest thing was I had a horrible first two days of practice so I went up the river and fished what I like – current breaks and eddys,” he said. “It just set up for me. When I do my best, I do what I want to do instead of what everybody else is doing.
“If I can get four or five bites in practice throwing a spinnerbait or ChatterBait, I can usually do well. I have so much confidence in those baits. It’s a matter of running around and finding the right stuff to throw it around.”
The following month, he delivered an unexpected victory at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Florida, which easily proved that he can compete. He said the gravity of the win has sunk in and he got more of a kick out of watching the FLW Live replays better than the tournament summary that aired on cable.
“It makes me want another one really, really bad,” he said.
Rookie Race Heats Up
In previous seasons that featured six events, Dortch would’ve already wrapped up FLW Tour Rookie of the Year honors. This year, FLW expanded the schedule to seven events, meaning he has a little bit of work to do at the season finale next month.
While he’s never competed at the Potomac River, Dortch won’t be intimidated by its cyclical nature and ever-changing conditions.
“I’m looking forward to the Potomac because it’s tidal,” Dortch said. “I was born and raised on tidal, plus it has grass. That’s an added bonus.”
The two other top contenders for ROY, Justin Atkins (24th in points) and Aaron Britt (33rd) have jokingly chirped at Dortch at various points this season, which adds another layer of intensity to the season finale.
“Atkins better catch ‘em,” Dortch said, referring to the Potomac. “I really didn’t care much before, but up at La Crosse, I ran into Aaron and he said, ‘You better catch them this week.’ I guess he was having a good practice. The ROY doesn’t pay anything, so I stopped caring, but I run into Justin and Aaron now and then and one or both of them bring it up. It’s made it a little more personal than otherwise. It’s just my competitive nature.”
Unique Approach Works
Dortch is rarely, if ever, the first boat on the water during practice days. He doesn’t re-rig all of his rods each night. His travel partners give him grief for his laissez-faire attitude, but he’s found it’s his best strategy.
“I still catch hell from guys I stay with,” he said. “They’re up at 4. I’m up at 7. They’re on the water 4 hours by the time I get out there. I’m not a morning person, but I will stay out until dark. I do better when I just show up. When I look at nothing and don’t retie and just go fishing, that’s when I do well.
“After I won, I felt like I needed to start doing this and that, but then I go to Lake Cumberland and (finish 85th). I told my wife, ‘I’m just going fishing at Beaver and I’m going to have fun.’”
Some may take Dortch as a bit of a maverick, but when the boats are lined up for blast off on tournament mornings, he’s as locked in on what he needs to do as anyone in the field.
“I do care more than anybody, but I’ve learned over the years that the more intense and involved I get and the more I read, the worse I do,” he said. “If I start Googling for info or talking to people or sitting in my boat to look at the GPS before I leave, I do not do well.”
So he’s found a comfort zone at the other end of the spectrum. It may not work for everyone, but for Dortch it’s the formula for success.
“I’ve got to the point where I’m like, ‘Forget it,’ and I just throw stuff in the boat and go figure it out when I get there,” he said.
