By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

As the room started to fill up, Barry Wilson looked around and felt like a kid walking around Cooperstown, N.Y. during Hall of Fame induction weekend. Over there was Larry Nixon and Guido Hibdon. Dion Hibdon was around, too. So were David Dudley and David Fritts. Jay Yelas and Andy Morgan were there, too, along with several other titans of pro bass fishing.

It was the pre-tournament meeting at the Lake Hartwell FLW Tour Major 2012 season opener and Wilson, about to embark on his rookie season on Tour, was admittedly star struck. He later convinced himself that it was the fish he was competing against, not the other jerseys in the banquet room, and finished in the money in 60th place.

It's been quite a journey since then for the native of Birmingham, Ala. Like many rookies, he had his share of ups and downs – his finishes ranged from a 12th at Lake Champlain to a 105th at Table Rock – but the former running back at Auburn University came into this season with one solitary focus in mind: Qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup.

Thanks to four Top-50 finishes, including Top-10s at Beaver Lake and Grand Lake, he easily finished among the Top 35 in Angler of the Year (AOY) points and earned a ticket to the Red River in Louisiana next month for the Cup.

"It's definitely been magical," he said. "The Lord has truly blessed me. I had a different outlook than last year being a rookie. I was a lot more aggressive in my decision-making and I did my homework as far as map study and pre-fishing. I felt like I worked harder.

"To make the Forrest Wood Cup for the first time, that's a dream come true. A lot of guys that fish the Tour or even the Elite Series don't make the Cup or the Classic so it's a feat in itself as much as it is to win one of those tournaments. To make it in my second year, it's truly awesome."

New To Red

Wilson's no stranger to river systems – he cut his teeth on Lay and Logan Martin lakes along the Coosa River in central Alabama – but the Red River will be a new animal for him. With so much on the line at the Cup, he's planning to spend a week there at the end of July to get familiarized with everything it has to offer.

Earlier this year, he took a 1-day scouting trip to Grand Lake in preparation for the Tour event there. It paid off in the form of a 6th-place finish. He hopes his dogged off-the-water preparation and his knack for being able to uncover multiple patterns once he's on the water continue to serve him well in the bayou in the dead of summer.

"When you're at that level, everybody can fish," he said. "It gets to a point when you do well, it comes down to your decision making. It's all in your head and making the right adjustments at the right time during a tournament day or practice.

"When I'm getting ready for a tournament, I do a lot of research on what type of lake it is and the forage base and get some general ideas of what colors work good. I really analyze it and apply the time of year we're there and reflect back on how I was raised on Logan Martin and Lay. It's all about learning what the fish do that time of year and apply that to wherever we're going. I've never been to the Red, but I've got some good info and my buddies are telling me I'll do fine because I know how to fish a river. They'll be some fish deep there just because it's a river, but I'm guessing it'll be a shallow-water deal in the end."

Head Games

A few months ago, Wilson and his family (he's married with a 13-year-old son and 17-month-old daughter) bought a new house and he's spent a good bit of time setting up the basement in a way that helps keep his fishing gear organized. He's built workbenches and hung pegboard and cabinets. That way, he says, he can spend more time on preparation and fish with a clear mind.

"I feel like the more organized I am the better I feel on the water, that my mind's in a better place," he said. "I can think more about where I'm going. I just fish better when I'm organized. When I have stuff scattered all around the boat, I can get flustered and it makes a big difference."

He goes into each tournament not so much with an eye on winning from the get go, but with a focus on making progress each day up the leaderboard. It's the mentality of slow and steady wins the race.

"Some guys go into an event with the hope to get a check and others are there to win," he said. "My goal is to make Top 20 because that's what counts. If I make the Top 20, then my focus shifts to making the Top 10. If that happens, I'll switch gears and try to go win it."

He had opportunities to go for the win at Beaver and Grand this year, but was happy to come away with a pair of Top-10s. At Beaver, he had four patterns going, including a pseudo-pitching technique with an umbrella rig that helped him lock up 4th place. He'd lost a day of practice after making the Top-10 cut at the Lake Seminole Southeast EverStart the week before, but had fall back places from a scouting trip in the spring.

"I started fishing where I'd pre-practiced, but we'd had snow flurries and sleet and the first three things I tried, those fish had left," he said. "I went to my fourth option and started catching them. On the last day at noon, I made a decision to move to a place I'd been saving with two fish in the livewell. Within 15 minutes, I caught a 5-pounder, a 3 1/2 and a 3."



At Grand, he went out on day 4 in 2nd place, 3 1/2 pounds behind eventual winner Jason Christie. All tournament, he'd adjusted as the water receded out of the bushes, but he'd found a "magic" spot on day 1 that continued to produce. On the final day, however, a bit of bad luck cost him a chance to stay in the Top 5.

"I had caught a couple 3-pounders back to back and my camera man was right up next to me," he said. "I made my next cast and got hooked up, but when I swung to set the hook, I bumped the camera guy and it kind of killed the momentum of the hookset and the fish got off. It felt like a good one, too. I caught a 4-pounder a little bit later, but that lost fish seemed to spook the rest of them because they quit biting. Those things happen."

Gridiron Mentality

Wilson grew up in a sports-oriented family. His father was an SEC football official for 20 years and two of his uncles played pro baseball. He caught the football bug as a kid and starred at running back in high school, earning scholarship offers from several major colleges, including Florida State and Auburn. He originally picked FSU, but ultimately chose Auburn. Various knee and hamstring injuries prevented him from seeing regular action, but playing at such a high level only fed his competitive nature and it's something he says has carried over to fishing.

"I'm a different person on and off the water," he said. "It's like a light switch goes on. It was the same thing with football. Off the field, I was a totally different person, laid back and relaxed and easy going. I'd say my dad taught me how to be able to turn it on and off and that's why when I'm out fishing, I flip the switch and the competitive juices start flowing and I'm out to do the very best I can."

He worked for several years in the medical sales industry while fishing BFLs, EverStart Series and Bassmaster Opens in his free time. He needed something more, though, something to fan the competitive fire inside him. With football in the rearview mirror, he took aim at the top level of tournament fishing. In 2011, he qualified for the Tour via the Southeast EverStarts. Since then, he's fished with a running back mentality, waiting for the hole to open before bursting through.

"I took that same type of drive and aggression into fishing," he said. "It's why I got into fishing tournaments. I needed that because I still have that in me."

He's hopeful that approach will benefit him at the Red River and beyond.

"In my mind, it'll only get better," he said. "I'm already excited for next year. I'm hungry now. Next year, I should be even stronger."