By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
James Watson threw a big bash at his home in Nixa, Mo. on Saturday night to celebrate the Bassmaster Open victory he'd achieved on Table Rock Lake earlier in the day. Luke Clausen opted to sit it out.
Often an enthusiastic participant at such gatherings, Clausen was too drained to make the 15-minute trek to Watson's place. Instead, he hung out in his room and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then fell asleep on the couch.
He'd finished 10 places behind Watson at Table Rock, but that showing was good enough to secure a berth for the 2016 Elite Series. He ended up in 6th place on the Central Opens points list, but because three of the anglers in front of him (Stephen Browning, James Elam and Tommy Biffle) are Elite pros, he'll receive an invitation to compete on B.A.S.S.' top circuit next year after spending the last decade on the FLW side.
"I was all-in on this and it's a huge weight off my shoulders right now," the 2006 Bassmaster Classic winner said. "I put more effort into these tournaments than any other events this year.
"Sometimes just change itself is a good thing. Fishing FLW for the last 10 years, I think I'd gotten pretty stagnant. I'd done it for so long that everything was pretty routine."
No Regrets from '06
Professional bass fishing is a sport that's in a constant state of flux, and as such it's riddled with ironies. The fact that Clausen worked so hard this year to earn a position that he turned down twice in late 2005 and early '06 is certainly no exception.
If he'd had things entirely his way, the 2004 Forrest Wood Cup champion would've competed on both the FLW Tour and the Elite Series during the year of his Classic triumph. However, as a member of the Chevy FLW team, he couldn't do that without dropping his team deal.
He was required to display an FLW logo on his jersey and boat as part of that deal, and B.A.S.S. doesn't permit the emblems of another circuit to be worn during Elite Series events. That put him between the proverbial rock and hard place.
He didn't sign up for the Elite Series that previous winter and again declined when a new opportunity opened up via his Classic victory. He tossed his hat into FLW's ring and stayed there for the next 10 seasons.
The Chevy deal lasted through the 2014 campaign, after which the automaker pulled out of pro fishing. Clausen subsequently signed a primary sponsorship deal with Bridgford Foods.
Clausen is one of five anglers to have won both the Bassmaster Classic and Forrest Wood Cup.
"I don't regret the decision I made at the time (in '06) – it was the most lucrative thing I could do," Clausen said. "Back then, times were good at FLW.
"The only thing I wish is that I'd gotten back (to B.A.S.S.) a little sooner. I thought it was going to be a little easier to qualify, but I managed to screw up some of those opportunities over the last few years."
More Consistent Now
Clausen finished 5th in the 2015 FLW Tour Angler of the Year race, marking his fifth single-digit placement on that list during his 12 years on the circuit. He won a Tour event at the Potomac River in 2011 – his lone top-level victory that wasn't a championship event.
In another ironic twist, he believes that it's tougher for him to win nowadays, with his much-greater experience level, than it was a decade ago.
"I think winning is easier when you don't know as much and you don't know what it is that you should be doing," he said. "I'm definitely more consistent than I was (when he won the Classic) and I'm better at adapting, but winning has become more of a challenge.
"My approach to things is a little more mellow now – back then I always thought I was on more (quality fish) than I actually was. I still go into every tournament thinking I want to win, but a lot of times (after the tournament starts) I have to adjust my goal to making the cut or just getting a check."
He made the 12-cut twice this year in the Central Opens – he was 10th at Ross Barnett Reservoir in March in addition to his final-day appearance over the weekend at Table Rock. His other finish was a 39th at Fort Gibson Lake last month.
"The Opens were stressful and I put a lot of pressure on myself. Re-qualifying was a lot harder than I thought it would be and sometimes I think I was trying too hard."
Notable
> Clausen recently became engaged and plans to be married prior to the start of the 2016 season, although no wedding date has been set. His fianceé is also from the Spokane, Wash. area.
> He's one of five anglers to have won both the Classic and the Cup – the others are Davy Hite, David Fritts, George Cochran and Dion Hibdon.
> He says he hasn't even looked at next year's Elite Series schedule. "To me, the schedule doesn't really matter – it's all about catching more than the other guy no matter where you go. I am excited to go to some new fisheries, though; FLW keeps going to the same ones over and over. I want to go to some new places and have wide-open eyes when I get there."
