Bradley Roy

Participated in an open house at a dealership this past weekend and everything went well. Elite series pros Mark Menendez and Brent Chapman were there along with myself. It really got me in the mood to start the season. The wintertime boat shows are going on and its getting really close to the start of the season. My boat is scheduled to be wrapped the middle of Febuary. I will post pics of my wrap when it gets done. I am getting the itch to go fishing really bad, when the first tournament comes around I’m going to be ready to fish. 

Bradley

Visited Lake Cumberland before this strong cold spell and had a pretty productive day. When we got in the right areas it seemed easy to put fish in the boat, but if not man it seemed tough. I havent returned since it has been so cold, but I did drive across the highway 80 bridge over Fishing Creek and most of that part of the creek was frozen. I am ready to return and see how this cold has affected them, I will expect the fishing to be slow but still steady. Although it is very cold don’t wait until spring to go fishing. I know many times that winter time fishing is tough, but it can be one of the best times to catch the biggest bass of your life. So brave the cold and go catch some fish.

Bradley Roy

I hope everyone had a great Christmas with their family and friends, just like I did. As 2009 comes to an end, I start to use this time to reflect on what all has gone on in this calender year. I try not to dwell in the past when doing this but I do like to get motivation from my accomplishments and then gain some knowledge from mistakes that I have made. Being the year with everything from graduating high school to qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series, God has blessed me in this year of 2009. I encourage you to reflect on this year but don’t dwell on it either. Learn what you can from it and thank God for what he has given you, then move on and prepare for 2010. This will be the year of my rookie season on the Elite Series, needless to say I am very excited for 2010 to begin. 2010 is going to throw a lot of different things at me, there will be a lot of new, different, and possibly even some of the same old obstacles in my way. So with 2010 just a few days away, I say….bring it on!

Bradley

Ever since  I committed to the Elite Series my exposure has went through the roof. This afternoon I completed my third radio show in two weeks. I really appreciate these guys calling me and setting up these interviews. It helps me get my name and website out into the world a lot faster. I already mentioned the first show with Keith Monson and Doug Flynn, the other two were from Missouri and Chicago. The one in Missouri was called Tournament Fishing Radio. The other radio interview was with a show called the Outdoors Experience. It can be heard on Sunday the 20th at 5 am central time on www.wind560.com and then beginning on Monday the 21st about 8 pm it will be available on www.oexperience.com . Be sure to check these out and all the articles posted out on the web about me deciding to fish the elites, they can be found by googling my name. Thanks for all your support

Bradley

Took my last exam this morning, it feels good to get this semester over with. I am working with some people right now trying to get a few sponsor deals worked out, so hopefully in the not so distant future I can tell you guys about some new products. I will kind of give you my thoughts on them and encourage you to try them out. Yesterday I participated in a radio interview that will be aired this saturday at 5 am on 101.5 or 590 am. Its a show that is geared toward fishing, Doug Flynn a former MLB player and Keith Monson a current FLW touring pro are the ones that do the interviews and just talk fishing in general. They try and catch fisherman as they are heading to the lakes and give fishing and weather reports. Its a really good show and you should tune in to listen this saturday. I know a lot of deer hunters will be out this weekend as well, I encourage them to listen too. 

Bradley

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with their families. I have been working very hard with finals coming up and still working on some sponsor deals. As of yesterday I became an official Elite Series Pro because I made my first entry fee payment. It wasn’t long after they found out that I was committed that I recieved a phone call for an interview. The interview can be seen on bassmaster.com under the Bass Reporters notebook.

On a side note I ask that everyone pray for my grandmother. She has been battling cancer for three years now and here recently it has gotten really tough on her. We don’t know what God’s plan is but we know that he is in control. So I just ask that you say an extra prayer for her and my family as we go through this time with her.

Bradley Roy

Now that I have qualified for the Elite Series the work has really begun. I have a short time frame between now and the season to get all of my ducks in a row. Everything from sponsors to a boat wrap have to be ready when that first tournament date comes around. I spend most of my days either sending emails or talking on the phone. This has became my job and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but there is one problem, this is the best time of year to hunt whitetail deer.

Hunting the allusive whitetail buck has been a passion of mine for several years now. It doesn’t get much better than climbing a tree well before daylight and watching the woods come alive with a bow and arrow in your hand. Just like fishing, hunting has always been one of my favorite things to do. The puzzle is what gets me, trying to figure out what the fish and deer are doing is the best part. The adrenaline rush is when you finally hook a big bass or get a shot on a mature buck, you know that you have outsmarted some of the most clever wildlife that there is. That is what keeps me going back to the lake and the woods time and time again.

As I mentioned I have a lot of work to do between now and my first tournament, but it is also great deer hunting time. So how do I keep it all balanced? That’s a task that I work on daily. Deer season will be gone before long and I wont have this problem anymore, but can I really call it a problem? I believe that God has blessed me with a love for two of the greatest sports on earth and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So I will keep working hard for the next fishing season and try to get a little bit of deer hunting in when I can. Oh, and try to do some homework for college…you know, if I have time.

-Bradley

I turned 19 today and I cant believe it. Where does time go? It seems like yesterday I was in middle school. Everyone I talk to tells me that the older you get the faster time goes by. I don’t know how it could get any faster because it’s already a blur for me and I’m just 19. All I know is that we cant stop it or slow it down so we should just take what God has blessed us with and enjoy it while we can.  I want to thank all my family and friends for the birthday wishes and all the support that they have given me.

-Bradley

Going into the last day of competition I was in 17th place at Santee Cooper. Witha few quick calculations the night before I knew I needed to stay where I was in the tournament to move into the top 7 in points and achieve my dream of recieving an invitation into the Bassmaster Elite Series. As they started to call boat numbers out on Day 3 many different emotions were flowing through me. I was one day of fishing away from achieving a dream of mine and the fear of the unknown was almost overwhelming. I made a choice to go to a different area in the morning and immediately it paid off. Within three hours I had a limit and had culled once. After moving to a different area and culling my last small fish with a three pounder a feeling of relief came over me. Running back to the takeoff site to make check-in time I couldn’t even explain the feelings that started to come over me. I weighed in my limit and finished the tournament in 10thplace. With a top ten finish I jumped all the way up to 5th place in the points which sealed my ticket to the Bassmaster Elite Series. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to achieve my dreams in this great sport. I also would like to thank all my family and friends for their continued support.

-Bradley

Just got through with day 2 of 3 of the final Bassmaster Southern Open on Santee Cooper. The top 7 in the points will qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series. I came into the tournament sitting in 16th in the points needing a good finish to jump into the top 7. After day 1 I sat in 39th place in the tournament, with a better day on day 2 I moved into 17th place going into the final day. I will update my final day performance after tomorrow along with a recap of my entire practice and tournament.

-Bradley