Nine Checks......One Sunday Appearance 

 Story By Pete Robbins - Photos by Mark Jeffreys  

Norman, OK. – Kansas pro Brent Chapman intends to spend a lot of time in the deer stand this fall. So much time, in fact, that he called his pursuit of a trophy buck his “fall tournament.” He earned the time off on the strength of a season which saw him earn nine checks in eleven Elite Series tournaments. 

But while Chapman produced a 2008 record that would be the envy of all but the 21 anglers who finished ahead of him in the Angler of the Year race, he did it quietly. Nine checks, little flash, only one Sunday appearance. Thus, his vow to spend time in a deer stand would seem to be very much in character.

“Bow hunting for trophy whitetails is a lot like tournament fishing,” he said. “You have to pay attention to every little detail and stay focused.”

But while the focus will be primarily on his four-legged quarry, he admitted that he’ll spend a fair deal of time analyzing the season gone by and looking forward to his subsequent challenge, the 2009 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River.

Almost Ten
An angler can afford to spend time contemplating his missteps when there are relatively few of them. Chapman had streaks of five and four consecutive checks during the course of the ’08 season, and would have joined them into a single streak of ten straight had he not missed the cut at Wheeler by seven spots. 

But the start of the season was not particularly auspicious. He finished a dismal 93rd in the season-opener on the Harris Chain.

“The Harris Chain was a huge disappointment,” he said. “You start off that ways and you shoot yourself in the foot for the Angler of the Year title.”

But his mistake was a simple one: “I was in the right area, around the fish for a top twelve,” he said. “Bill Lowen and (Mark) Menendez were both there. But I bailed out too quick. I should’ve stuck around.”

At Wheeler, where he ended up 57th, he lost a few key fish, the only such memorable stumble in what was otherwise a technically well-executed season. 

“I pride myself on my hooking ratio and putting fish in the boat,” he said. “A lot of guys are always talking about the fish they lost, but I look back at the year and I didn’t lose a lot of fish.”

Hungry for More
Chapman was quick to characterize 2008 as “a good year from a making a living standpoint” and added that he would “take it every year,” but he admitted that not winning eats at him. The only top twelve finish in his season was a 7th place at Old Hickory.

“Ultimately we want to win tournaments,” he said. “That’s why we’re out here. But the only time I was in position to win was at Old Hickory. I was consistent, but you always want to do better. I want to have more of a Faircloth-type year, where you’re consistent and also win.”

While he could not definitively identify a reason for his good but not great finishes, he speculated that “one of (his) downfalls is that (he is) too conservative,” largely because he’s focused on making the Classic.

Classic qualification remains an important goal for Chapman. The event at Hartwell was his seventh, but he had missed the previous three. He said that the years fishing both tours took a toll on him, so he was particularly eager to make sure he secured a spot in the big show, and that may have prevented him from “taking it to the next level.”

“There are so many minute things in our sport,” he said. “I’ve been reading how Todd (Faircloth) made subtle adjustments all year. I’ll work it out in the tree stand.”

He cited Falcon and Amistad, where he finished 31st and 41st, respectively, as examples of tournaments where he could have done better.

“Could I have won at Falcon? Probably not,” he opined, but he feels that he should not have been content with limits of five pounders. Similarly, at Amistad, he realized that he “should have kept with the swimbait more,” even though he’s not yet completely comfortable with the technique, because it would have given him the best chance to progress to Sunday.”

While not a complainer by nature, Chapman expressed some disappointment with the way BASS has structured its points system. 

“It really rewards those top twelves,” he said. “You can get four or five top twelves and bomb in the rest of them and do better than someone who has nine top fifties. The way they used to do it rewarded consistency.”

Classic Hopes
It would be an understatement to say that Chapman is amped up about fishing a championship tournament on the Red River – in six previous BASS events there, including two Classics, he’s earned a check every time. One of those tournaments was an Invitational that he won in 2000.

“It has been a very good fishery to me,” he said. “It really fits my style and I feel comfortable with it.”

The Chapmans and the Jones family will continue to camp near each other in 2009, along with the families of Aaron Martens and Todd Faircloth. That much won’t change. “I’m more comfortable with them than I am with my neighbors at home,” Chapman said. “We’re like a big family.”

But one family member who may not be along for the ride is Brent’s father Ron, who in the past has frequently traveled with his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren while competing as a co-angler. With the elimination of the co-angler option, there may be no reason for him to come along.

“BASS still hasn’t let us know (about pre-fishing),” Brent said. “My father is pretty bummed. I hate it that we won’t be able to fish together anymore. And if we’re not allowed, then I won’t be able to (practice) with my son anymore, either.”

That may mean more quiet time for Brent Chapman, and as he approaches the million dollar mark in BASS winnings and prepares for a Classic on one of his favorite bodies of water, solitude and quiet aren’t necessarily entirely bad.