This interview will let us hear from our 3rd place anlger on the leaderboard, Austin Shoemaker.  I can say because I know Austin personally he is about as humble as they come, and always looking for ways to improve. Another shining example of someone who epitomizes what the league is all about. He is currently the top angler on Team Dead Drift.

 

1. Ben-” How long have you been competing and what brought you to the competition scene? ” Austin- This is my second full season of competitive fly fishing, but what brought me to the competition scene is, I wanted to see how my ability was against some of the best in the nation. So, I reached out to a friend, and then I started learning the competition aspect of fly fishing.

2. Ben- “What were your goals for last season and did you accomplish them? If so what were the keys to your success?” Austin- My goals for last season was to fish to the best of my ability, but the biggest goal I had was to place in the top 10 in the league, and to be the best angler that I can be. As for meeting my goals for last season, I’m pretty content with my Proformance’s so yes, I have met my goals. The keys to my success were, probably breaking water down and using proper beat management, and a big factor for me is thinking outside the box.

3. Ben- “What are your goals for this season and how do you plan to achieve them?”  Austin- My goals for this season are spend more time in the water, focus on my weak points, feel confident on all water types and over all place top three individually in the south east league, and contribute as many points to team dead drift as possible, and have as much fun as possible. 

4. Ben- “Whats your favorite fly pattern?” Austin-  I don’t  have a favorite fly pattern, honestly I find it more of a size of the fly and the bead color, and the way its presented,  but if I would have to choose id would have to go with the france fly, frenchie, and variations of walts worms

5. Ben- “What is your go to techique during a competition?” Austin- My go to technique usually depends on the water type, what time my session starts at that time of day, the weather, who fished the beat before myself, trying to hit water they missed and the places they have spooked or moved fish into.  Time management, beat management, trumps technique in my opinion.

6. Ben-“For someone interested in competing or starting out, what would be your advice to them?” Austin- For someone interested or starting out the advice I have would be always believe in yourself. Never be afraid to reach out to seasoned anglers with more knowledge to get pointers, verbal techniques, when you are out on the water practice things you are not comfortable with, because you never know when you will need to put the factors into play and stay positive and never doubt yourself. 

7. Ben-“Why did you choose to fish in the SEFFL?” Austin- I chose to fish the SEFFL because it’s not too far from home, they are very well organized, every angler is respectful and welcoming, we always have well-kept venues and leadership of the league is always open to new ideas and angler input! SEFFL is very well ran and I highly recommend to anyone!                                                     

8. Ben- ” You are the top angler on your team, do you believe the team aspect of competitive angling is a unique outlier that makes the sport more fun than just individual angling?” Austin- Being on a team is amazing just make sure to keep having fun and always enjoying it don’t burn yourself out its so easily just remember it’s about making memories and all the friendships you come across are priceless!

9. Ben- “Open forum anything you wish to add?” Austin- I want to give a shout out to the guy that has always believed in me and has always kept my head high, Ben Vandevender thank you for everything you do for everyone. The league wouldn’t be what it is today without you. I truly respect and thank you for everything you have done for everyone in this league…… oh yea #whiteclaw

If any of you have had the pleasure of fishing with Shawn then you are also lucky enough to know another humble great angler.  Shawn along with our previous angler spotlight subject, Roger Wilson epitomize the best of this league.  If we had 20 anglers with the drive, attitude, and aptitude of Roger and Shawn then we would have one of the strongest leagues of any sport in this country.

 

1. Ben-” How long have you been competing and what brought you to the competition scene? ” Shawn- My first tournament was the Rumble in the Rhododendron in November of 2013. I had been fly fishing since March of that year, and my buddy asked me to fish it with him. I learned so much by watching other anglers compete, and I knew I wanted to get better and start competing.
2. Ben- “What were your goals for last season and did you accomplish them? If so what were the keys to your success?” Shawn- I just wanted to get better and be a more rounded angler. I feel like I still have a long way to go, but I definitely have gotten better thanks to a lot of help from friends who are much better than I am.
3. Ben- “What are your goals for this season and how do you plan to achieve them?” Shawn- To get better and make new friends along the way. I am going to try and fish as many competitions as I can and learn as much as possible.
4. Ben- “Whats your favorite fly pattern?” Shawn- I’m not going to lie, it’s probably any junk fly. Junk works, but it also has its time and place just like any other pattern.
5. Ben- “What is your go to technique when competition fishing?” Shawn-I probably use Euro nymph the most, but it varies depending on the conditions.
6. Ben-“For someone interested in competing or starting out, what would be your advice to them?” Shawn- Practice…Practice…Practice, and fish with others that are always pushing you to get better!
7. Ben-“Why did you choose to fish in the SEFFL?” It’s fun! I also feel like some of the best anglers in the world compete in these events. The league is a great place to have fun and make new friends!
8. Ben- ” You are the top angler on your team, do you believe the team aspect of competitive angling is a unique outlier that makes the sport more fun than just individual angling?” Shawn- I wish!!! I’m probably not even in the top 5! We have some great anglers on the team! The team aspect definitely adds another dimension to the competition that I like. It makes you work together to make each other better.
9. Ben- “Open Forum, anything you would like to add for the readers…”  Shawn- Thanks to everyone who has helped me get better and also become some of my best friends as well. Thank you Ben for all you do for this league! It’s not an easy task, and I am grateful for all you do! Let’s all get out there and have fun, learn and make new friends!

With updates to the leaderboard after the Helen Classic Roger Wilson made a large jump and is now our number 1 ranked angler, followed closely in second by his team mate Shawn Isaacs!  Let’s hear from Roger on his take of competitive angling.

 

1. Ben-” How long have you been competing and what brought you to the competition scene?  Roger- My first tournament was the 2018 Gold Cup, so I guess I’ve been competing about a year and half or so. I got into competitions because I just love competing. I feel like competition brings out your best. I also wanted to get my step son Peyton into competitions. He’s had a fly rod in his hands since he was like 9 years old and I wanted to compete with him and to see how he would do.
2. Ben- “What were your goals for last season and did you accomplish them? If so what were the keys to your success?” Roger- Last year I didn’t really have any goals other than to just get used to the competition formats. I have fly fished my entire life, but wasn’t used to being timed. Catching fish has never been an issue, but learning how to manage your time was the big thing. Competitors call it “Beat Management”, but I think it’s more about time management.
3. Ben- “What are your goals for this season and how do you plan to achieve them?” Roger- My goals for this year were to meet as many people as I could that love this sport like I do, and just enjoy hanging out with them in different towns and fishing different waters. If I can help them to enjoy their time on the water by teaching them some new things or if they can teach me a few things, then I think we can all call it a good day. People have always been more important to me than medals.
4. Ben- “Do you have a favorite fly pattern?” Roger- My favorite fly pattern is the one that the fish are eating! I don’t have a lot of different fly patterns, and think a lot of people over think their fly boxes. All my stuff is pretty plain and simple and I think most people would look at my fly box and not be overly impressed. But unlike fly shops and commercial fly tiers, it’s not the approval of the fisherman that I am after.
5. Ben- “What is your go to technique when competing?” Roger- There is no “go to technique” in my opinion. If you plan on catching fish in all conditions, you better have plenty of techniques in your arsenal and then use the one that the fish respond to. I believe a lot of people think that as long as they are “tight lining” or “Euro Nymphing” as opposed to some of the older, more thought to be antiquated techniques, that they are good. Although true in some conditions, it’s pretty rare to be the case in general.
6. Ben-“For someone interested in competing or starting out, what would be your advice to them?” Roger- For anyone that wants to get better in any sport or activity, my advice would be to shadow someone better than you. Most people want to share their knowledge with others. To me, there is no advantage to having the knowledge if not to share it with others. Competitors have worked long and hard to obtain the knowledge and skills they have, and a lot of them guide full time or part time. Call them up and go on a trip with them. You will gain ten times the fish catching abilities paying a good guide for a weekend than purchasing the latest and greatest fly rod or equipment.
7. Ben- “Why did you choose to compete in the SEFFL and after its first year what do you think about the league in general?” Roger- I fish the SEFFL because I enjoy their format, the laid back atmosphere, and the people that compete in the league. They do their best to provide a neutral playing field, and really take input from their participants and try to make improvements. It’s not stifled and suffocated with heavy regulation and fees and is more suited to the angler that wants to have fun, meet people, and test their mettle against the fish.
8. Ben- ” You are the top angler on your team, do you believe the team aspect of competitive angling is a unique outlier that makes the sport more fun than just individual angling?” Roger- Definitely being on a team will make competing more enjoyable. Not only will you meet new people and develop new relationships, but the information that is shared during tournaments is invaluable and also unavailable if you’re not a part of one. Finding a good fit is very important and a lot of teams hold open practices or even tryouts so I would encourage a new person to competition fly angling to not be shy and reach out to the teams that you’re interested in.
9. Ben- “Open forum, anything you would like to add for the subscribers?” Roger-Thank you Ben VanDevender for what you do for this sport. I really appreciate all the hard work that he puts into competition fly angling, and would hate to think of what the opportunities for it would be with out him.