Stetson Blaylock has only three professional seasons on his résumé, but the 24-year-old Arkansan has already experienced many of the triumphs and hardships that are inherent in the sport. He had a solid rookie campaign highlighted by a win, followed by a difficult sophomore season, and then a strong comeback in 2011.

After a lackluster 2010 season that he attributes primarily to financial concerns, he rolled out of the chute with back-to-back Top 10s this year to set the tone for what would become his best year yet. He went on to finish 14th in the points and secure his second Forrest Wood Cup berth.

"As a lot of people would say, it was all about having a clear mind," he said. "I had an awesome year in '09, but for some reason in 2010, just about all of my sponsors pulled out. I was always worried about how I was going to be able to get through that year financially.



"Then in the fall of 2010 I got lucky and got a lot of (sponsorship) stuff lined up, and it all fell into place. I fished this year without a care in the world other than how many bass I could catch."

Deeper was Better at Beaver

Blaylock began the year with his best finish of the season – a 6th at Beaver. That tournament didn't start out so hot for him, though, and it took some advice from one of his roommates to get him on the right track.

"I'm coming off a horrible year, and then I go out on the first of a new year that I hope will be something special and I catch one bass for 3 pounds and I'm in 11th place," he said. "But then Cody Meyer tipped me off and I made a complete change for the next day.

"I went from fishing the bank in dirty water to fishing in 30 to 50 feet of clear water and I went out and caught 18 pounds, which is something on Beaver, and moved up to 11th place. That alone was the biggest deal as far as confidence – it gave me a big boost for the rest of the year."

He would've ended up even higher in the points and perhaps made a strong run at the Angler of the Year (AOY) if not for a mishap at the Red River. His finish there was just one place higher than where he started at Beaver (110th) as his day-1 catch was completely wiped out.

"I had a limit for about 10 pounds, but I was fishing in an off-limits area. I made a mental mistake and I didn't see the sign that said no boats were allowed in there.

"I already had my fish and I ran into a guy who was just fishing on the bank and he said, 'Hey, didn't you see the sign back there? You're not supposed to be in here.' I said, 'Oh, man, you're kidding me. Then I went back out and there was the sign – 30 feet up the bank in some trees."

He said he immediately pulled to the bank and called tournament director Bill Taylor to disqualify himself.

"I talked to some other guys and they said they saw the sign, but for whatever reason, I didn't. But I did what I was supposed to do, even though it cost me a lot. That's how the game's supposed to go and I don't feel bad – it was an honest mistake and a lesson learned, and after that I moved on."

May Go it Alone

There could be one big difference for Blaylock next year compared to this past season. Younger brother Keeton, his practice partner and a highly successful co-angler on the Tour, might opt to not return in 2012.

Keeton finished 2nd in the back-seater points after logging victories at both Beaver and Chickamauga.

"He's an excellent angler who could go a long ways in this sport, but I don't think he wants to do it for a living," he said. "He has a real good job doing landscaping and the way he's talked, it sounds like he has other plans.

"He's a hard worker and he's as good as anybody I've ever seen as far as just catching bass. He has a lot to learn about finding them and sticking with them, as I do, but he showed this year that no matter who he drew, he could catch fish behind them."

If Keeton is indeed absent, it'll be a hurdle he'll have to overcome.

"With him trying different things than I was in practice and throwing different baits behind me, as good as he is, there wasn't too much that was being missed. I could put together a good pattern in a shorter amount of time. It'll be a lot tougher for me, but whatever he decides, I'll support his decision.

"I'll just have to work that out. I'm a professional angler and it's my job to go out there and find fish. I can't depend on a co-angler do that for me."