SHRYOCK READY FOR HIS CLASSIC AND ELITE SERIES DEBUT

Story by Matt Pangrac - Photos courtesy of B.A.S.S. Communications

Newcomerstown, OH – The last time The BASS ZONE caught up with Fletcher Shryock, the young Ohio angler had just accomplished two of the most difficult tasks in tournament bass fishing in the span of six months.  

After winning the second Bassmaster Southern Open of the 2011 season on Lake Norman in late March to qualify for the 2012 Bassmaster Classic, Shryock proceeded to finish in the top five of the Angler Of the Year standings on the 2011 Bassmaster Northern Opens to earn an invitation to fish the 2012 Elite Series.

At the time, Shryock, who had never fished a Bassmaster Open level event before 2011, was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he had experienced such success in his short tenure on the Bassmaster Open trail.  

“I’m still so new to it all that I think I’m maybe even a little naive and dumb to the pressure of everything that’s going on,” he said during the initial interview in late September. “Since all these things have been happening, it’s been the biggest rush ever.”

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Time leads to perspective, and over the past four months the shock has worn off for Shryock, who has been busy plotting his strategy for the rapidly approaching Classic and his Elite Series rookie season that will follow. 

Fully Prepared
“I feel really confident about the Classic, but I know that there are so many variables and so many things that can happen during that tournament,” said Shryock, who dedicated two weeks to pre-practice on the Red River before it went off limits for Classic competitors.  “I was down there for a week at the beginning of November and again in December right up until the cut-off.”

After exploring the Classic playing field for the first time in person, Shryock said that the Red River matched the expectations that he developed through hours of television and internet research.

“I bet you I’ve watched the 2009 Bassmaster Classic TV show from the Red River between 40 and 50 times, no exaggeration,” he admitted. “I watched it a bunch of times even before I qualified for the Classic simply because that’s the type of fishing that I really like to do.

“I don’t really get into watching re-runs of the tournaments where guys are throwing giant swimbaits because that just doesn’t interest me.  Being from Ohio, we like to flip, pitch, and throw spinnerbaits.    That is one of the reasons why I like watching that Red River Classic from 2009.” 

After two weeks of what he considered “really good practice,” Shryock is cautiously optimistic about his chances on the Red River in late February.  “I know that it doesn’t mean much because the river changes a lot, but I got to know the lay of the land really well.  Overall, I can’t wait for the tournament to begin.”

Shryock is well aware of the fact that water levels on the Red River will be one of the biggest uncontrollable variables in the upcoming Classic, and he’s determined not to find any surprises when he returns for the three official days of practice in the week leading up to the tournament.  

“I’ve been driving myself crazy keeping up with the water level every single day,” he said. “Right now, the water level looks like it should be right where I’d like it to be. There’s just so much that can change so fast with that fishery.  Even when I went back in December, the water rose from when I was there in November. It’s actually pretty close to the same level that it was when Skeet Reese won the Classic in 2009.”

Fast Start
Even though Shryock will enter the Classic with arguably the least tournament experience under his belt out of the entire field, he is not shying away from the pressure.  “The way that I’ve been looking at it, I have to do well at the Classic,” he stated, pointing to Brandon Palaniuk’s 4th place finish in the 2011 Classic as the ideal template to follow.  

“He made a name for himself at the Classic, and even though he had a really good year on the Elite Series, he never had a finish in the Top 10. Everyone who watches bass fishing followed him throughout the year and knows who he is because of what he was able to accomplish at the Classic.”

With that in mind, Shryock said that his main goal at the Red River Classic is to finish near the top of the leader board after Day One, regardless of what the eventual results may be.  “Even if I’m just in the top three after the first day and then fall off, I can’t frown on that,” he explained. “If I can get up there and let people know that I’m serious, it’s definitely going to help my career.  If you’re always in the middle of the pack, you’re just not going to get the publicity.

“Obviously, the odds are against me,” Shryock continued.  “I’m going to scratch and claw for everything that I can catch because I know how important it could be for my career if I place high on the first day.  It’s kind of a weird strategy, but that’s what I’m going with.”

Elite Series Rookie
Following the Classic, Shryock will have just two short weeks to prepare for his debut on the 2012 Elite Series.   Although he will enter the year with the support of sponsors like Pure Fishing, Mercury, Ranger Boats, Power-Pole, and Topwater Clothing, Shryock was unable to land a major title sponsor for the 2012 season.

“My biggest goal is going to be making enough money to stay on the Elite Series.  If I have to do most of it by myself again in 2013, I’m going to have to fish really well this year, and I’m probably going to have to cash at least five checks,” he explained. 

With an avalanche of off-the-water planning, Shryock is looking forward to hitting the water again. “It has been really stressful trying to get everything put together, but I think things will start to calm down here shortly,” he explained. “I’m leaving for Florida next week, and I’m going to spend some time on the St. Johns River and Okeechobee right before the cut-off.  From there, I’m packing up and going to the Red River.

“At this point, the initial shock of qualifying for the Classic has passed me.  I want to do well.  I’m trying to figure out how I can take what I’ve done and keep pushing ahead,” he concluded.