Lintner's Highs, Lows All Helped Him Learn

(Editor's note: This is part 2 of a 2-part Q&A with BassFan Rookie of the Year Race leader Jared Lintner of Arroyo Grande, Calif.)

BassFan: What was your biggest surprise this year in the Bassmaster Elite Series?

Lintner: I've never seen, anywhere, what I saw this year – that each day the weights get bigger instead of smaller. It's insane.

You think, "Okay, I caught 20 pounds today. If I can just come in with 12 pounds tomorrow I should make it." But no, you need another 18 pounds. These guys are so good, you can't afford to make a mistake and let up.

What was the biggest thing you had to overcome in terms of your learning curve?

Not knowing these lakes, you don't know how many fish live in an area, and whether you can sustain it over 3 or 4 days. So if you catch 16 pounds, should you stay, or leave and try to get 20 pounds?

Whereas, if I'm fishing Clear Lake (Calif.) and I have 25 pounds, I know I need to save the area for the next day and go try to catch a giant. It's been a big learning experience.

Talk about your 7th at Clarks Hill for a moment in the context you just mentioned. You made a big jump from the 40s into the Top 12 cut. Did you have a better read on your area at that event?

The first day I was in 41st and I was just sitting on a spot. I figured I just had to catch as many fish as I could – there was one point where they kept schooling. I caught probably 30 to 40 fish off that point.

They were kind of scattered out the next day, but I stayed. If I'd left with 14 pounds, I wouldn't have made the cut.

But it's hard to make those decisions. Sometimes when you have a real good bag – or what you think is a real good bag – you wind up getting blown out by 10 pounds.

Santee Cooper was like that – a real eye-opener this year. I'd heard stories about it, but to see that place right before my eyes, it was like, "Oh my gosh." And I thought I'd do really well, but the first day I was going down a stretch of bank where I saw one fish cruising during practice, and I caught 21 pounds off that bank. I thought, "That's enough. I'm making it."

Then guys came in weighing 28 pounds, 39 pounds. I was floored. But now I know what to expect if we go back. If the fish move up and I'm seeing only 4-pounders, I'll know I'd better leave and start finding some 10s.

And that second day, I lost one 8- to 10-pounder that would have gotten me into the cut. I had a temper tantrum and threw my rod into the lake. It ruined my weekend.

That was obviously one of the low points of your season. Were there any others?

For sure, Grand Lake. (He finished 82nd there. - Ed.) I called my wife the second night of practice and told her, "Either I'll do really, really well, or I won't do well at all." But I thought I'd catch them good. I'd found some fish in the backs of three creeks, and there was nobody else back there.

I was fishing shallow cranks around wood, and flipping, and getting some really good bites. I figured I'd go in there and have a heyday.

The first day, I woke up and it was pouring rain. For some reason, those fish did not bite. I tried to force-feed them until 1:00 and caught no fish. I had to go out and shake a worm for the three little fish I caught. I was floored.

Did you take anything away from the bad finish, like a better understanding of what to do in a situation like that?

I talked to Rick Clunn about it after the tournament. I explained to him what I was doing and asked him, "Where did they go?"

He said, "Oh man, those fish in the creeks this time of year, if you get any weather, they'll shut down and you'll never get them to bite."

What was the high point of your season so far?

Making it into the Top 12 at Clarks was my high point. Just having a chance to fish with a camera on my boat – it was nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun. It's a memory I'll always have.

You've been strong in the last three events – 20th at the Potomac, 27th at Champlain and 20th at Oneida. Did you sort of hit your stride there?

Going to New York (Oneida and Champlain) and the Potomac – I was really happy there because I thought I was fishing really well. You kind of get in the zone. I knew what the fish were doing – I knew where they were moving to – and they weren't those types of tournaments where you just go out and scramble around.

I knew where I wanted to go, and I knew the fish were there and how to catch them. When all that happens, it makes the day go a whole lot easier. Compared to fishing by the seat of your pants and hoping to get lucky – not knowing where to go and what to do – those tournaments were easy to fish.

Earlier in the interview, you talked about the goal of making your expenses back. You've cashed seven checks to far. Are you right at the break-even point?

The total I've gotten (in winnings) is $76,000 and I think I'm breaking even. Tackle Warehouse has been helping me out – and my wife Keri, of course, is my biggest sponsor – but I think I'm in the black by just a little bit.

I'm not making money, but it hasn't bankrupted me. Hopefully at Table Rock, I'll do well and make the (Bassmaster) Classic, which would be huge.

When I started the year, the Classic was the furthest thing from my mind. Now my worst fear is that I'm going to blow it.

About Table Rock, you don't have to catch much to make the Classic. But it'll supposedly be a very tough tournament. Do you have a feel for what the bite will be like yet?

I was told by a few guys that all I have to do at Table Rock is catch one keeper and based on the points I'll make it to the Classic.

I practiced there for 4 or 5 days in between tournaments, and I think I'll be kind of conservative. I'll try to catch a limit both days – I heard it won't take much weight, and a limit will be hard to catch. So if I can catch a limit both days, I might make the Top 12.

I'll try my best to maybe find some finesse-fish, but I'll also spend 1 practice day running the backs of creeks trying to find flip-fish or shallow-crank fish.

It should fish a lot like an Oroville or Shasta, which you have experience on.

Yes, I think it will. But I heard the water's dropping – they're pulling the lake down. It's gin-clear water, so therefore those fish will have a tendency to suspend.

So I think it's going to be tough, and the huge thing is the 15-inch size limit. Picture going to Shasta and trying to weigh a limit of 15-inch spots. It's not the easiest thing to do.

And with a strong finish at Table Rock, you might be able to stretch your lead in the BassFan Rookie of the Year Race enough to all but clinch the title. Is that something you've thought about?

Yeah, I have. The BASS Rookie of the Year – I can't catch Steve Kennedy. But BassFan, as far as I'm concerned, is the best website for all the tournaments. It would be a real boost for my career.

Speaking of your career, any thoughts on next year? Are you going to do it again?

I've been trying to get some deals put together, and it's been kind of hard. I've been trying to get some sponsors and contacts going, but at the same time, how I approach these sponsors depends on how my year goes.

I'm kind of in a mid-zone. If I qualify for the Classic, that's another thing I could approach sponsors with. Basically, it's my job and I have to make it work somehow. But I plan on fishing the Elites again. Hopefully something will come up.

Notable

> Lintner noted that he was pretty much blown away at the first event. "At the meeting, there was Denny Brauer, Rick Clunn, Tommy Biffle, Kevin VanDam – I was shell-shocked. I was freaked out. It was pretty intense, and I felt sick to my stomach. But now I've met them all, and they're the most down-to-earth guys ever."

> He eventually warmed up to the veterans enough to ask them questions. "I've approached Rick Clunn two or three times – we're always in the same flight – and I'll ask him questions about crankbaits and other stuff. He sat down and talked to me for an hour at Grand Lake after I had that bad tournament. They'll tell you stuff you can't learn off a TV program."

> He travels with fellow rookie Keith Phillips. "He's from Louisiana. We met at Amistad and kind of hit it off. He's a super guy. We're the same age and we like doing the same things."

– End of part 2 (of 2) –