By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
All Bill Weidler used to care about was No 1.
As in the No. 1 spot on the leaderboard at a Bassmaster Southern Open.
The 2017 season marked the fourth time Weidler competed in the Southern Opens, but he says it was the first time he really committed to not focusing so much of his energy and preparation on winning. In nine previous Opens, he finished in the money three times and his six other finishes were 76th or lower. He sensed it was time to recalibrate how he was approaching the events.
Maybe getting too wrapped up in claiming a Bassmaster Classic berth was conspiring against him during tournaments.
He came into this year with a more modest approach – he targeted top-20 finishes – and it paid off with three money showings, including a 6th-place effort at Lake Chickamauga, where he later won the Southeastern FLW Series event in May. His more consistent finishes in the Opens resulted in a 5th-place finish in the points, which earned him an invitation to the 2018 Elite Series, which he gladly accepted.
“It’s almost surreal,” Weidler said recently. “It’s something I truly have been wanting to do all my life. When I was a kid, I watched KVD come on the scene and dominate and I have always sat back and was envious of him.
“As a business owner, I just sat on the sidelines watching. I was wanting to do something, but I was just sitting there. It’s soaking in now, but it’s something I’m really, freaking looking forward to.”
‘Problem’ Solved
Weidler admits when he began fishing the Opens, he was consumed by the pursuit of winning and capturing a Classic berth.
“The first year it was like blood in the water,” he said. “I was like a shark. It got me excited so I went after them a couple years. I had a problem, though. All I cared about was the Classic. I just wanted to make it there and didn’t care about anything else. I put so much pressure on myself and spun out. There was always one bad event that kept me from feeling like I could move forward and be where I needed to be to compete.”
He’s since learned some valuable lessons that he will try to apply once the Elite Series season kicks off in February.
“I know there’s a ton of mental game in this sport and you have to stay intensely focused,” he said. “You can’t let mishaps throw you a curve. A young angler can go out with high expectation and lose a big one and spiral out of control. I’ve learned to overcome things in my life. I’ve had obstacles put in front of me, so I’m not putting all of that pressure on myself to chase the Classic.
“That’s my goal in the Elites: I’m going to keep the same attitude. I’m not going to change, but I want a top-20 in each event. I’m unbelievably competitive and I love when I get on the water and look at the field and I want to be the best when I’m out there. I want to make a statement when I’m out there.”
Good Learning Environment
Weidler lives in Helena, Ala., and grew up fishing at Lay Lake, where so many scenarios exist for bass anglers.
“I can swim a jig or flip mats or boat docks, fish ledges or points,” he said. “With Logan Martin there, together they offer so much. You can get pretty well-rounded fishing those lakes.”
When he wanted to learn more about grass fishing prior to his foray into the Opens, he headed to Lake Guntersville.
“That’s an intimidating place,” he said. “They say, ‘Fish the grass.’ Okay, well, there are 30,000 acres of it. Are you kidding me?”
He’s also spent time at Smith Lake and Lake Martin, where his Elite Series career will kick off in three months.
“I’ve fished there on several of the big (local) trails in the past in January and early February, so it sets up good because I have history and have done fairly well,” he added. “I have a good understanding of how they move around that time of year. It’s deep and clear like Smith and the lake is drawn down a good amount.”
Won’t Be In Awe
Weidler doesn’t expect to be fazed by much once the season gets rolling. He’s 47 and works as the director of engineering for a large wastewater treatment company.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but there’s not too much out there that scares me,” he said. “Maybe traveling to lakes to fish for species I haven’t fished for, like going to New York for smallmouth. That’s different from fishing long, deep points for spots, but I can’t say there’s anything out there that makes me nervous coming into this.”
He doesn’t feel like he’ll be handicapped by the new no-information rule B.A.S.S. put in place for 2018. He devours every bit of information he can pull off the Internet and plans to visit some of the venues before they go off limits.
“It’s not going to change anything for me,” he said. “One thing I do love is you can’t get info from non-public sources and the Internet is how I prepare. I do homework on Google Earth and I go on the water and find everything myself. I’ve never relied on help from others. I love it because I know there are people on the Elite Series who rely on it, so it could give us rookies a bit of an edge.”
