Reese Talks AOY Title And What Lies Ahead

Skeet Reese recently achieved his No. 1 career goal when he clinched the Bassmaster Angler of the Year (AOY) title on day 3 of the Toho Bassmaster Elite Series.

The heated race was tight until the end, but Reese outpaced Kevin VanDam in the end and won by a 118-point margin.

Reese hasn't been home yet – he spent time in Florida visiting parks with his family, ventured to Louisiana to see his dad and grandparents in New Orleans, and is now in Little Rock, Ark.

BassFan caught up with him via telephone while he was on the road, and asked about the title, and his plans for the aftermath. His answers appear in the Q&A that follows.

BassFan: It's been over for a week and a half now. How do you feel?

I feel great. I'm just sitting here, with the trophy in the front seat. I've been so busy, I really haven't had a chance to think about it a lot.

I had a whirlwind trip up to ESPN (last week), to run around all the different media platforms there. I got back late Tuesday night, then spent the next couple of days chasing my kids. They kept me fairly busy and wiped out, and I got the first good night of sleep I've had in quite a while. It feels good to get a little rest.

When you see the trophy, and think about AOY, what goes through your head?

When I sit back and think about it, like when I'm driving, it's one of those things – I look back, and reflect, and really enjoy it.

I'll really enjoy it when I get home, put (the trophy) on the mantle, and sit back and look at it. It'll bring a lot of smiles to my face.

Are you bringing the trophy everywhere with you?

They handed it to me in the tournament, and it's still in my rig. I won't get home for (another) week. My family will fly home from Little Rock, and I'll be on the road a little longer after that. Then I get home.

The trip to Little Rock – what's that about, and where to after that?

I'm going to film an AOY special at JM (Associates) for ESPN. Then I have to head to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to the Champion Boats factory. I'll meet with the folks up there, do a photo shoot and all that good stuff. That's as far as I've gotten.

You knew early on day 3 at Toho that you'd clinched the title. Can you talk a little about that moment? Is that when it first sunk in that you were AOY?

It sunk in when I caught my fourth fish on day 3. That's when it hit. There were photos (from BASS Communications) there that showed a little bit of emotion. That's when it really hit me that it was mine. That I did it. I won.

But obviously, once they announced it onstage – when I actually heard them say it and they handed me that trophy – that's when it totally set in.

As you handed over your bag, you said the title was for a lot of people besides you. That seemed to come from the heart.

Absolutely. Everybody that's been onboard with me for a long time – it's a tribute to them. Also to me personally, but everybody plays a key part of my success. Family, sponsors, friends, fans – everybody makes me who I am and what I do.

And it was cool because all my bosses from Lucky Craft were there, and all the Champion management, and Pure Fishing was there. A lot of my sponsors were there to share it with me – to feel and share and be part of the emotion first-hand, which is cool.

Have you talked to many of your old fishing buddies yet – the guys you started with in the West?

I talked to some of my real close friends, but there's a whole lot of people I haven't talked to. I think there's a lot of people waiting to call, but they held off a few weeks knowing it was a little chaotic.

But I know in the next couple of weeks I'll be having a lot of conversations with a lot of people. And hopefully there'll be another celebration party once we get (home). All the friends and family – we'll have an AOY throwdown.

You were let go by Terminator earlier this year, after the company was sold to Rapala. Do you have a jig sponsor yet?

Nope, and you probably heard my comment (onstage) that I want to thank all the companies that stuck with me.

We've seen a number of times in the past – Gerald Swindle, Davy Hite, and Mike Iaconelli come to mind – where the AOY titleholder sort of burns out and suffers a letdown the next season. Is that something you've thought about?

I've already started the thought process, and once I get home, I'll start scheduling my next year – getting hotels booked, all my tackle in order and packed and organized.

From a promotional standpoint, I'm only going to do one speaking engagement, which will be different than AOYs of the past. A lot of (past AOY) guys took advantage of the opportunity to make good money speaking. But it's more important for me to spend time at home with the family.

The only speaking I'm doing is at Angler's Marine in Southern California. (Owner) Rick Grover's a good friend of mine, and we've done a lot of good stuff in the past. And they're a Champion dealer.

Notable

> Look for more from Reese in the coming month.

> For BassFan's same-day coverage of Reese's AOY win, click here.