Joe Collins 2017 Central Florida B.A.S.S Nation Division Co-Angler of the Year

Co-Anglers:  What is your home town?

Joe Collins:  I was born in Teaneck, New Jersey but moved to Altamonte Springs before I was  3. Interestingly  enough my boater for the first Bass Nation tournament this year was born in the same hospital where I was born. 

CA: What tournament trail do you fish?

JC: This year I am fishing Florida Bass Nation in the central division.  I fish club tournaments with Winter Springs Bassmasters, and  team tournaments with Orange County Bass. I try to pepper in at least 1 Bass Open event or FLW Costa event each year.  

CA: By what time of day did you have a limit?

JC: It was a grind all day for 5 keepers. I caught a handful of 10 – 11.5 inch fish but my 5th keeper didn’t come until 10 minutes before we headed back to the ramp. It always feels good putting 5 in the box but it didn’t even cross my mind that I had a winning bag. 

CA: What brand of rod and reel did you use to catch your biggest fish?

JC: I caught my big fish on a Shimano Curado 200 HG paired with a Shimno Compre X72MHC. I had spooled up 12 LBS Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon which I felt the lite line made a difference in getting a few more bites throughout the day.

One of the questions that we asked Joe how did he catch his biggest fish and in what he used to catch that fish and Joe explains to us the tools he used to get him a little or less of 18.Lbs. Lets see what tools Joe used to get him this great success.  

CA: How did you catch your biggest fish?

JC: My biggest fish came around 10 AM slow rolling a small speed worm through Kissimmee grass. This year I began dipping all of my soft plastics in JJ’s Magic clear garlic dip and I feel it has made a big impact in bringing a limit to the scales on a more consistent basis. Not only do I feel that JJ’s increases the bites I get but it gives me the confidence to take my time and not to rush into a poor out of position hook set. I can take my time and drive the hook home because I know they are not dropping it.

CA: What part of the lake did catch your biggest fish?

JC: Ha! My buddy Robbie Holcomb in Winter Springs Bassmasters says I am a good pre-fishing partner because I never know where I am when I am on the water so there is not a threat in having loose lips and accidentally giving away spots. This is going to be especially true for this event because I had never been on this chain of lakes before. All I can tell you was a main lake area near grass and tress. I also believe when it comes to talking about spots as a Co-Angler it is important to be as vague as possible because you always want to give respect to your boater and his spots.  

Another thing we ask all of our co-anglers is if they ever learned anything from their boaters. For some they learned a lot of new water, lures to use and methods to catch new fish. Lets see in this case if Joe learned anything from his boater and how did his day go. 

CA: Did you learn anything new from your pro?

JC: The pro I was with fished fast, faster than anyone I have been with. He covered water and moved. He did not get sidetracked in one area just because he caught a fish or had a hit,  “the train kept a movin’.” Not only was it high speed it was also very tight and shallow areas that left me with very little unfished or undisturbed waters. It was a classic situation of being back boated but I knew we were around enough fish that if I stayed focused on opportunities when they were presented I could scrap something together. 

CA: What or who inspires you as a co-angler?

JC: I’m inspired by those who don’t quit. I’m inspired by my Dad that at a time all too early was faced with raising 2 young children where failure was not an option. That type of never quit attitude I try to relate to my fishing and fish with guys that have the same attitude. The few goals I have accomplished so far in tournament bass fishing is largely in part to the guys in my club, Winter Springs Bass Masters. Robbie Holcomb, Billy Charland, and Eric Panzironi especially have taught me so much about what it takes to have success in this sport.

CA: What do you expect from tournament fishing?

JC: One word I overhear the most at weigh-ins is the word “tough.” I have been guilty of saying it but eventually realized not to be surprised by it. Tournament bass fishing IS TOUGH! Not to mention the 8-10 hours spent on the water as a co-angler is in a lot of cases even tougher. I have all the respect in the world for the boaters that put in the time and money in finding these fish but come tournament day when we as Co-Anglers are put on the back of a boat behind someone you have never fished with in an area you may have never been in fishing a way that you are not confident in doing is in many instances it’s even tougher. Facing whatever obstacles that are presented on tournament day I enjoy the challenge of mentally and physically overcoming them. 

CA: How long have you been a co-angler?

JC: I started tournament bass fishing in 2013 with Winter Springs Bassmaster. In ’14 I began fishing Bass Nation where I made the state team as an alternate and fished The Pee Dee River in Georgetown, SC. I would have done much better if they aloud me to weight in the red fish that I caught on a trick worm. 

CA: Which lake were you fishing for this tournament?

JC: We covered a bunch of water and moved all over the chain. For never being on the body of water before I definitely saw a lot of real estate. Moving was always in the game plan and I was fortunate to be paired with a guy that knew the water and knew what it took to catch them. 

CA:  Anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

JC: The night before the Lake Henderson tournament I finally wrote down a quote that I had been saying to myself all year by Theodore Roosevelt and put it in my tackle bag. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” To me that quote fits perfectly for the life as a co-angler and has really helped me with keeping my head up when things got tough. 

CA: Do you want us to include links to your social media? If so, please list your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Youtube links.

JC: I’m on Instagram as @jtots1 and Facebook as Joe Collins. 

CA: Tell us about your AOY journey. 

JC: I was lucky this year by drawing boaters that were on fish. I started off on Toho in February where I was able to finish third by throwing a fluke in the pads. The third tournament of the year it was the perfect storm. I love nothing more than throwing a trap on the Harris Chain the first part of the year and as luck would have it I was paired with a guy that was all about loading up on a trap fish as well.  By 11, after a run to Griffin I had  a little less than 18 pounds in the bucket and was on my way to my first nation win and in position for C-AOY. The final tournament was on Lake Henderson in Inverness which I was not at all familiar with. I did a good amount of online research and talked to one of the guys in my club to get a little more focused on some patterns. I had a bit of breathing room in points. I did the math before tournament day and figured if Jarrod Stroud who was trailing me ended up wining I would have needed to have a 8th or better finish. Stroud is a stick that can catch them and knew I would have put the things out of my control out of mind, put my head down and fish. I caught my first fish on a speed worm and locked that rod in my hand all day. When the whistle sounded the goal that I had set in place at the beginning of the year was achieved. The guys in this division work their butts off all year and I am honored that I was able to come out on top this season.