Life on tour with Brandon Card

• Posted on 26 June 2021
• By Rock Outdoors
• 0

Read all about Brandon's life on tour as a Bassmaster Elite Series Pro.

Bassmaster Elite Series Pro, Brandon Card has always been a competitor. Whether he was on the court playing basketball or running a cross-country trail in high school, he consistently had drive and determination to win. Brandon recently finished 4th in the Bassmaster Elite event held on Lake Fork, Texas. Card loves fishing in Texas and had a blast fishing Lake Fork. He has had several top ten tournament placements in Texas and says that the lakes there really suit his style. In 2019, Card also placed 4th in the Bassmaster Elite Event on Lake Fork.

 

Life on tour was quite the adjustment for Brandon at the start of his career. Lots of travel time (because you can’t fly with a boat!), late nights, hotels, and time away from home. Through the years Brandon has learned to embrace the hustle and bustle of tournament season. To make each trip feel a little more like home Brandon and his wife Kelly usually try to rent a house with other Elite Series Pros, Chad Pipkens and his wife and Clifford Pirch, instead of staying in a hotel. The ladies have a good time hanging out with each other, while the guys are on the water practicing, participating in media day, and other various events before the tournament. 

 

Many tournament anglers take their superstitions pretty seriously and will let them dictate their whole day, but for Brandon he’s not really the superstitious type. Although, he does have one and only one superstition he follows - don’t catch a fish with your first cast. Card said he typically throws one out and reels it back in real quick to ensure that he doesn’t catch one on his first cast. According to the superstition, it’s bad luck if you catch on your first cast and Brandon says he has experience with that. In several different tournaments, Card caught a fish on his first cast and the day didn’t pan out after that. So when asked if he is superstitious, the answer is no with the exception of not catching with your first cast!

 

Practicing is crucial for the fishing world, especially if you are fishing a lake you haven’t fished before. It’s a combination of marking waypoints, taking the weather and season into account, and figuring out the patterns of the fish. After three days of practice, Card typically has crafted a nice game plan. One of Brandon’s biggest tactics is to stay positive with an open mind and understand that each body of water is different. He admits that stubbornness and a closed-minded attitude were a downfall early on in his career. Card quickly realized that with fishing, you just can’t be that way. After years of experience, Brandon now says that trying new techniques and baits is how he continues to improve his skills. It’s a constant learning process and it is important to stay up-to-date. Brandon really credits his success this year at Lake Fork to having multiple fishing spots and multiple baits to change in and out. He kept a system of switching up locations and letting each location rest for a few hours then going back. When fishing off-shore, Card had a method of baits he would cast. He’d start with a medium crank bait, then shift to a jerk bait, after a few casts of that he would change it up to a hair-jig and finish off with a swim bait. He caught some of his biggest fish with the Yo-Zuri 3 DB Jerk Bait 110 which can be found here. 

 

For Brandon, high finishes on the Elite Series are super rewarding after all the hard work and effort poured into them, but he really enjoys all the people he gets to meet and places he gets to visit. Brandon believes that God has given him this platform to spread the message about his savior. He is always meeting new people and has the opportunity to encourage so many young individuals to chase their dreams. Brandon and his wife Kelly have some REEL exciting news as they welcome their greatest blessing (and new fishing buddy) this September!

 

To keep up with Brandon be sure to follow him on:

 

Facebook: @BrandonCardFishing | Instagram: @brandoncardfishing | Youtube: bcardfishing | Twitter: @bcardfishing