By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Brent Ehrler spent the majority of Monday putting miles between himself and his final fishing competition of 2014 as he headed back home to California after wrapping up filming for this year's final Major League Fishing event in Louisiana.

In another, slightly more symbolic way, the lengthy drive may also mark the conclusion of a very significant chapter in his pro fishing career. For the past 10 years, Ehrler has built a reputation as one of the best and most consistent pros in the sport on the FLW Tour. He has captured five wins, including the 2006 Forrest Wood Cup, and amassed more than $2 million in earnings with FLW since 2005.

At the same time, a question began to linger in his and in the minds of others: How would he measure up against the competition on the Bassmaster Elite Series? The inaugural MLF event at Lake Amistad in late 2011 may have offered a brief preview. Ehrler beat 23 other anglers – all Elite Series pros – to become the first winner in the made-for-TV tournament format.

After qualifying for the 2015 Elite Series via the Bassmaster Northern Opens, Ehrler will finally get a chance to find out.

"I haven't felt this rejuvenated in a long time," he said as he motored across Texas.

Ehrler said he hasn't made a final decision yet as to whether he'll continue fishing the FLW Tour in 2015 in addition to the Elite Series. He said he will take a long look at the calendar and see what works best for him and his family.

"One thing I do know for sure is I am fishing B.A.S.S. (in 2015)," he said. "I haven't 100 percent figured out if I'm fishing FLW as well. It's going to be very difficult to fish both with their schedules. I also have to account for the time away from my family. Between B.A.S.S., FLW, MLF and the (Toyota Texas Bass Classic), that's a lot of time being away next year.

"With that many tournaments between March and October, that's brutal. With the West Coast swing and how close some of the tournaments are, it's going to be crazy."

It's not lost on him that he may have possibly fished his final FLW Tour event, at least for the time being, but he felt like he owed it to himself to pursue the opportunity to join the Elite Series.

"I looked at the way things are and have been in the industry," he said. "I do this for a living. … This is how I provide for my family and honestly there's always been this perception with sponsors and people in the industry, including my own sponsors and people investing in me, it has always been, 'When will you fish B.A.S.S.?' I would always regret it my entire career if I didn't at least try to fish the Elite Series."

Ehrler's pro career began with B.A.S.S. in the early 2000s when the organization had an annual presence out west. He fished B.A.S.S. Invitationals and Opens before jumping into FLW's various circuits. He won the Rayovac Series Championship in 2004 and his rise to stardom continued from there.

He was among FLW's sponsored team anglers for 6 seasons (2008-13) before declining a team deal this year in order to showcase his own sponsor portfolio, to which he added GoPro and Tackle Warehouse in the last year.

If he opts to fish only the Elites Series next year, Ehrler will become the latest heavy hitter from the FLW Tour to qualify for B.A.S.S.' top circuit via the Bassmaster Opens. After this year's "rookie" class included several FLW Tour stalwarts, he'll easily be the biggest name among Elite Series newcomers in 2015.

He finished among the Top 10 in AOY points in 7 of his 10 FLW Tour seasons and tallied more than $100,000 in winnings in each of the last 6 campaigns. He also logged at least two Top-10 finishes (Cup included) in each of the last 7 seasons.

"I'm confident," he said. "My take on it is we have good fisherman on both sides – FLW and B.A.S.S. - no doubt about it. When it comes down to the actual fishing part, it comes down to the full season. You have good and bad days and I know I'll have both. I'm hoping for more better days than bad. I know that I'll fare well, but I have to take the good with the bad."

Waiting to Exhale

Ehrler's typically not one to get nervous for tournaments, but he admits the final Northern Open this year at Lake St. Clair weighed heavily on his mind before, during and even after it was over.

His 21st-place finish allowed him to finish 6th in points and assured him an invite to join the Elite Series next year. He had finished 5th and 52nd, respectively, in the first two Northerns.

"I approached them all the same – learn from practice and hope to do well," he said. "They were not something I took lightly, though. They were not just a small tournament to me. I put in the same level of effort as I would for a tour-level event. The timing couldn't have been more perfect this year. I didn't want to wait another year to qualify so that did add more stress for me."

He had an MLF competition in Maine the week before the Lake St. Clair tournament and he drove all night to get to Detroit in order to get on the water as soon as possible the next day so as to not miss any more practice time than he had to.

"I haven't driven all night like that in a long time," he said.

After securing the Elite Series berth, he felt a significant relief, but he waited to fully exhale until he received official confirmation last week.

"It was definitely a load off my shoulders," he said. "I still had this odd feeling inside that it wasn't official until I got the invite. I didn't get that complete satisfaction until the invite came. You never know and I didn't want to get my hopes up, but it was a huge relief. I was stressed out. They were just three little tournaments. If it were five or six, I'd feel better, but when there are three tournaments to determine your future destiny, a lot can go wrong to mess it up. You basically only have 6 days to decide your future."

A Lot to Like

While many are quick to compare the top performers from each circuit, there are nuances that are unique to both the Elite Series and FLW Tour in terms of rules and regulations. Ehrler's well-versed in the larger FLW Tour fields as well as sharing his boat with a co-angler and having an off-limits period that allows competitors to be on tournament waters up to 2 weeks before competition.

In the Elite Series, he won't have to contend with a co-angler, the field size will be nearly a third smaller and the off-limits period is more to his liking.

"I like the fact that it's more of a crunch practice-wise," he said. "I wish we had zero practice days. I wish we could just show up and just fish. I like the shorter practice period and I like the longer off-limits.

"I got sick of a third or half of the field spending 5 days on the water before the 2 weeks of off limits (at FLW Tour events). If you get 8 days of practice on a body of water, it makes a big difference. I love that people can't get that recent info like that.

"The smaller field is better, too," he added. "There are fewer guys to compete against, but a lot has to do with the fishery. With a 200-boat field, you can see the fishery change in the 3 or 4 days you're there. It's amazing seeing how the fish change just because of the pressure."