By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
For a 25-year-old, Kyle Monti has a lot of mileage on his body, heart and soul.
He tore an ACL playing football in high school. He deals with compressed discs in his neck from almost daily boat rides as a fishing guide at Lake Okeechobee. His knee still bothers him during long days on the water and he’s turned to massage therapy to help manage the neck and back pain.
In March 2014, Monti’s father, John, was shot to death in Belle Glade, Fla., in a confrontation with another man. Kyle competed as a co-angler on the FLW Tour that year and finished 11th in points on the strength of three top-10 finishes. Fishing was his salve, a welcome diversion from his sorrow.
But fishing could only help him escape for so long.
“That was a rough patch trying to take the next step in fishing,” he recalled. “It was hard to focus, so I had to sit down and figure out how my brain works and fix it or I knew I was not going to make it. You can’t go up against these guys with anything on your mind.”
Monti started to devour research on sports psychology and sought tips about how to achieve and maintain a positive mental attitude on and off the water. He says the book How Champions Think, by Dr. Bob Rotella was a useful reference for him during that time. It’s still a work in progress, but Monti thinks he’s well-equipped to take on what 2018 is about to throw at him – being a rookie on the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“I came from nothing,” he said. “Even in college, I had a $3,500 Ranger with no carpet or seats. When I was younger, when we went fishing, we ate what we caught.”
For Monti, next season is going to be a big deal. For one, it’s a second chance to prove himself against the top bass anglers in the world. Secondly, it gives him the opportunity to prove to those who have doubted him that he has the drive and talent to build a career in the fishing industry.
“Throughout my life, people have asked me what I wanted to do,” he said. “When I tell them, ‘I want to be a professional fisherman,’ they laugh and say, ‘Kid, you don’t have any money or ties.’”
That’s just more fuel for his internal fire.
“I’ve been through quite a bit in a short time,” he said. “I had to grow up fast. I moved out when I was 18 and it’s not that my mom didn’t want to help out financially, she couldn’t. She never paid for gas or my entry fees. I had to do it on my own.”
Slow the Game Down
The 2018 Elite Series season won’t be Monti’s first turn as a rookie angler on a professional circuit. After fishing the Bassmaster Southern Opens in 2015, he competed as a pro on the FLW Tour in 2016, but struggled. He cashed one check (at Lake Okeechobee) and finished 119th in points.
It was an eye-opening experience that he hopes to have learned from.
“When I fished as a co-angler, I was there strictly to learn,” he said. “It was great to make a little money, but I was like, ‘I’m not here to catch fish.’ I asked a lot of questions about travel plans and the business side while trying to get a feel for knowing when I’d be ready.
“Based on the guys I drew out with, I realized the guys who did well were fishing strictly on instincts. There were no crazy baits or secrets spots. They were just open minded and they grinded. It made me feel like, ‘Hey, I can do that.’ Then I jumped out front and looking back, I’m glad that happened because had I done well, I probably wouldn’t have fished the Opens (this year). I would’ve fished the Tour again.”
The one thing that stood out to him from the 2016 season was how fast a day goes by during a tournament. He said what he tries to do now is look at the day much in the way a quarterback surveys the defense prior to the snap. He tries to anticipate where the high-percentage areas might be and be leary of where the dead ends are.
“It’s like teaching a quarterback to slow the game down,” he said. “Everything happens so fast around you if you’re not prepared how to think. The key for me is slowing things down.”
He said as part of his sports psych research, he sought answers to why negative outcomes seem to spawn more negative outcomes. Learning from mistakes and experience has helped him recognize times when he needs to shift gears and go in a different direction.
“In fishing, you’re the general manager, coach and quarterback,” he added. “There are no timeouts. Similar to being a quarterback, everything revolves around you and your decisions. Not every quarterback completes every pass. You’re going to lose fish and make wrong choices, but if you start seeing it happen before it happens, odds are if you catch yourself and make a change, you’re going to do well.”
Audible at Harris Chain Was Key
When asked about his goals for the ’18 season, Monti joked that he wants to be the “fantasy fishing value pick of the year.”
“As the year goes on, it can change,” he said, “but I want to have shot at Rookie of the Year. You only get one shot at it. I also want to make a check in every event and make at least one top-12 cut.”
He knows he’s facing a challenging schedule that doesn’t include a Florida venue, but he proved during this year’s Southern Opens that he can catch bass outside of the Sunshine State. He started the year with a 22nd at the Harris Chain, then posted a 21st at Lake Chickamauga before closing it out with a 5th at Smith Lake to finish 2nd in points behind Elite Series pro Justin Lucas.
He thinks his chances to collect an Elite Series bid were salvaged on the end of day 1 at the Harris Chain. He showed a willingness to adjust, er, call an audible and paved the way for a big rally on day 2.
“I saved my year in the last five minutes that day,” he said. “I had four tiny fish and stopped at a place where I’d caught a big one on the last day of practice. I went back and caught a 5 1/2-pounder. It might’ve been the same fish. In years past, I probably wouldn’t have stopped there.
“I scrapped everything I’d planed for the second day. I went back there and caught 17 or 18 pounds in an hour. It was an eye-opener for me, like to say, ‘Hey, I have to be willing to throw away plans to have a chance.’ It showed me about being more open-minded. I didn’t do that last year because of finances. I got fixated on making a check and was so focused on what the fish were doing and where they were going. After that rough first day, I said, ‘I’m not going to do it again. If I crash and burn, at least I tried something different.’”
Anxious to Get Started
Monti, who grew up on the south end of Okeechobee and lives on the north side of the lake, says getting a taste of fishing outside of Florida during his two seasons on the FLW Tour was helpful, but he finds just being on the water with guide clients is also beneficial.
“For me, it’s more about being on the water so much here the last couple years,” he said. “I know it doesn’t help you when you’re catching them in 5 feet or less in Florida, but it helps you see how fast things can change. To see it happen on a day-to-day basis over time, it gives me confidence when I’m catching them in 8 to 10 feet off the bank, I know that next move is critical. If you guess right, it makes the day go smoother.”
He can’t wait to get the season going at Lake Martin in February.
“As far as lakes and locations, everywhere is a long way (from home), he said. “I’m bummed there’s none in Florida. If I can hold my own this year, maybe they’ll have two here next year. I’m just excited. I can’t wait to catch my first five and I’ll be good to go.”
