By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Brent Long has compiled one of the most remarkable career ledgers in all of professional fishing. In 33 career starts on the FLW Tour, he has a pair of victories, but only one other finish inside the Top 20.
He either wins, or else he comes nowhere close. There are no near-misses.
"I've just always tried to find the fish that could win – I've never fished for a limit every day, or just for points," he said last week. "You're not always going to find them, and I guess I've always let it bother me when I don't do it because I end up not fishing good.
"You never know when you're going to win, but you usually know when you've got a chance."
The 43-year-old showed more consistency this year than he had in any of his previous 5 pro seasons as he finished 40th in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race. That was one place higher than he needed to be to make his first appearance in the Forrest Wood Cup.
"I don't think I fished any differently, but that was just the way things worked out. Looking back, I wish I would've tried to be a little more conservative. Making five checks in six events was great, but I still didn't make the championship."
Murray on his Mind
Qualifying for the Cup in 2014 is of paramount importance for Long because it'll be held on Lake Murray. He hails from North Carolina, but dating back to his days in the B.A.S.S. Federation (now B.A.S.S. Nation), many of his greatest amateur successes came in South Carolina, including some on Murray.
"(Making the Cup) is something that's eluded me so far, and with this next one being so close to home, it makes me want to make it even more," he said. "It's 2 1/2 hours from my house and it's always been one of my favorite lakes. It's a body of water that I've got a good bit of knowledge about."
To get there, he plans to alter his standard approach of searching for the mother lode at every tour stop and actually taking on more of a points-oriented mindset.
"If I've got a day where I only have four fish, I'm going to pick up a spinning rod and try to get that one last keeper. I've failed to do that several times in the past and it's ended up really costing me."
One 2014 event at which he really plans to make some hay is Lake Hartwell, another South Carolina venue.
"I always get excited about going there. It's a lake I know well, but I haven't put together a real good FLW tournament there yet.
"The first time I got a pretty good check (he was 40th in 2011), but I had some engine problems on the second day and I didn't catch a limit, and I ended up missing the cut by 3 or 4 pounds. The second time (86th in 2012) the weather changed and I just didn't change with it."
Another Iron in the Fire
Long has maintained his business as a building contractor throughout his pro career, and about a year ago he added another title to his résumé – tackle shop owner. Bryan New, the co-angler winner at this year's Tour event at Lake Eufaula and the possessor of two Top-5 Cup finishes from the back of the boat, helps him operate the store, called Lake Norman Bait and Tackle.
"I thought it could help me with sponsorships," said Long, "I can showcase their products and actually sell the products I use. The business isn't big enough to make a living from it, but it's a place to hang out and talk about fishing.
"Bryan eats, sleeps and breathes fishing, and he knows more about all the new tackle than I ever will. He's got the drive and he knows (pro fishing) is what he wants to do."
He said having the store has benefited his relationship with rod sponsor Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO).
"They're helping me out with product and they're my No. 1-selling rod."
Notable
> Long said he was badly disappointed to be the first angler out of this year's Cup, but not fishing the Red River (where he was 123rd in a 2011 Tour event) wasn't all that big of a bummer. "Now, if I missed by 3 points next year and didn't get to fish Murray, I'd be devastated," he said.
> He finished 113th in this year's derby at Grand Lake despite having the type of practice that made him think he had a shot at a third Tour victory. "I was catching a lot of 3- to 5-pounders, mostly with a jig, but it just didn't come together in the tournament. I had three different ways that I could catch 20 pounds a day. I think they were so easy to catch that a lot of people found them and there wasn't enough to share after the tournament started."
