There are some loud, bombastic personalities in this great sport of ours, and many of them can catch fat bags of bass to back it up. With that, the opposite is also true, there is a group of pro anglers on the Bassmatster Elite Series who fly under the radar, and keep pretty quiet.
But they, too, can catch them.
You won’t hear from these guys as much. That’s not an intentional move by anyone; it’s really just the natural way of things.
Often, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
If you ask a guy like Clifford Pirch, he prefers to keep a low profile. He’ll stay humble, until it’s his turn to rise.
And rise he will.
“On the Elite Series, we all share a passion for fishing, and that passion, complimented by intense competition brings some strong personalities to the forefront,” said Pirch. “I’m the most comfortable whenever I’m in the outdoors, whether that’s hunting elk in the fall or at a tournament on the Elite Series. It’s where I’m supposed to be. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Pirch will be fishing in his fifth straight GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Lake Hartwell this week. Can’t argue with his consistency, there is something to be said about tenure in this sport, and he has it.
“I’ve listened to a lot of the interviews this week, heard a lot of speculation about who is going to win, or who will do well. But a few of the guys I run with, and myself have basically been counted out,” he said. “We laugh about it, but I chose to let it fuel my drive to succeed instead of letting it get to my head.
“This is a sport that is filled with many types of anglers, and I’m the type that who has to make checks to survive. To continue living my dream as a professional angler I have to fish in a way that makes sense to my career, my family and sponsors,” he continued. “That often requires a little different approach than always swinging for a homerun.”
Pirch said that as he’s matured as a professional angler, he’s learned to become a very consistent angler, but with a Bassmaster Elite Series win escaping his resume he feels like he’s learning to combine the consistency factor with the homerun factor.
And that makes him down-right scary at this level.
In a nutshell, here are Pirch’s numbers:
-Finished in the money 47 times out of 65 appearances, that’s near 73 percent, which on average is 10-percent better than 80-percent of the field with at least that much experience.
-The 2018 Classic will be his fifth appearance in a row.
-His 5-year Classic average has his finish at 30th place, but that’s a tough since he finished in 51st place on his first visit; most rookie Classic competitors don’t finish that well. Drop that one and he averages 23rd. The last time the Elite Series visited Lake Hartwell in 2015, Pirch finished 13th. That’s the number to keep in mind.
-He’s finished in the Top 20 eighteen times.
-Eight Top 10 finishes, including three second-place finishes.
-He’s amassed over $534,000 in winnings.
His record speaks for itself.
At 43 years of age, and with his two daughters and parents in attendance at this year’s event, I asked him what a Classic title would mean to him and his career:
“I’ve won on every platform I’ve competed on, including on the FLW Tour and out West where I’m from, except for the Elite Series,” he said with a smile. “But, I’m confident in what I’m doing. And I’m confident in how Lake Hartwell is fishing this week.
“Winning the Classic would be huge, it would be a big gain financially for my family in the short and long term. But I’ll be honest, trophies collect dust and money gets spent. I do what I do because I love the outdoors, and I love competition. Don’t get me wrong, I respect this game, and I respect these players. Winning on this level is not easy, and not something I take for granted.”
Pirch made it clear he knows his weaknesses, and he works daily to improve upon his experience, but he believes his strengths as an all-around outdoorsman makes him a very competitive professional angler.
And it does.
“I am a student of the game. I live to be outdoors. You can call that a gift, call it a talent, but it helps to keep my passion for fishing growing, my drive to learn more, and better my craft,” Pirch said. “More or less, I’ve been counted out of this tournament before it’s even started. But I laugh that off, and I let it fuel me to do better than expected. I hope I surprise everyone, including the pundits, with a big showing this week.”
Let me describe Pirch in a few words: He doesn’t need the spotlight to be validated; he doesn’t require high praise and pats on the back; he doesn’t need cameras, stories or glory.
That’s the definition of humility.
That’s the definition of respect.
And I dig that.
Pirch needs to know he did the very best he could, and he made the right decisions at the right time without regrets — that’s where victory lies.
He needs to know he beat the fish. Win or lose, walking away with the satisfaction knowing he did all that he could makes him a pro’s pro.
And that’s something I won’t overlook down the road.