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Norman,
OK – Brian Snowden’s 2008 Elite Series season was volatile, to say the least.
The bad news is that he was only able to string together back-to-back checks once.
The good news is that he still managed to finish in the money in six of eleven tournaments, including two top
twelves.
On the whole, the good outweighed the bad. He ended the year in 19th place overall and will fish his fourth Bassmaster Classic in February.
He explained the up-and-down path of his finishes as follows: “Some events just seemed to fish more to my strength, which is structure fishing.”
Even his “bad” finishes weren’t terrible. He was 70th at Kissimmee, 53rd at Clarks Hill, 65th at Wheeler, 63rd at Old Hickory and 73rd at Oneida. Not a near-triple digit clunker in the bunch.
“Each year my consistency gets a little better,” Snowden said. “I’m always trying to be a little more consistent and avoid those 80th and 90th place finishes. You have to put yourself in the position to make top twelves. Kevin (VanDam), Mike McClelland, guys like that always seem to be around the fish to make the cut. They make the necessary adjustments during the tournament.
Heartbreak at Harris
Snowden’s best finish of the year may also have been the one that weighed on him most heavily. Normally, a 2nd place check to start the year would be a building block, but he had nearly a ten pound lead heading into the final day and fumbled it away when he put a goose egg on the scales. That enabled McClelland to come from behind and claim victory. Snowden had the fish on his line to win, but through an inexplicable series of events, they all came unbuttoned.
The next tournament he finished 70th at Kissimmee, and he admitted that he “couldn’t stay focused there.” But once Florida was in the rear view mirror he pulled himself up with the help of some friends and competitors.
“A good friend of mine missed winning the All-American by losing one fish,” Snowden said. “He put it all in perspective for me, told me not to let the media or anyone else bring me down. Kevin VanDam talked to me about it, too. He told me that I had stayed where I need to be. I was catching a 5 ½ to 6 ½ pound bass there each day. After I talked with him, I never looked back.”
On a positive note, he admitted that despite the mental anguish he suffered, the 2nd place finish gave him both a mental and financial cushion to work with.
“I’m fortunate that I don’t have to get checks to keep on fishing,” he said. “But it weighs on your mind, thinking about it. Just like any business – you don’t feel good if you’re not getting a return on your investment.”
Texas Rebound
After the disappointment at the Harris Chain and the non-money finish at Kissimmee, Snowden notched consecutive checks at Falcon and Amistad.
“When you start getting those checks it feeds on itself,” he said. “You get more comfortable and can start taking risks.”
While he finished barely out of the cut (53rd) in the next event at Clarks Hill, he entered his comfort zone the following week at Lake Murray.
“That’s when we started getting into structure fishing,” he said. “I can do OK in the prespawn, but I tend to do better in the summer and fall because we do so much structure fishing on Table Rock.”
While he never cracked the top twelve again during the regular season, Snowden notched a 16th at Kentucky Lake and a 15th at Erie. In both cases, the events played to his strong suit, using electronics to find offshore structure.
“Kentucky was a jig and crankbait ledge bite,” he said. “Erie was a dropshot tournament and that’s what we do on Table Rock and Bull Shoals from June to September. We use our electronics day in and day out.”
But he wasn’t satisfied with those finishes, largely because “it’s more of a boost to make a top 12 in this points system, given the way the increments work.”
“Erie both years has been kind of a disappointment. Last year I had a dead fish cost me and this year I lost two 4 pounders and had to weigh in two 13-inchers.”
Back to the Classic
The Red River will be Snowden’s first Classic since he fished three consecutively from 2004 to 2006. While he never dropped below 22nd in the points race during the 2008 season, he tried not to assume that a Classic berth was his for the taking.
“You try to never feel too comfortable,” he said. “I just try to take each tournament and do the best I can, but I knew I was in after Erie.”
In addition to the chance to notch his first BASS win after four bridesmaid finishes, just qualifying provides both a mental and a financial boost.
“Financially it’s a great thing,” he said. “All of us have some contract bonuses for things like that. Having been there before, going back after being away is very rewarding. My first Classic I was just excited to be there. My second and third I took it for granted. I’ll cherish this one a little more.”
Just like his 2008 season, his track record on the Red River is a mixed bag – everything from a 16th all the way down to 162nd, but he feels good about his chances.
“We’ll be there a little earlier so it will all depend on the weather,” he said. “It could be really good or if we get a lot of rain and mud it could turn out differently.”
In the interim, he plans to spend a few weeks in Shreveport prior to the cut-off in hopes that he’ll finish one place better in his first tournament of 2009 than he did in his first event of 2008. His up-and-down season, with some memorable disappointments, would be a dream season for many of the pros who’ve never even approached 19th in the AOY race, but he’d like to erase the few nightmares with a very happy ending. Brian Snowden knows that there’s no second place at the Classic and he’s looking to make up for missed opportunities in a big way.
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