By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Will Davis Jr. has done several things to earn a living since leaving Bethel University with a degree in general studies and competing for the school's powerhouse fishing team. There have been really fun gigs (guiding hunters on a quail preserve, for instance) and others that weren't so enjoyable (conducting sleep studies at a hospital, which usually aren't a really good time for the subjects).

Now, last year's B.A.S.S. Nation national champion is doing what he always wanted to do – excelling as a tour-level bass angler. Midway through his rookie season, he's already won a Bassmaster Elite Series event and sits at No. 6 in the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings.

His victory came last week on his home body of water (Alabama's Lay Lake), where he compiled a 4-day total of 62-12 under tough-bite conditions. He edged longtime Elite Series stalwart Brandon Palaniuk, who'd led after each of the first 3 days, by 2 ounces after the latter incurred a 4-ounce penalty for bringing a dead fish to the scale.

"It's been really good and everthing I thought it would be," the 30-year-old Davis said of his initial campaign. "I've had a couple of tournaments that weren't great, but you need those to appreciate the wins.

"As a rookie, I'm pleased with where I've been able to get to at this point. I want to be here until I retire."

The son of longtime bait-manufacturer William Davis, he relied on his vast experience at Lay to come out on top. Of the 20 fish he weighed in, half came from the frothy water of the Logan Martin dam tailrace – a place that he and his father have exploited to catch big spotted bass and win lots of money in local and regional derbies over the years.

He said he started fishing Tuesday evening events at Lay with his dad when he was 7 years old.

"There are some key places up there and I knew the rocks they'd be behind – if they were there," he said. "I didn't practice there because I didn't want people to see me."

Most of the offerings he employed were manufactured by his father's firm. He used a Davis Bait Company Xswim Fat Minnow attached to a 1/2-ounce Davis Shaky Fish Head, along with a Davis Shaky Worm (green pumpkin) on a 3/16-ounce Little Will's Series Shaky Worm Head.

A few of the fish that he took to the scale were spawners caught from beds. He started out throwing a soft-plastic for that application, but on the final day he used a jerkbait (a Bomber Long A rigged with size 4 Gamakatsu short-shank hooks) to entice a couple that were cruising the shallows.

"The bait floats, so I'd throw it to a specific spot in front of them and let it sit. When they got close, I'd jerk it and if the angle was right, they'd come over there and smoke it."

He said his primary goal for the remainder of the 2023 season is to remain among the Top 10 on the points list. He has minimal experience catching Northern smallmouth, but that doesn't worry him.

"I love dropshotting and I've done a lot of it at Lake Martin, which is deep and clear," he said. "I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait, actually."

Notable

> For the Shaky Fish, Davis used a 7'3" medium-heavy MMA Fishing rod, a Daiwa Tatula casting reel (7:1 ratio) and 15-pound Seaguar Red Label fluorocarbon line. For the shaky-head, he used the same reel and line on a 7'1" heavy-action MMA rod.

> He and wife Megan are the parents of an 11-month-old daughter named Chandler.

> He said he's gotten a lot of helpful advice from longtime Elite Series veterans Mark Menendez and Bill Lowen. He's roomed with Menendez at several events and will do so again for the early June tournament at the Sabine River. "He's helped me with how to tackle a 4-day event – how to keep your pace right and make sure you fish your strengths," he said.

> A former competitor in American skeet, one of his other jobs was as an Orvis-endorsed shooting instructor. He also does a bit of taxidermy, with is practice limited to deer shoulder and skull mounts.