Since I was a small child, fishing has played a big role in my life. The spark was ignited aboard my grandfather’s fishing raft on the Wolf River, where we spent countless hours watching cane poles anticipating the next strike. Since then, fishing has transformed from a favorite pastime into a competitive sport as I graduated high school and entered my first Walleye tournament that summer. I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn before I would truly be competing!
A
couple years later I met up with my current tournament partner Steve Slabe and
began finishing well in local tournaments. Tournaments helped me focus my love of fishing on learning about the
fine details that can turn an average day on the water into an
exceptional one. There is something new to be learned every time you
hit the water, I have learned over the years that even when you think
you have it figured out, things will change. Walleyes have become my
favorite fish to target because they are tough to consistently figure
out. There are lots of Walleye Tournament Anglers today, few of which
consistently place at the top of the pack which has become a goal of
mine.
Steve
and I have been fishing together since 2006.
We won our first tournament together in 2008, and have consistently been
towards the top of the leader board ever since.
In
2009 we decided to fish an entire series together to see how we would stack up
against the best Walleye anglers in our area.
At the end of the year we found ourselves in 8th place in the
Team of the Year Standings, which qualified us for the MWS Championship as well
as a bid into the Cabelas National Team Championship (NTC) in 2010. We also won the Menominee event on September
13 with 4 Walleyes weighing 34.52 pounds!
We took 6th place in the MWS Championship, and were very
pleased with our season overall.
2010
started off with a bang, as we placed 3rd in the Red Banks Walleye
Tournament on the Wolf River. Our next
event was the Masters Walleye Circuit/NTC.
After the first day of this 352 boat tournament, we found ourselves in 5th
place! Day 2 however, was tough for us
as a strong cold front swept through the area and really made our bite
tough. We ended up taking 22nd
in the NTC and 34th in the MWC, both money finishes.
In
2011 we again chose to fish the MWS, and this time we had specific goals in
mind. Our goals were to take the Team of
the Year Title, qualify for the NTC, and win the Championship. Although it came down to a close finish at
the final event of the season, we accomplished goal #1, Team of the Year! This also meant that we had an automatic, expenses
paid bid into the NTC. We had a great
pre-fish for the championship and felt like we were in position to accomplish
goal #3, but we were narrowly edged out by 0.80 pounds and ended up taking 2nd. Despite coming up a little short on our final
goal, Steve and I had a great year and had high hopes for 2012.
In
2012 Steve and I only fished 3 tournaments, since we had planned on fishing the
NTC on Lake Mille Lacs in central Minnesota which would consume a week of our
time and lots of our fishing funds with travel and lodging. After a good week of pre-fishing we found
ourselves amongst the leaders of the event after the first two days and had a
chance at winning $30,000 cash and a new Ranger Boat. Despite weighing the heaviest bag of Walleyes
on the final day, we came up less than a pound short and had to settle with 2nd
place.
The 2013 tournament season also had its ups and downs, but we once again managed to place in
the top 25 in the team of the years standing in the MWS and qualified for the
championship which we placed 2nd in.
We also took 3rd place in the Lake Winnebago event and 4th
place in the Upriver Lakes event.
Overall we took a top 10 finish in 3 of the 5 events we fished this past
season, which leaves us with high expectations for 2014!
In 2011 I decided to start my own fishing blog, which I have found to be both
challenging and rewarding. My blog
topics include; Walleye tournament news, new product reviews, current fishing
reports, fishing tactics, and also how-to instructionals. I really enjoy writing articles that people
can learn something new that will help them have a better fishing
experience. I have recently been asked
to write articles for Born To Fish Magazine, which expands my platform even
further. Since having a child, I have found my free time for blogging has been compromised, which will hopefully come around in the near future!
Since
the young age of 14 I have been a working man.
I began my working career at McDonalds, making $5.15 an hour. As I turned 18, I was immediately promoted to
manager, which presented new challenges and helped me see the world through different eyes. I was now responsible for managing employees,
ordering product, opening and closing the restaurant, banking, dealing with
customer complaints, and many other challenging duties of a manager of a fast
food restaurant. I feel that being put
in a management position at such a young age has shaped the kind of person I
have become today.
Throughout
college I worked at two local Land Surveying/Civil Engineering firms as a
surveyor. Once I graduated college, this
experience teamed with solid recommendations from these summer jobs helped me
land a job with the City of Green Bay as an Engineering Aide. The only downfall to the job was the residency
requirement. A job posting from the City
of Appleton was mentioned to me by a co-worker so I decided to apply. To my surprise, I was offered the position
over nearly 100 other applicants, and was faced with a potential life changing
decision. To this day, I am glad that I
accepted the job, as everything has fallen into place in my life since then.
Today,
I am married to my high school sweetheart Carmen, living in our modest home, raising
our first child Weston. Carmen is a
Dental Hygienist working for Midwest Dental, while I work for the City of
Appleton as an Engineering Technician.
My job duties vary greatly throughout the year. During the winter months, I spend my time
behind a desk working in AutoCAD and GIS Software. The rest of the year is spent outside doing a
variety of tasks including; land surveying, sewer & water inspection, utility
locating, and paving inspection. My day
job allows me to take time off and pre-fish for tournaments.
During the non-tournament season, I enjoy chasing Great Lakes Trout around the many Ports and Tributaries of Lake Michigan here in Wisconsin. I especially enjoy catching Trout through the ice, as they are challenging to make bite, and even more challenging to land once hooked! The use of the Automatic Fisherman has been a huge aide in my Trout Fishing success!
If you would like to get a hold of me regarding any fishing related questions, feel free to stop in the forums section of the blog or email me directly at lance620@live.com. I am also always looking for sponsors to help me continue to pursue my dreams on the water!