Tyler fisherman earns trip to BASS college national championship

Published 11:46 pm Friday, June 22, 2018

John-Michael Brattlof has a dream to one day bass fish professionally. It started as a sophomore when he and his father, Tyler homebuilder Mike Brattlof, fished tournaments around Tyler.

It continued while attending Stephen F. Austin State University where he basically double majored in marketing and bass fishing as a member of the SFA bass club.

Although he has already graduated and is working for his dad as a carpenter, Brattlof will represent the university one last time July 19-21 when he and his partner, Cody Barchenger of Thrall, fish the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller.

About 125 teams from around the country qualified for the tournament. Among them is a Texas A&M duo, including Whitehouse fisherman Carter Henderson.

Brattlof and Barchenger earned the trip to the national championship through a qualifying tournament on Toledo Bend where they finished 26th out of more than 240 teams.

Unlike a lot of college anglers today, Brattlof did not get his start on the high school circuit. Instead, he and his father concentrated on club and open tournaments on lakes Tyler, Palestine and others in the area. When it came to choosing a college, the quality of the library, the history of its football program or its academic history were not his highest priorities.

“I picked SFA because of its bass club. It has always had a history of being a strong program,” Brattlof explained.

He said his higher education, at least in regard to fishing, began the moment he joined the club because of the willingness of older members to share knowledge.

“I would say the biggest benefit would be learning,” Brattlof said of belonging to the SFA club. “From when I came here as a freshman, there is a night and day difference than when I became a senior. You get to learn from guys that have been doing this longer than you. They are either really talented or do something better than you do it,” Brattlof said.

With four partners in four years, Brattlof added a lot of tools to his tackle box, but he said the most important thing was how to fully use the electronics on his boat.

“Probably the biggest learning curve is how to use down scan and side scan and how to use topographical maps. Old paper maps are good for just looking at a lake, but you can get on Lowrance unit and pop in a map from Navionics and they are so detailed (that) if it says there is a two foot drop, you can really find them,” he said.

During his time in the club, Brattlof was able to hone his new skills competing in tournaments around Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Those events alone took him out of his comfort zone of fishing tournaments on lakes like Tyler and Palestine where he would be more likely to repeatedly fish the same spots.

While sanctioned by the university, there are no scholarships and little financial assistance for bass club members. The students must pay for their own boats and tackle and must front their entry fees and travel expenses. Through fundraising efforts like an open tournament and assistance to the Texas State Bass Tournament, the club has some funds to reimburse some travel expenses. However, there are lots of tournament nights with four sleeping in a motel room and cheap fast food.

Brattlof and Barchenger recently fished Tenkiller before the lake went off limits. They struggled in the beginning, finding mostly smallmouth bass the first couple of days before finally locating the largemouth bass, some of which looked like they had just spawned.

Brattlof’s forte is three-quarter ounce jigs over brush in deep water. If that does not work, the team plans to move shallower with crankbaits.

The goal for the tournament is to be among the top four in team competition. That is where it will get interesting because at that point it becomes an individual tournament and Brattlof and Barchenger could be competing against each other along with the six other qualifiers. The winner gets a coveted entry into the 2019 Bassmaster Classic on the Tennessee River at Knoxville. That would play perfectly into Brattlof’s goal to go pro sooner than later.

“My goal is to win. Winning the national championship and going to Classic, that is the easiest way to (go pro). It is a free ride. If not, I come back to Tyler and try to save money and fishing some opens. The dream is not going to end with the college tournament,” Brattlof said.