Summer 2019
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Pierson with Mark Daniels Jr. – Another western pro that fished his way into the
Elite Series from Northern California.
Pierson has already competed in an event on the Bassmaster Elite Series, so he already knew many of the anglers and has already transitioned from being a fan of the fishermen to a peer, friend, and equal.
THE FISHING
Although Pierson had a tough tournament and found himself at the bottom of the standings, he said it could have been a little better.
“I spent too much time in practice trying to find the ‘miracle spot’ to win instead of just fishing and that hurt me. To finish dead last hurts your ego a little, but I had some chances to do better, and the 18” size limit for smallmouth made it tough to get a keeper,” added Pierson.
A GREAT SUPPORT SYSTEM
Pierson was able to take advantage of the opportunity provided to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship winner and get entry fee assistance, but he is thankful to have great support from sponsors.
of the fans in the crowd made me feel like I was in shock, but it was amazing. The second day was better, and I was able to enjoy it a little more and take it all in,” he said. “I watched it from the stands on the final day, and I did not like that. I’d much rather have still been fishing on the third day.”
FROM FAN TO FRIEND
One of the coolest experiences for Pierson during the event was interacting with professional anglers who had watched for years. “I started following professional bass fishing around the time Kevin VanDam started in the early nineties, and here I was competing against him. I talked to just about every competitor, and they were all very nice, I was blown away by how friendly they were,” said Pierson.
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