Believe it or not, this is just Kelly Jordon's third year on the BASSMASTER Tour. He was 22nd in the 2000-01 points, 20th last season and now is 17th. He hasn't fished as well on the FLW Tour (75th and 62nd in his only two full seasons), but is now 11th in the points there.
His consistent performance over time is a major reason that as of this writing, he's ranked 3rd in the world (winning a few tournaments didn't hurt either). And while Jordon has been consistently good overall, like everyone else he had to start somewhere. On the B.A.S.S. side, it was the Central Invitationals, where he finished 58th, 11th, 3rd and then 9th in consecutive seasons.
In other words, so far he's had the ability to step-up his performance over time, something all successful anglers are able to do. Here's what he says about it.
Raised Expectations
"I guess my expectations have gotten higher every year," he says. "I've also won tournaments in the past two years, and that helps your confidence and makes you push yourself harder. You think, 'I know I really can do this.' That confidence is such a big part of this. Fishing is such a mental sport.
"I'm also not content," Jordon says. "When I find fish, I think I can find them better. This year especially I've found the fish to do well in every tournament, including Toledo Bend even though it didn't look like it (he finished 108th)."
Instincts and Expecting to Catch Them
"Another part of it is being at peace, just trusting your instincts in fishing. And expecting to catch them. I live on Lake Fork, and I'm used to catching good fish all the time. People say that translates into expecting to go and catch them in tournaments.
"Also, this season every lake we've been to I really like, except for the Harris Chain, and I expected to do well in every one of them."
No Limits and Home Runs
Another thing that has helped Jordon step it up is that he hasn't "looked for limit fish in 3 years," he says. That's not to say that he hasn't found limit fish, however.
"If I do find an easy limit spot, I resist the temptation to go there first, catch a limit and then go for the bigger ones. A lot of times the key big bite is in the morning. So I don't go to my easy-limit spots until I'm scrambling."
Having a limits in the boat is good and bad, he notes. "There are times when you get a little bit too relaxed (if you have a limit), and then again sometimes being really relaxed and fishing is a good thing.
"It's hard to make 10 casts to the same stump if you don't have a limit, but if you go for a limit every time, you won't make checks and no one will remember your name. To survive in this sport, you have to hit a couple of home runs now and then."
A few people have called Jordon a home-run hitter, and someone told him recently that "for a home-run hitter, you're sure hitting a lot of doubles." Jordon replied: "Hey, at least I'm making good contact."
Taking Risks and T-Bend
As Denny Brauer, Kevin VanDam and other known home-run hitters have pointed out, swinging for the fence has risks. Jordon says he's been consciously taking those risks, which at times have paid off. But at other times they haven't, notably at Toledo Bend.
"It got me on Toledo Bend, no doubt," he says. "I fished north, which is a historically fickle area. There isn't a lot of deep water so the weather can affect you big-time.
"In practice, Takahiro (Omori) was fishing an area I'd fished for years. It was down south, a lipless crankbaiting area. I ran into him the first day of practice, and even though I knew I could catch fish down there, I didn't want to get in there with all those other guys. I decided to look for stuff up north. The average bite up there is bigger, and I found them. Every bite was over 3 pounds in practice, and I figured I'd catch 17-18 pounds every day.
"The first day of the tournament I caught all small fish. I don't know why, but I had the bites to catch 17-18 pounds. I lost two over 3 and one over 4 on a spinnerbait.
"On day 2 I decided to go back up there even though the wind was blowing almost out of the west, toward the Louisiana side, which is the side I was fishing. All my areas were blown out except for one, and the only two bites I had all day came there."
Winning Experiences Help
All pros say that winning one tournament helps you win others, and Jordon points out that that also translates over from other sports.
"I've played sports (soccer and football) all my life, and I always played on winning teams," he says. "We were always in contention, and maybe that has really helped me (in competitive fishing).
"I think most guys successful in fishing have a sports background. It teaches you a little bit of how to win and maybe how to handle the mental side of it, to concentrate better. It helps the nerves too, maybe. Both tournaments I've won, I was leading after day 3. Both times, the morning of the fourth day reporters said to me, 'I bet you didn't sleep at all. I bet you were nervous.' But I slept like a baby. I knew exactly where I was going and what I was going to do. I was comfortable."
Man vs. Fish
A key to not letting the pressure get to you to remember that you're fishing against the fish, Jordon says.
"You have to get to a point where you have to let it go. People get worried about competition, how they're doing vs. this guy or that guy. That's too much stuff to worry about.
"It's between you and the fish. You need to put blinders on to the other stuff if you can. You can't do it all the time, but you have to try."
