Evers Feels He's Close To Realizing His AOY Goal

Stubbornness.

Is that characteristic a virtue or a hindrance for a professional angler? Edwin Evers has it in spades, and he says it can go either way.

"It's not always a bad deal to be stubborn," he said. "Sometimes it's good to go against the grain a little bit. There are times when that pays off, but you have to know when to pick and choose those times."

The Oklahoman has established himself as a year-in, year-out contender in the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race (he was 6th this year) and as a guy who can close out a victory when the opportunity presents itself (he's won three times at the tour level). At age 33 and with 8 pro seasons in the books, the only milestones he's yet to achieve are the crown jewels of his profession – an AOY and a Bassmaster Classic triumph.

As for the former, he thinks it's just a matter of time – that is, time to get rid of a little more of his ingrained stubbornness.

"I've been close the last 3 or 4 years and just haven't been able to get over the hump. I've had a bad Florida tournament here or a bomb over there, and those have hurt me.

"But (an AOY) is going to happen. I'm not putting any pressure on myself to make it happen next year or the year after, but I'm getting better every year and I fully believe it'll happen."

Old Hickory Heartache

A bout of stubbornness interrupted a brilliant streak of fishing by Evers this year. Over the course of seven events, he finished 13th or better six times, including three 3rds.

The lone exception was Old Hickory, a tournament originally slated for the Mississippi River in Iowa that had to be relocated due to the summer flooding that plagued the Midwest. He ended up 82nd there – by far his worst showing of the campaign.

His problem was that he went into the short-notice event with a preconceived notion about how he should fish, and just refused to abandon it.

"I tried catching them offshore when I should've fished shallow," he said. "It turned out to be just a horrible tournament.

"I got out on the ledges (in practice) and caught a (4-pounder) and a 3 and a lot of little fish, and I thought that was what I needed to be doing. That wasn't the deal."

There were other events this year, however, in which he was able to disregard his formerly rigid thought process and make the necessary adjustments to achieve high finishes. The blueback herring-oriented events at Clarks Hill and Murray were examples – he wound up 3rd in both.

"That was the first time I'd had success at those blueback lakes – I think I'd made a check at Clarks Hill one time, but that was only because I caught an 8- or 9-pounder sight-fishing. I attacked them a little bit different this time – I was able to put cover out of my mind and just focus on the (baitfish)."

Also, he wrapped up the year with a 55th at Oneida, but that finish could have been much worse.

"I saved that one a little bit by just going out and looking on the last couple days (of practice). It wasn't a great tournament in any shape, form or fashion, but it wasn't a zero, which is where I was headed before that.

"I ended up flipping grass and catching smallmouth when I thought I would catch largemouth doing that."

Classic Logistics Worked Out

For awhile, it was questionable whether Evers, the No. 8 angler in the BassFan World Rankings, would fish the 2009 Classic at Louisiana's Red River. His wife was scheduled to deliver his first child (she has one by a previous marriage) right around the same time that official practice starts in the third week of February.

Now, the plan is for the baby to arrive via Cesarean section at some point during the first 2 weeks of that month, and he'll get to pursue his other major career goal as a new father.

He's intimately familiar with the Red and has had success there at both the tour and Open levels. A Classic held there is one he would've hated to miss.

"That place has been good to me," he said. "Anytime I can go to a body of water and don't need a map to get there, to find the boat ramp or find my way out to the main river channel, that's a huge confidence boost in itself.

"February's going to be a whole different ballgame (than previous tournaments he's fished there). There'll be a lot more fish and a lot bigger weights. It's going to be good because that place has got 'em."

Notable

> Evers opened the season with a 61st-place finish at Toho, and that one would have been a lot better if not for a nightmarish 10-minute span. "I lost two 5s, a 4 and a great big one that straightened my hook, and that would've made all the difference in the world," he said. "I had a bad day there and I didn't ever make up that ground."

> He's a lot more willing these days to take whatever weight the venue will give him on a particular day. "If all I can catch is a 10-pound limit on the final day, then I go out and do the best job I can to catch it. You have to catch the fish you can catch and take care of business for yourself, and then let the weights fall where they're going to fall."