The odyssey continues for Jamie Bruce.
The 33-year-old from Kenora, Ont., is in Many, La., for the Bassmaster Open event that begins Thursday at Toledo Bend Reservoir. It will be the second of nine he'll do this year to qualify for the '24 Elite Series.
Cooper Gallant of Bowmanville, Ont., fished all nine '22 Opens to qualify for the Elite Series, pro bass fishing's top circuit. The move paid off as Gallant finished third in the Southern standings to punch his ticket.
Bruce narrowly missed also doing so. He was third and 16th, respectively, in Southern events at Tennessee's Cherokee Lake (which Gallant won) and South Carolina's Lake Hartwell after being unable to sign up for the Florida opener.
"I could dwell upon that, and I did for a bit, but it's not going to help anything," Bruce said. "I went to those two knowing I couldn't quality for the Elite Series but I look at it as, 'Hey, I got some street cred, I won a few bucks and now I'm going to go try the nine.'
"I could've finished last in Florida. Had that happened, maybe I never would've went to the other two?"
Bruce is one of five Canadians who'll fish all nine Opens. The others include: Paul Bouvier of Kingston, Ont., Ryan Clark of Whitby, Ont., Evan Kung of Pickering, Ont. and Danny McGarry of Newcastle, Ont.
Bruce's season began last month at Alabama's Lake Eufaula, where he finished 104th in the 223-angler field. Kung was the top Canadian at No. 98.
"When you see a 104th-place finish, it doesn't look good but you have to beat 121 other boats to get that," Bruce said. "I had a lot go wrong at that event, I had equipment failure and major issues to deal with.
"It's not where I want to be, it means I'm going to have to catch them better at a couple (of other Opens) but it's definitely not being out of it … it didn't rattle me."
One challenge facing Bruce and the other Canadians is always dealing with unfamiliar water. Online information certainly helps with preparation but Bruce said having a diverse fishery like Lake of the Woods at his disposal definitely helps.
"These lakes don't fish anything like the ones at home," he said. "But I've been around and fished enough multi-species here on Lake of the Woods that's really helped because we acquire many new techniques and ways of looking at things.
"When I went to Alabama, I went from ice fishing two days before to throwing a frog in a bay literally full of alligators and seeing (seasoned pros) Greg Hackney and Steve Kennedy in the same bay. I think I'm over that shock for the year, it's just fishing."
Bruce has also earned tournament success. In 2014, he and partner Bryan Gustafson captured the heralded Kenora Bass International event and have multiple top-three finishes.
That year, Bruce also won a tournament with his wife and appeared on Bob Izumi's Real Fishing television show.
"The biggest goal forever was to win the Kenora Bass International," Bruce said. "Doing that, filming a show with Bob Izumi and winning another tournament with my wife, it was, 'OK, this is the pinnacle, this is what I've been working toward.'
"I began dreaming of maybe taking fishing to the next level but always thought it was such a commitment and maybe not really a realistic thing. Now, it's starting to look a little more realistic."
Two years prior, Bruce experienced American pro bass fishing as a co-angler in a Fishing League Worldwide event with good friend Jeff Gustafson, also of Kenora. Last month, Gustafson, in his fifth Elite Series campaign, became the first Canadian to win the US$1-million Bassmaster Classic, pro bass fishing's premier event.
"I saw how you must be up an hour before the sun rises and have everything ready so you can take advantage of every second on the water," Bruce said. "How you have to go hard and not take breaks or mess around on your phone.
"After that, it was, 'OK, this is what you have to do, this is the level of work it takes.' I credit being able to work that hard to Jeff, I was lucky he brought me along."
Bruce is juggling a lot while chasing the Elite Series dream.
A full-time Ontario government employee, Bruce also hosts Get The Net Fishing podcast and is a partner with Bryan Gustafson in Bass Tactics, which manufactures bass-fishing jigs.
"I'm a regular guy with a regular job," he said. "I saved up all of my time off from last year, I didn't pre-fish any tournaments here or take any vacation and combined that into this year so I have just enough time to make (fishing Opens) work."
But just getting to U.S. tournaments, his boat in tow, is always a long haul. Bruce said it took him roughly 30 hours to return home from Alabama.
"I got back on a Monday morning at 5 a.m., then flew to Toronto at 8 a.m. for work," Bruce said with a chuckle. "But it's one of those things if you don't try (for Elite Series berth) now, I know I'd be regretting it later.
"We don't have children yet, so I'm kind of looking at it like, 'It's now or never.'"
However, Bruce said living in Kenora has its advantages.
"If you live in Alabama, you might say, 'OK, I can fund this on my credit card and I'll go to all of these places,' and not be ready having never won a tournament," Bruce said. "For me to make this commitment, I had to know 100 per cent I had what it takes.
"Having Jeff as a marker has been huge because he raises the bar and that lets you know you might be ready for the next step if you can hold your own."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2023.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
