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I recently had the privilege of interviewing Brennon McCord who just won the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League All American Tournament on the Potomac River. Brennon is a 22 year old BFL Pro from West Frankfort Ill. Brennon has logged two BFL wins already. One on Rend Lake in 2018 and of course the All American this year. He is an affable young man who is very well spoken and with an obvious angling prowess that belies his age.  Brennon agreed to answer a few questions over the phone regarding his recent victory.

Photo Credit: FLW Outdoors

AC: Tell us a little about Brennon McCord.
BM: Well I’m 22 years old and I live in West Frankfort Ill.

AC: Married?
BM: I will be in Oct.

AC: How did you get started in bass fishing?
BM: I started fishing tournaments with my dad and my grandpa when I was just a little kid. We won our first buddy tournament when I was eight years old. Pretty much everything I know about bass fishing I learned from them.

AC: You just won the BFL All American on the Potomac River. That is a huge accomplishment for anyone, even more so for someone as young as you are. Has it sunk in yet?
BM: Not really. In some ways it doesn’t seem real.

AC: Had you ever fished the Potomac before this event?
BM: Except for a couple of practice days just before the tournament I had never fished it.

AC: Did you have any experience fishing tidal waters?
BM: None. But I did a lot of research on the internet before the tournament. I watched all of the old FLW events and how they were won in previous years. I just fished it a lot like I fish the lakes at home.

AC: How did you figure out the tides?
BM: In practice I found a couple of areas that I could get bit when the tide was coming in and going out.

AC: You concentrated on Mattawoman Creek the entire event, why there?
BM: Just from researching I knew that the bigger fish seemed to always be caught in that area, and I knew going into the event that I didn’t want to spend a lot of time running around so I decided to concentrate on Mattawoman Creek and figure them out.

AC: You were throwing a Jackhammer Chatterbait. Why did you pick the Jackhammer vs. another bladed jig?
BM: I imagine that another bladed jig would have worked as well, but I have a lot of confidence in that particular one so I stuck with it.

AC: Your soft plastic lure color of choice happened to be a black light (Sweet Beaver). What prompted you to go with that particular color?
BM: Again. It is one that I have a lot of confidence in, especially under the conditions we had.

AC: What is next for Brennon McCord? Are you considering being a full time professional fisherman?
BM: I would love to do that. It just depends on how it all plays out in the next few months. If I would happen to have a strong finish at the FLW Cup, then I would definitely give it some consideration.

After my interview with Brennon I couldn’t help but think back to another recent interview I had done with a relatively young angler, Caleb Kuphall. Brennon and Caleb have similar qualities that become apparent after only a few minutes of conversation. They both are very respectful young men and are consummate professionals, but even more apparent is the quiet confidence that is evident in their tone. It isn’t overbearing or arrogant, but rather a steadfast resolve that says: I respect my elders just the way I was taught but make no mistake I will do everything in my power to beat all comers on the water.  

In closing, if I may put on my Anglers’ Choice hat for a moment. Brennon, like Caleb Kuphall, also fishes Anglers’ Choice tournaments. He fishes the Rend Lake Division and has recorded 19 top ten finishes out of 34 events including one win. If a person is considering fishing competively at a higher level. Anglers’ Choice offers the best segway to that path. In my opinion, Anglers’ Choice anglers are some of the most talented fishermen on the planet, competing in the highest quality team trail available.

Brennon is the epitome of the old adage: Walk softly but carry a big stick. Brennon McCord is proving that when it comes to catching bass he definitely carries a big stick, and I tip my hat to him.

Good Fishing and God Bless.