Connell Won't Rest On ROY Laurels

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Dustin Connell was the Elite Series Rookie of the Year in 2017. He won the Elite Series tournament at Ross Barnett Reservoir, holding off Kevin VanDam in the process. He cashed seven checks (eight, counting the Angler of the Year bonus money) and qualified for his first Bassmaster Classic.

When asked what stood out to him about his first year on the circuit, Connell didn’t mention any of the above accomplishments. Instead, he humbly focused on the broader experience of the whole season.

“Traveling to these different lakes I’ve always dreamed about going to and actually fishing them,” he said. “I was sitting on Rayburn, where I’d watched (television) shows from and I’d be like, ‘Man I wish I could go up there.’ I watched shows about Mille Lacs, then drove 21 hours and got to fish there. Seeing all of these lakes, it was like, ‘Man, I can’t believe this.’”

Connell likened his rookie year to an avid sports fan traveling to different stadiums and arenas to soak in the experience of seeing a game at various venues.

“I grew up fishing 12 miles from the house on the Coosa River, so driving 20 hours to compete, that’s a big deal,” he said. “Not many people get to experience that.”

He did much more than drive to a few far-flung lakes only to launch his boat and make a few casts. By notching a win and finishing 12th in points as a rookie, he installed himself as a name to watch in coming years, yet another product of the college fishing scene that has exploded in popularity over the past 10 years. In 15 career B.A.S.S. tournaments, Connell has taken home a paycheck in 12 of them.

“I’m not saying I belong here, but I can compete and am fully capable of being here and winning here,” he added.

Cherokee Was Important

It didn’t take long for Connell to get his unofficial introduction to the Elite Series this season. He said it happened on day 1 of practice at the first tournament in the mountains of east Tennessee.

“The first morning of practice at Cherokee, I launched alongside (Edwin) Evers,” Connell said. “I was like, ‘(Crap), this is happening.’ Then I run down lake and see KVD and other guys. That’s when I realized this is for real. I just blocked it all out of my head. You want to take it all in, but at the same time, you need to focus on catching fish.”

BassFans will most likely remember Connell’s Elite Series debut at Cherokee Lake for his willingness to let Jacob Wheeler fish out of his boat after Wheeler’s boat broke down on day 3. Thanks to Connell, Wheeler was able to stay in contention before going on to capture the victory the following day.

For Connell, though, that tournament was all about getting his footing and aside from the unexpected occurrence of having to share the bow of his boat with another competitor, he gained a lot of confidence from the season opener.

“Starting out, I’ve had success around the house and had success locally, regionally and in college, but when you step up to this level, you’re always wondering if you belong here,” he said. “Cherokee was a big deal for me. I should’ve made a top-12 there. I was in 15th place going into day 3, but lost a lot of fish. I was happy to make day 3 and make a check. I was like, ‘I get to go play again.’ That was when it was like, ‘I do belong here.’”

He did his homework this season as he visited each lake, except for Mille Lacs, prior to the off-limits period. He didn’t want to get surprised by anything.

“I’d never seen them and I wanted to say, ‘Hey, I put in my time and if I don’t catch ‘em I have zero excuses,’” he said. “After all that time I put in and then practice for three days, then you have to catch ‘em. If you have one bad day, you’re done with those guys. The pressure of catching them, it wasn’t a nervous pressure for me. It was the financial part of it.

“I knew I have a lot of time and money invested in it, and right now is when I need to be at my best to compete against these guys. I’ve led big college tournaments for multiple days and had it fizzle out. Now I’m to the point where I know I can catch them. I just have to do my job and force them to catch them, too.”

Mad in Mississippi

After finishing a respectable 26th in his first trip to Lake Okeechobee, Connell experienced his first stumble at Toledo Bend, where he finished 56th and missed a check by 12 ounces.

“After that, I was mad,” he said. “That was a long drive home and Ross Barnett was next and I went there with a chip on my shoulder. I knew I’d do well because I pre-fished there.”

He was concerned about the weather lining up how he wanted it to, but it stayed warm and the water didn’t come up too much. He caught two big fish up the Pearl River on the first day of practice and that told him all he needed to know.

“It goes to show I gained some confidence, but when I missed a check, I was more motivated and then I won that tournament,” he said.

But even he was uncertain he’d caught enough on the final day to hold off VanDam. He said the time between checking in and weighing in seemed to go on forever.

“I thought I’d let it slip away,” he said. “The whole time I was sweating bullets. I didn’t know what I had. When I got on stage and heard (Dave) Mercer say what I needed, I said to myself, ‘I knew I had 12 pounds.’ Deep down, thought I had it won, but wasn’t sure until I saw it say 12-15. I didn’t want second place.”

The victory was the second of his Bassmaster career. He won the 2015 Alabama River Southern Open, but he remembered his celebration on stage being fairly tame. At Ross Barnett, it was a different story.

“When I won that Southern Open I grabbed that trophy because it was a huge deal for me,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here today without that, but for some reason I didn’t hold the Open trophy over my head. I don’t know why I didn’t. Maybe it was because I wanted a blue trophy. When I won that Elite, I made sure to hold that sucker way up over my head.”