CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When the 2015 BASS Elite Series opens March 19 on the Sabine River in Texas West Virginia angler Jeremy Starks won’t be among the 150 professional anglers wetting a line. Starks made a major career decision for this year and will instead fish the FLW trail.
“It was purely a business decision,” said Starks who’s fished the Elite Series trail for the last six years. “It was just a change of scenery and I really like the FLW guys. Nothing against BASS, but some of the bodies of water they (FLW) fish are a little more suited to my style. I think there are some changes coming to FLW and I think it’s a good direction for me.”
Starks leaves BASS with an impressive resume. He won two of the Elite Series events. He claimed his first title in 2008 on Wheeler Lake in Alabama and in 2012 won on Douglas Lake in Tennessee. He also qualified and fished the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokee in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“There’s only about 18 two-time Elite Series champions,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m walking away from anything defeated. They can’t take it away from me. I’m a two-time Elites Series champion and I’m proud of that.”
Although fishing for a living is the sort of lifestyle thousands of anglers dream about, the reality can be vastly different.
“Facebook and social media is full of people who think they can be a pro and want to wear their jersey and think that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “But it’s more than a full time job. It occupies more than 90 percent of your time. When you’re not on the water, you’re thinking about being on the water. I’ve had many days when it was rainy and cold and I felt guilty for not being on the water. You make yourself get up and go, not just for the tournaments, but to practice or whatever. It becomes your life.”
Heavily weighing into his decision was this year’s plan for the Elite Series trail to head back to California. The cross-country journey is a grind for east coast anglers and it isn’t a cheap one. It’s an even longer drive home if you have a bad tournament.
“I know gas prices are dropping, but it’s still a very expensive trip,” he said. “Our sponsors are where we make our money, but anything we spend comes out of our pocket. To fish BASS this year will be much more expensive with all the travel.”
Starks said the FLW events are more centrally located. He added the FLW schedule ends earlier and freed him up to fish some open events for cash only.
“I just think it opened up some opportunities and gave me a little more freedom in how and where I wanted to fish,” he said.
Although the Bassmaster Classic is considered bass fishing’s most prestigious event, the FLW Championship– the Forest Wood Cup, named for the famed founder of Ranger Boat Company, is the new goal. The payout for winning the event is $500,000. Starks also felt confident if he wanted to return to the Elite Series, he would be able to fish his way back there.
“I’ve never fished the opens that I didn’t qualify for the Elites,” he said. “I feel like if I put effort into it I could get right back in. That may sound a little arrogant, but I feel confident I could get back in whenever I wanted to.”
2015 FLW Tour Schedule:
March 5-8 Lake Toho — Kissimmee, Florida
March 26-29 Lewis Smith Lake — Jasper, Alabama
April 23-26 Beaver Lake — Rogers, Arkansas
May 14-17 Lake Eufaula — Eufaula, Alabama
June 11-14 Lake Chickamauga — Dayton, Tennessee
June 25-28 Potomac River — La Plata, Maryland