A Calming Influence
Thrift Will Have To Adjust To Father's Absence

Photo: FLW Outdoors/Rob Newell Bryan Thrift has finished 5th in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year race in each of the past 2 seasons.

"He was always a saltwater man – he loved fishing in the ocean," Bryan Thrift said. "He'd get so mad when I'd take him some place that had clear water and hand him a spinning rod. If we were somewhere where he could throw a spinnerbait or something, he could deal with that.

"Anytime I'd get frustrated because I wasn't doing well, he'd tell me, 'The fish treat everybody the same; it's not like they're singling you out. You've got to get out there and figure out your own deal.'''

The elder Thrift, who for years had accompanied his son to almost every tournament, died last month after a 4-year battle with cancer. His absence will make Bryan's 2010 FLW Tour season unlike any of his first 3 campaigns at the sport's top level.

"It's going to be different. It didn't really hit me until I was on the way to Florida (for last week's Eastern FLW Series opener at Okeechobee) – I'm so used to him being in the passenger seat.

"I'm going to have to try to just put my head down and fish – he'd rather me be doing that than thinking about him all the time. Even when he was sick he didn't want people worried about him. He could only make (tournaments) here and there the last couple of years, but he always wanted to go."

Remarkable Consistency

The 30-year-old North Carolinian is coming off his second straight 5th-place finish in the Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) race. Except for a 9th at the Forrest Wood Cup, his 2009 season was devoid of the single-digit finishes he'd become known for (after all, he was the runner-up in his debut event at Texas' Lake Travis in 2007).

On the other hand, he was ridiculously consistent. In six regular-season events, he ended up in the 20s four times. The other two were a 47th and a 67th.

"I consider it a successful year and I made a decent amount of money, but I had three chances at Top 10s that I didn't capitalize on," he said. "And at each one of those, I had several good opportunities to move up. I just couldn't get one or two key bites in the boat for some reason.

"I've learned a lot the last 3 years and it seems like I can usually get myself in the right two or three areas in a tournament. If I can keep learning and things keep going that way, I'll make my share of Top 5s and Top 10s."

When he first turned pro, he was basically a two-dimensional angler. He threw topwaters or jigs, and that was about it. Now he's confident doing just about anything, even though he'd prefer not to sight-fish if it's at all feasible.

"I've definitely evolved and changed what I do. The last couple years I've gotten more comfortable with cranking, jerkbaits, spoons and stuff like that.

"I've tried to become a jack-of-all-trades and if I see a situation that takes a different technique, I'm confident enough to pick it up and start doing it instead of what I'd been doing."

Photo: FLW Outdoors/Rob Newell Thrift said he had several chances to make Top 10s during the regular season last year, but was thwarted each time when a key bite or two failed to make it into the boat.

The primary lesson Thrift learned in 2009 is that it isn't always wise to try to conserve fish. He plans to employ more of a "catch 'em if you've got 'em" approach this year.

"If I find a little deal that's working and I'm catching fish, I'm not going to leave and try to save them," he said. "I think last year I would've been better off catching everything I could each day.

"There were a couple instances where that happened, and one was at the PAA event at Neely Henry. I had a place the first day where I caught like 40, and every fifth or sixth one would by a 2 1/2- or 3-pounder. The second day got canceled by the weather, and that's probably why they weren't there when I went back the day after that."

He'd like to put himself in position to make a run at the AOY again and he's somewhat anxious to secure his first tour-level victory, but he won't try to force any of that to happen.

"I just take a relaxed attitude and do the best I can with what I've got. It seems like every time I try to force things, I end up doing a lot worse than I would have if I'd just gone fishing.

"I'm not going to change anything. I'm still going to start every practice trying to find the best way there is to catch the most big fish."

Notable

> Next week's opener at the Red River is the only 2010 Tour event that holds any trepidation for Thrift. "I've never been there before, but I've heard all the stories about how you can't run and you eat up half your practice just idling around stumps. That weighs on my mind a little, but I'm sure it won't be as bad once I get there and see it for myself."

> He'll begin the new season at No. 16 in the BassFan World Rankings. He started 2009 at No. 17 and climbed as high as 13th.