There have been special moments in professional bass fishing where one competitor repeatedly rose above the rest, to be forever written in the history books.

Often labeled as “streaks," such occurrences are now a known, tangible thing to the serious fan. Names like Brauer, Clunn, Fritts and VanDam are often attached to the conversation. However, no accomplishment has ever been greater than that of Ray Hanselman.

By now, the entire tournament world has been made aware of Hanselman’s unheard of 4-for-4 sweep of the 2015 Rayovac Series. And while the Rayovac Series tournaments are widely regarded as triple-A ball, the odds of one competitor winning all four events he entered are so astronomical, it baffles the imagination.

Always looking for scientific reason, I was sure there had to be some X-factor that’s been the key to Hanselman’s success. I had previously interviewed him following his third regular-season victory, but I had to revisit his approach to tournament fishing, so I called him again.

At first, Hanselman comes across as the type of man who doesn’t take himself too seriously; kind of a “just lucky, I guess” type of guy. But, after another in-depth interview, I’ve concluded he’s anything but.

At the beginning of our conversation, Hanselman was quick to credit having everything go his way this year, stating that the unknown variables of tournament fishing - weather, fishing pressure or mechanical problems - were never an issue. I quickly corrected him, as the weather, for example, couldn’t have been balmy every day of the season.

He agreed, and then gave me a bit of gold. One of Hanselman’s secrets, it appears, is not allowing anything to rattle him. Backing up a bit, he explained to me his history of close calls in tournaments, where he let victory slip away. Following those events, Hanselman did a bit of soul-searching, trying to figure out why. In each case, he was able to step away and put his finger on a culprit: poor decision-making.

It was as if Hanselman decided once and for all that he was going to allow instinct to fully control his thought process, especially in times of desperation during an event. “Keep your head down”, “confidence” and “roll with the punches” were phrases Hanselman used to describe his approach.

Again stepping back, Hanselman described his ability to stay focused despite a bad break. He logically finds no benefit to getting angry at a lost fish or missed opportunity. That would simply negatively effect his next move.

Hanselman stays focused through practice, as well, and often comes to an event with a game plan to target bigger fish. But it was his reasoning for calling an audible that really got my attention. When discussing trusting his instinct, Hanselman said “I have no reason not to (because) of my time on the water."

Again, logic would simply agree.

Several times throughout our conversation, Hanselman used the term “fishing raw” to describe such an approach. With continuing success, he learned to allow instinctive fishing to take hold, and never doubt it.

“Now I always trust it,” he said.

I underlined that section of my notes.

Certainly, the method isn’t fool-proof, and, at times, everyone falls on their face. Hanselman agreed, but mentioned that such occurrences simply make him drive harder. After a bad event (which hasn’t occurred this year), he’s back at it the next day, trying to determine where he went wrong.

In addition, I had to know if Hanselman ever allows doubt to enter his mind while competing. What about the entry fee if he fails? Does he consider the income size of fishing to be vital for his family?

Not surprisingly, Hansleman stated that he separates himself from such thoughts, and feels the need to do so as vital to remain competitive. I found it interesting that Hanselman also noted such worries to be the downfall of many aspiring tour pros. The huge financial investment of jumping onto the Elite Series or FLW Tour, he feels, causes many pros to make poor decisions and thus not perform to their abilities.

Regardless of his ability to stay focused, Hanselman’s other asset is his known approach to simply target big fish. This trait comes from a life of fishing Texas’ big bass factories, where “go big or go home” is common culture. I had heard of his approach, and could go along with it on places like Amistad or Falcon, but the Ohio River? Isn’t that supposed to be the birthplace of the term “squeaker?"

Hansleman mentioned that, prior to his visit, he heard some decent smallmouth lived there, and his first plan was to see if he could confirm such suspicion. His bait of choice for such a role is nearly always a big swimbait and, right off the bat in practice, a couple of big smallies showed themselves. From there, it was history.

But, again, I caught a little different side of things.

“My main goal was to make a Top-10,” Hanselman said.

But, after he saw the initial followers, “I put all my eggs in one basket.”

Go figure.

It’s not uncommon for Hanselman to do so. When discussing other tournament strategies, like catching a limit to start the day, he stated “Why go fish for fish you’re gonna turn loose?”

Again, Hanselman came across as giving absolutely no consideration to the thought of failure.

I asked him if he has angling heroes. I assumed, with his rock-solid mental game, Hanselman would mention Rick Clunn. I was surprised to learn the answer was, in fact, Hanselman’s father. Hanselman stated that his dad was an original; hauling monster lures for the biggest bass, and having an uncanny ability to instinctively fish off-the-wall spots. It appears the apple doesn’t fall far from the Hanselman tree.

Through it all, Hanselman appears to really feel that his accomplishment isn’t all that earth-shattering.

“Lots of guys have won three or four tournaments,” he said.

Maybe, but not four in a row. Again, I’m given the impression that he never even allowed the possibility of added pressure to enter his mind.

Hanselman credited a few key pieces of equipment, like an extremely heavy Power Tackle Rod and a Top Shelf Swimbait, for giving him a slight competitive edge. At this point, I find it hard to believe he couldn’t have won without them.

I continue to be blown away by Hanselman and his season; I even asked him if he had ever been accused of cheating. Surely there has to be a magic, mystical variable; something he does that no one else has learned.

Perhaps there is.

(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)