By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
As Jeff Sprague sees it, his FLW Tour career arc is trending according to plan.
After 3 years as a Tour co-angler, Sprague jumped to the front of the boat in 2014. He had one Top-40 finish, cashed four checks and finished among the Top 50 in points as a rookie – a solid debut to be sure. He amassed the identical number of points last year, but had three 90th-or-worse outcomes to go with three Top-30s, including two 20-cuts (Lake Toho and Potomac River).
He saw it as progress as he started to carve out his place in the pro ranks. The Point, Texas, resident tried to feel his way around during his first couple years and develop some confidence that he could compete at that level.
“Even in my first couple years, I had great opportunities to do well,” he said. “I was a little timid and star-struck from sharing water with guys I looked up to. I gave them more room than maybe I should have, but I’m just very respectful to guys and especially those I’ve looked up to. Now, I’m to the point where I have to move past that and I have to fish for the fish I found as well.”
Thanks to Top-15 finishes at Okeechobee and Hartwell to kick off the season, he’s 4th in points this season and positioned for a run at his first Forrest Wood Cup berth as a pro (he competed twice as a co-angler). It’s safe to say he fits in pretty well at the sport’s top level.
“Coming into my third year and having the confidence and understanding what I do and fishing my strong suits,” he said. “I felt like toward the end of last year, with the momentum I had I was starting to understand how to make my style work. I started utilizing my skills more as opposed to just trying to cash checks. Now, I’m taking those steps to try to win one.
“I feel pretty confident so far,” he continued. “This year is a different deal than in the past. My whole approach to the Tour is a little different than other guys. I’ve always been, in my personal life and in business, a guy who shows up and wants to win everything. I wanted to gauge my abilities and see where I fit in with the other guys.”
Hot Streak
A win might not be too far off for Sprague. Depending on which pro you ask, momentum in bass fishing can mean a lot to some or little to others. For Sprague, he’s enjoying the streak he’s currently on and hopes it carries over to Beaver Lake in a few weeks.
Last year, he fished the Central and Texas (now called the Southwestern) divisions of the FLW Series in addition to the Tour. He cashed checks in all six FLW Series events (he had five Top-30 results), and finished 7th in the Texas Division points and 13th in the Central Division.
He closed the Tour season with a 26th at Lake Chickamauga and a career-best 11th at the Potomac River.
“Last year, I was able to fish the Rayovacs and it was a pretty strong showing for me,” he said. “I double-qualified for the championship and that allows you to make decisions on the fly and then capitalize on them and not be scared to do it and take the chance you might not normally take.
“I’ve seen what makes the difference between finishing 50th and 20th and it might be as simple as stopping on one place to make five casts. I’m pretty good friends with Bryan Thrift and I think he says it best: ‘I might stop on 50 banks during the course of a day, but all I have to do is make one right cast out of those 50 banks.’”
‘Going to keep Swinging’
One thing Sprague has been exposed to while competing on Tour is a variety of fisheries. From shallow, grass lakes in Florida to deep, clear reservoirs to ledge-fishing on rivers to tidal water, he’s seen a little bit of everything so far.
“When you leave Texas and go to places like Beaver or Hartwell where you can see the bottom in 10 to 20 feet, it can scare you to death,” he said. “You think you can’t catch a fish out of that stuff, but I’ve enjoyed the learning curve that comes with it.
“When you stop learning and just go fishing, that’s when you start the decline so I’m going to keep swinging and see if I can’t knock a couple out of the park.”
So far this season, he’s performed well at Okeechobee and Hartwell, two vastly different venues.
“I really enjoy fishing in Florida,” he said. “I’d consider it one of my strong suits, but you never know. It can be feast or famine.”
He started with a 16-pound bag on day 1, then followed up with 10-pound bags on days 2 and 3 to finish 15th.
Two weeks ago, he had another shot at Hartwell, the South Carolina reservoir where he’d finished 89th in 2014.
“I needed redemption there,” he said. “It spun me for a loop my first time there. That was the only time I remember when I was just fishing for a bite. This time, I wanted to catch them there. It set up well for sight-fishing, but I actually fished there. I knew how strong the sight-fishing was but also knew there could be some other things going on.”
He targeted post-spawn largemouths in the rivers by flipping and winding reaction baits around wood.
“There was warmer water up there and those fish were done,” he added.
He averaged about 14 1/2 pounds – all largemouth – over 3 days and wound up 13th.
“That lake really showcased what it had to offer us,” he said.
In two weeks, it’ll be on to Beaver, where he’s yet to finish higher than 65th.
“I feel like I can catch them at Beaver,” he said. “I’ve had some bad breaks there. I was stuck on sight-fishing last year and made some bad decisions. Two bad decisions on Beaver on two 3-pounders is the difference between 65th and 30th. It’s all about decision-making.”
