CLARK WENDLANDT

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2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year

November 21, 2020 by Clark Wendlandt

2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year
It is hard to put in to words how it feels to have the greatest accomplishment of my career occur in the context of the most chaotic year of my life, and I imagine many of yours too – 2020. But in the midst of all the chaos, my job, while disrupted for a few months, resumed after a few months thanks to the efforts made by B.A.S.S to provide a full season for us. I am so appreciative to them and my fellow anglers for pulling together to make this happen. And I am beyond blessed to have been able to hoist the Angler of the Year trophy at the season’s close. What a privilege and honor. It was a year full of lots of highs and lows and lulls and flurries. God has been with me and Patti through all of it. And He is always good – during the highs and during the lows. We are certain and steadfast in that belief.
We started the season at the St. John’s River in Florida, where I had a good tournament, finishing up in 16th place. Starting the year off in Florida is always a bonus in my book. There is just nothing quite like big Florida largemouth to set the tone for they rest of the year. The Chickamauga tournament was supposed to be held the following week but was postponed due to flooding. Then, COVID hit, and like everything else, bass fishing came to a halt. B.A.S.S. responsibly followed local and state guidelines and had to postpone and reschedule several events.
But the season started back up at Lake Eufaula, Alabama. The few times I had fished Eufaula in the past I got killed by the guys fishing out deep. So this year I decided, if I couldn’t beat them, I’d join them. I committed to fishing deep and it paid off. I was really in contention to win after three days of fishing but just couldn’t get big bites on the last day and ended up in 8th.
After a few weeks break, we headed back out for the Northern swing. Cayuga Lake, NY was canceled, and B.A.S.S. replaced it with a Fall tournament at Guntersville, AL. The first of the New York tournaments was at the St. Lawrence River, and thanks to COVID, the tournament site was moved further west, making Lake Ontario fishable water. My very first professional bass fishing tournament was a Bassmaster Invitational on Lake Ontario, and ever since that tournament it has been a very special place to me. I fished the big water all four days, and the weather could not have been better for the first three days. The last day was rough, but I made the run, and it was, indeed rough! Fishing was tougher that last day too, and I finished the event in 8th place again, but it was enough to take over the Angler of the Year lead.
From there, we moved East to Lake Champlain, which traditionally has been one of my favorite places to fish. The way the lake was setting up, I thought largemouth might play, but in hindsight, I should have stuck to smallmouth throughout. It was disappointing not to do better at Champlain, but I got out of there with a decent finish (46th ) and some valuable AOY points. Patti and I stayed up North during the 2 weeks before the next tournament at Lake St. Clair in Michigan, and had a great time fishing Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. At St. Clair I was also in contention to win all the way up to the end, and really had a great shot at it. I lost the winning fish several times the last day, which hurt, but that’s just fishing. I finished fourth there, and went into the next break leading AOY
Following the Northern Swing, we had a three week break before Guntersville, Santee Cooper and Chickamauga. It was just enough time to stop to pre fish a few places, regroup, film some and pack back up for three back to backs – Guntersville, Santee Cooper and Lake Chickamauga. I finished 17th at Guntersville thanks to a tip from my buddy Frank Talley. Then finished 21st at Santee Cooper. I really was not on much at either of those tournaments, so I was pleased to come out of them in good shape – still leading AOY. The next stop was Lake Chickamauga. That’s when the wheels fell off. At Chickamauga I caught one keeper bass in 2 days. Thankfully, it was a 3-14. That one bass was probably the single most important fish of my year. It landed me in 81st place, giving me a few precious AOY points. I left that tournament (as fast as I could) 23 points behind in the AOY standings.
The final tournament of the year was held at Lake Fork, and the only positive thing about having lost so much ground in the AOY game was that the pressure was off just a little bit. There was still pressure, but the pressure had shifted more to David Mullins and Austin Felix who were the two ahead of me. After day one and two I was in 19th place, enough to land me in the top 40 cut. That final day might have been the most stressful of my career. I knew I needed to finish 31st or better and 13 places ahead of Jake Whitaker to win. It was a brutal day. I lost a 3.5 pounder early and couldn’t catch anything in the creek that had provided most of my day one and day two catch. I stayed there until about noon and realized I needed to punt and just go fishing. Even though I had a cameraman and a judge in my boat, that 15 mile run up the lake, knowing what I had to do, was the loneliest run of my life. I targeted some docks, and it was slow. Excruciatingly slow. But I ended up scraping together 7 pounds, which was enough to land me in 28th place, just three points ahead of Mullins (who had a phenomenal year).
I am thrilled to have won the Angler of the Year race. It is the feat that I most want to accomplish at the beginning of every tournament season. I would love to win a tournament, but to come out in the end as the most consistent angler is what I strive for every year. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to fish B.A.S.S. again, grateful for a full 2020 season (and that 2020 is almost over!), grateful to my wife for traveling with me and basically keeping everything else together and running, grateful to our children who give us a reason for everything we do, grateful to my sponsors for making this career possible, and mostly grateful to God for being loving and good and constant all the time, and for giving me a passion for this and the ability to pursue this dream. It is one I do not take for granted, and one I am profoundly grateful for.

Filed Under: Blog, Feature Tagged With: Bass Fishing, bass fishing professional, bassmaster

16 hours ago

Congratulations to Jeff Gustafson Truly one of the nicest guys in fishing. Humble and a really great fisherman... awesome job this week. #bassnation #basselite

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21 hours ago
Padre Island residents remove thousands of pounds of dead fish from canals, beaches

This is just a small part of the devastation caused by the winter storm 2 weeks ago.

An estimated 6,000 pounds of fish was collected near Encantada Avenue.

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1 day ago
Fishing & Hunting Texas

Tips on fishing in the wind. #strikeking

Many folks seek the sheltered part of the lake when the wind blows, however they may be missing out #bassfishing #strikeking

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1 day ago

Fishing was brutally tough so I was thankful for every bass I caught this week, but unfortunately it was only good enough to finish middle of the pack in 52nd. Time to put it behind me and gear up for the next one. #teamoutdoors #rangerboats #yamahaoutboards #powerpole #garminpro #thmarineteam #lithiumpros #truetimber #strikeking #sunline #ownerhooks ... See more

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3 days ago

To say I’m thrilled about catching a limit today, would be an understatement. I had 5 fish for 9-15, putting me in 21st place! Let’s get em’ tomorrow. #teamoutdoors #rangerboats #yamahaoutboards #powerpole #thmarineteam #garminpri #fishgarmin #truetimber #strikeking #sunline #ownerhooks #lithiumpros #basselite ... See more

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4 days ago

My assessment after practice here in Knoxville Tennessee... I had some good days and some bad during practice. I’ll be looking for a limit tomorrow! #bassmaster #bassnation #rangerboats #teamoutdoors #yamahaoutboards #powerpole #thmarineteam #garminpro #truetimber #strikeking #sunline #ownerhooks #lithiumpros ... See more

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1 week ago
Fishing & Hunting Texas

The Strike King Lure Company Cut-R worm is one of my go-to baits. It’s versatile and catches a lot of fish! #strikeking

The Strike King® Rage Tail™ Cut-R Worm is a soft bait with a crazy streak. It sports a Rage flange on its tail for increased action, and in fact, this tail design boasts the fastest tail flicker rate of any worm on the market. Incredibly versatile, this worm is ideal for flipping and pitching, Texas and Carolina rigging, and even straight swimming retrieves on a weighted or unweighted hook. No matter how you fish it, you'll wonder how you ever caught fish without it. Infused with organic coffee scent, which attracts and holds the bite while masking human scent.

Strike King's most versatile worm yet
Rage flange on tail for increased action
Fastest tail flicker rate of any on the market
Infused with coffee scent attractant

#strikeking #bassproshops #rangerboats
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1 week ago
Photos from Clark Wendlandt's post

As we’ve taken the past few days to reflect on my mom’s life, we’ve come across a lot of great memories through old pictures. My mom was the life of the party, had a contagious laugh, and very importantly to me and my brother, was always willing to go fishing or hunting with us. Swipe through to see some serious short shorts, bowl hair cuts, and mustaches... ... See more

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1 week ago
Photos from Clark Wendlandt's post

My mom passed away yesterday to go be with Jesus in heaven. The angels are singing there now. She gave me my competitive spirit and gave me every opportunity I could ever want in life. She was a remarkable person, kind-hearted, generous and always interested in others. As we are celebrating her life as a family, we really appreciate the love and support we are receiving. Thank you! ... See more

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2 weeks ago

Congratulations to Bryan New! Awesome tournament and what a way to start your Bassmaster Elite Series career. 🔥 #bassnation #bassmaster

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2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year

2020 Bassmaster Angler of the Year It is hard to put in to words how it feels to have the greatest accomplishment of my career occur in the context of the most chaotic year of my life, and I imagine many of yours too – 2020. But in the midst of all the chaos, my job, while disrupted for a few months, resumed after a few months thanks to the efforts made by B.A.S.S to provide a full season for us. I am so appreciative to them and my fellow anglers for pulling together to make this happen. And … Read More...

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