Too Much New Stuff
Season Was A Learning
Experience For Chapman

Thursday, December 07, 2006      by:  Bassfan.com

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Brent Chapman missed the cut in four of the first five Bassmaster Elite Series events.

Brent Chapman isn't one to make a lot of excuses for poor performance, but several factors contributed to his bad start on the 2006 Bassmaster Elite Series.

An expanded two-tour schedule, a new family member, new travel accommodations, commitments to a new, non-endemic sponsor, too much deer hunting the previous fall – they all combined to render him ill-prepared for the first half of the Elite season. He missed the Top 50 cut in four of the first five events, and a late-season rally wasn't quite enough to get him back into the Bassmaster Classic for the first time since 2004.

"I was going down a lot of new avenues and my plate was way too full," said the 34-year-old Kansan. "I recovered pretty good and I was just one fish from making the Classic, but I'd just dug myself too big of a hole."

All those things that were new to him this year will be old hat in 2007 and he won't be fishing the FLW Tour or Series, so his schedule will be manageable. Thus, the 2005 Top Gun and Busch Shootout champion expects to return to the sport's upper echelon.

"I'll go out and work hard and do the best I can, and hopefully that'll result in making the Classic, some Top-5 finishes and the chance to win a tournament or two. I won't have the added pressure of a whole lot of new experiences at one time."

No Time to Breathe

Of the dozen pros who fished every event in both the Elite Series and FLW Tour, Chapman was the only one who ended up higher in the FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) race (16th) than in the Elite Series chase (41st). He fished three FLW tournaments – all 3 weeks apart beginning in January – and built a solid points foundation that eventually culminated with a berth in the championship event.

The Elite Series kicked off in March, a week after the third FLW Tour stop. Over the next 12 weeks, two-tour pros who were also qualified for the Bassmaster Majors competed in nine events.

He'd just signed his new sponsorship deal with GE Sealants, had just switched boat and motor companies (from Skeeter/Yamaha to Triton/Mercury) and was traveling in a new fifth-wheel trailer with his wife, young son and infant daughter (the family had stayed in motels during the 2005 season).

"There were too many new things and it started to snowball on me after awhile," he said. "The whole time I was either coming from one tournament or going to another one. It was one thing when the tournament trails were six events each, but six (FLW) and 14 (Bassmaster) were a whole new ball game, and the biggest factor was all the new sponsorship stuff.

"I also had some unfortunate things happen (on the water). There was a lost fish here and a lost fish there that could have made a difference."

He missed the cut (61st) at the Elite Series opener at Amistad, then dropped a major bomb (104th) at Sam Rayburn. He made his first check at Santee Cooper (41st), but then finished 57th at Guntersville and 67th at Clarks Hill.

He got back into Classic-berth contention with three straight Top 20s – including a 2nd at Champlain – once summer arrived and the schedule began to lighten up. But he finished 59th at the Potomac River and 62nd at Table Rock to conclude the season. He fell out of the Top 37 in the points and will miss his third straight Classic.

He vowed that next year will be different.

"Cutting back to one circuit will be a huge factor. GE has been wonderful, and the way they do things is really top-notch. All of my commitments next year will be planned well in advance and I won't feel like I'm just getting worked to the bone."

Photo: ESPN Outdoors Brent Chapman said he'll be much better prepared for the start of the 2007 season than he was in '06.

Lacked Proper Preparation

Chapman also admitted he didn't prepare as well as he should have for the 2006 season during the final months of 2005. Naturally, the new baby consumed a considerable amount of time, but he also spent too much time in the woods in what turned out to be a futile quest to kill a deer.

"I hunted the entire season (from the beginning of November through December)," he said. "I was so intent on shooting a deer that I let it consume me, and I never did get one.

"I've already gotten one this year, and from now on, the month of November will be like a deer-hunting tournament for me, and then its over. It's something I enjoy doing and it releases a lot of built-up tension, but I have to keep it in perspective and make sure I give myself enough time to prepare for the next season."

Not only was his equipment not as organized as he'd have preferred going into the season, but his body was also in less-than-ideal condition. All that time in the deer stand meant he wasn't often making it to the gym.

He's off to Brazil this week to fish for peacock bass with his father, then will spend Christmas and New Year's with his family. After that, he'll begin a serious conditioning regimen.

"Instead of January, my season won't start until March this year, so that'll give me a solid 10 weeks to get ready," he said. "I plan on getting into real good shape – physically and mentally."

Notable

> Chapman is confident he'll fish better with a lighter schedule in 2007, but said he'll miss the FLW Tour. "It's a great organization and I have a lot of friends over there. But I can better serve my sponsors fishing BASS, and in order to give 110%, I think you have to pick one circuit and really focus on it."

> He said by mid-season, he and his family had adjusted well to traveling in the fifth-wheel. "We love it, the kids love it, and next year it'll just be a routine thing."

> Although he won't be fishing, he's looking forward to next year's Classic in Birmingham, Ala. "I'll be there working hard for my sponsors and representing them the best that I can. Anybody would rather fish, but it's a great motivator to make it next year."