LEESBURG, Fla. — Take a look at Chad Smith’s tournament resume and it reads like that of a seasoned pro. A win, eight top 10 finishes, four times inside the top 5. And he did it all in just 21 events.
Those stellar finishes surprisingly came from the back of the boat, fishing used water, during his four seasons as a co-angler at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens. Most remarkable is that Smith qualified for eight of 11 Championship Saturdays in a hot streak that concluded last season.
This week Smith, 23, moves to the front deck at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open at the Harris Chain of Lakes. Graduating to the pro side implies that placing lures in the right places was the reason behind the success. That was only a small part of a bigger goal.
Credit Smith with a well thought financial plan and living within a tight budget as the primary reason why fishing used water will be no more. Tournament newbies take note. Smith set aside his tournament winnings—leaving the money untouched—to finance his tournaments. Living expenses came from his job as a landscaper, among other odd jobs picked up along the way.
“I didn’t really have the financial means to make the switch until I had enough tournament winnings, because I am really stingy about my personal budget,” he said. “I wanted to win as much money as possible to put aside into savings.”
He continued, “It wasn’t the most financially comfortable thing, but at least now I have the peace of mind knowing that I can focus full time on the fishing.”
What all that means is that Smith intentionally avoided letting greed overcome his goal to take it slow, get it right and follow the plan. As success came so did sponsors impressed with his ability to defeat the odds and become consistent from the back of the boat.
“I have all my tournaments already paid for this season, between the savings and sponsors, so I can now focus on my boating skills and learning new water,” he said.
Stepping up were Untamed Tackle and Boomer’s Bait & Tackle, a well-known bait and tackle shop in the Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota, among other sponsors providing cash and product. As a result he will be fishing all eight events of the Eastern and Central Opens divisions.
Smith credits his mentorship with Minnesota pro Josh Douglas as helping him jumpstart his success.
“He taught me the importance of focusing on the details, retying knots, using high-quality tackle, and most of all, dialing into what the fish are eating, not just the lures, since you only have so much space to carry tackle as a co-angler,” he said.
Using different lures, making longer casts, avoiding duplication of what the pro is doing in the front of the boat. All are basic fundamentals of success for a day on the water with a pro. Ironically, Smith had no secret formula for doing better than most.
“It came down to never giving up, gaining confidence and mastering the mental side of the game, because mechanically you already are somewhat handicapped in the back of the boat,” he said.
Mastering the mental side was a good fit.
“Never giving up made a difference,” he explained. “I truly have seen that work for me, filling my limit in the last 10 minutes, either culling up with a key fish or adding a limit filler.”
In fact, a last-minute fish was responsible for his co-angler title last season at a stingy Lake Norman in North Carolina.
“Staying in the game means even more when you only have three fish in a limit” he added. “That is when the mental side of the game becomes more important and especially as a co-angler.”
As success came quicker—and more frequently—Smith also realized that slowing the tempo mattered even more.
“Being able to put baits on spots was one thing, but what really mattered the most was making the most of every cast, keeping the bait in the water as long as possible,” he said. “As a co-angler, I learned that making more casts was not necessarily the best thing.”
Smith plans to carry that approach from behind the helm and at the bow.
“Fishing as a boater I will be able to transition that patience into really thoroughly covering an entire given area, instead of being target specific as I was before as a co-angler,” he said. “Fishing an area instead of specific spots is what I want to master next.”
Expect Smith to do that and more this season as he learns how to read new water and develop his boat handling skills. It’s all part of a bigger plan already in motion to be fishing on Championship Saturday.