By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Glenn Browne's transition from the FLW Tour to the Bassmaster Elite Series wasn't nearly as smooth as those of some other anglers who've made that leap in recent years. In fact, 2014 wasn't a good year for him at all – fishing-wise or from any other perspective.

The affable Floridian found himself without a major tour to fish as 2015 dawned. Still in the process of concluding an acrimonious divorce, he opted not to return to the Elites due to the vastly higher travel expenses that'll be required for trips to the West Coast and the far northeastern portion of the country.

His initial plan was to return to the FLW Tour, but that went awry when he found out he'd missed the registration deadline by a day in early December. He still holds faint hope that FLW might expand its pro roster past the current 154 pros, but that's fading by the day.

"That was just another kick in the stomach on top of everything else," he said. "Now I'm just sitting back and taking a wait-and-see approach. I'm pretty sure I can get back on the Tour next year as long as everything's paid and in on time.

"Everything happens for a reason and there must be some bigger plan in life for me. Who knows, maybe I was destined to win (the FLW Tour opener) at Toho, and then I'd have to split the money with my soon-to-be-ex-wife."

Math didn't Look Good

Browne said he would've returned to the Elite Series had this year's schedule been similar to the 2014 slate. However, trips to two of the extreme edges of the country – neither one involving the southern end – would require a bigger outlay than he was comfortable with.

"I did the math on the travel and I figured I'd need ($70,000) to do it," he said. "With everything I've got going on in my life this year, I couldn't do that. I've got good sponsors, but a significant portion of that still would've had to come out of my own pocket.

"I hated to make that decision and it caused me a lot of sleepless nights. I can re-qualify (via the Bassmaster Opens, which is how he gained his initial berth on the circuit), but that just takes time. It was the hardest decision I've ever made.

"If they hadn't made it where you had to go both west and north (for two-tournament swings), I would've found a way to do it," he continued. "But that's two stretches where you're gone for 4 to 6 weeks at a time and I couldn't make that work."

As for the six-time Forrest Wood Cup qualifier's failure to get back onto the FLW Tour, he said he's certain that tournament director Bill Taylor told him he'd need to have his registration completed by Dec. 4. He neglected to check for himself, though, and the drop-dead date was actually Dec. 3.

The rumors he'd heard of a possible field expansion haven't come to pass.

"You have to give FLW credit for sticking to their guns on that this time. It just turns out that the one year I needed them to make exceptions is the year they don't do it, but it is what it is."

Mind wasn't Right

The 38-year-old Brown ended up dead in the middle of the pack (54th) in last year's Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race. His only true bomb was at the Delaware River, where he was 84th. He had four finishes ranging from 52nd to 61st that left him just outside the money cut each time.

"It was a year of a lot of missed opportunities," he said. "I can look back on every tournament for the most part – especially the ones where I finished in the 50s – and point to specific moments when I lost fish that would've gained me 10 to 20 places.

"At Seminole I had 8 or 9 pounds the first day and I lost three fish that were between 6 and 8 pounds in one 15-minute stretch. At the St. Johns (River) I lost a 5-pounder with an hour and a half to go on the second day. There were several instances like that."

The pressure of his deteriorating situation at home certainly didn't help his performance any.

"That was a lot of added stress. Things hadn't been going well for about a year or so and it just wasn't a good thing."

It looks like he'll be limited to competing at the triple-A level this year. He has his eye on the Central and Northern Rayovacs and he's heard that there might be a few openings in the Bassmaster Northern Opens for competitors who can bring along a co-angler.

He'll continue to operate his commercial floor-cleaning business for the time being, but maybe not for too much longer.

"I've really thought about buying another fifth-wheel camper and going mobile," he said. "I could go and guide at Okeechobee and then maybe go to Guntersville for awhile.

"There's really nothing holding me down. My little business makes decent money, but I'm not in love with it. If I could find something I'm more passionate about that I could make some money at, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Notable

> Next week Browne will hook up with former Tour competitor Kim Stricker to film an episode of Stricker's "Hook 'N Look" TV show at a remote big-bass impoundment in Florida. "That'll be fun," he said. "I haven't done a whole lot of fishing lately and they catch some big ones where we're going."