What Truck, Boat and Outboard does Edward run?

I have a 2019 Crestliner PT 20 with a Mercury Pro XS 200 Four Stroke. My tow vehicle is a 2017 Nissan Titan XD Pro-4X with a 5.0L Cummins Turbo Diesel.

My Sponsors

I am currenty sponsored by Quantum Fishing, American Tackle Company, WOO! Tungsten, TH Marine, Hydrowave, War Eagle Lures, Hogfarmer Bait Company and Gambler Lures. I am a charter member of the Thin Blue Tightlines fishing team and I am a ProStaff writer for The Southeast Angler, an online publication about all things fishing.

What Edward does for a living:

I work as a detective for a law enforcement agency in East Tennessee.

What you should know about Edward:

I was born and raised in Alabama where hunting and fishing are an integral part of life. I grew up fishing the Tombigbee river and various other bodies of water for recreation. After college, I moved back to Gadsden, AL and began fishing local dogfight tournaments on Weiss and Neely Henry. After getting married, I moved to East Tennessee and currently reside on Nickajack Lake. 

How Edward started fishing

After moving to Gadsden, I met a great group of guys who were attempting to start their own local bass club. The club only lasted a few years but I enjoyed every minute on the water and cultivated a desire to be the best tournament bass fisherman to ever call Alabama home. I've got a long way to go and a lot of boot left to fill but I'm headed that way!

Aspirations or goals with fishing

I would love to fish in the Bassmaster Opens and qualify for the Elite Series one day...

Favorite way to fish

I guess I throw a crankbait most often with flipping/pitching coming in a close second. I love to cover water quickly and I know if a big bass is there, I can make him bite with one of those techniques.

Most exciting fishing experience

So far my most exciting moment came in April of 2020 with the catch of my personal best largemouth. A 8-pound 10-ounce pre-spawn female on Lake Chickamauga!

How Edward preps for a tournament

I think my life has become a constant tournament prep... I spend countless hours every week adjusting and rearranging tackle wether I have an upcoming tournament or not.

Three favorite search baits

Crankbait, Spinnerbait and Buzzbait

Best tournament finish and what you did that day when you were fishing.

My tournamnet success has varied a good bit as I have only been fishing competitively for a few years. I finished 7th as a co-angler in my first FLW BFL ever and have been chasing Top 10's ever since. That day was hot and sunny and really calm. I caught all my fish throwing a small Bandit square-bill around docks and riprap on the coosa river.

In 2019, I had a 4th place finish in the Bassmaster Open on Lake Chickamauga as a co-angler and caught most of those fish deep on a drop shot and carolina rig. 

So far in 2020, I have had a 3rd, 9th and 12th place finish as a boater and each of those tournaments were very special. I have really begun to hone my shallow water skills this year and I attribute most of my success to a strong flipping bite that has lasted since February. 

Most challenging part of tournament fishing

Figuring out what everybody else has missed. Today's tournament anglers are very good at what they do and to stay at the top of the pack you have to live fishing! It's so hard to figure out a pattern for success that other anglers aren't already on...

When tournaments don't go my way

Everybody has bad days. I just try to keep the end goal in mind and make it a point to learn something from everyday, good or bad.

Advice to give to an aspiring tournament angler:

This life is a grind and very expensive in the beginning but well worth the rewards that you'll see from hard work and determination. Don't let the bad days get you down. Put your face in the wind and the trolling motor on high and you'll get there before you know it.

Some shared general bass fishing techniques for people just getting into the sport

A great way to find and catch fish bass any time of year on any body of water is a Carolina Rig. It is often under utilized and doesn't get much publicity on the professional fishing circuits but you can flat whack'em on it if you try!