- MODERATOR COMMENT -Welcome to FLW Live Reel Chat. Today we're joined by FLW Tour pro Sean Hoernke of Magnolia, Texas. As the winner of the recent 2008 FLW Tour event at Lake Norman, Hoernke boasts nearly $500,000 in winnings at FLW Outdoors events over the course of his career. With four FLW Outdoors tourney wins under his belt (this year’s Lake Norman event, a 2006 FLW Series on Lewis Smith Lake, a 2003 Stren Series Central win on the Red River and a 1998 BFL victory on Sam Rayburn), Hoernke is also credited with an additional 16 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors-related events over his career.
- MODERATOR COMMENT -Today, Sean Hoernke is here to take questions from you, the fans. So, without further delay, let's get started.
Q: Was your recent FLW Tour victory the best win of your career? If so, why?
-- Richard Roosen (Yakima, Wash.)A: That win was very special, but the most fulfilling win was my very first win on the Red River during a Stren Series event in 2003, mostly because I was really struggling with my career at the time. And it was that tournament that gave me the confidence to continue fishing. I finally felt like I was good enough to compete. The FLW Tour victory was great, don't get me wrong. But my first win will always be very special.
Q: Sean, congrats on your most recent win at Lake Norman. How does it feel to have your first FLW Tour victory finally under your belt?
-- Jon Stebbins (San Diego, Calif.)A: Fulfilling, for sure. The most gratifying part of the FLW win was that I'm now the only person to win on all four tours - the BFL, the Stren Series, the FLW Series and the FLW Tour. So that will always be something I can look back on and be proud of.
Q: Sean, you said you woke up each morning during the Lake Norman event having no idea where you were going to fish each day. How did you end up with enough quality keepers to win your first FLW Tour event with that approach?
-- Thomas Suk (Minneapolis, Minn.)A: A lot of times when you get into a sight-fishing tournament, the best thing that can happen to you is to not have a specific place to fish. To me, I really prefer what I call fishing fresh in a sight-fishing tournament. You can have a lot of fish the first day, but then you burn through them and have nothing later on. So, it's important to find a pattern. In a sight-fishing tourney, you can get so locked down on those specific fish on your GPS that you waste a lot of time trying to just catch those fish. In practice, I looked for areas that were holding better quailty fish. The hard part is to keep your confidence when you go through a slow period, because there is a real tendency to abandon your spots. During the event, I knew what I was doing was the right thing to win. So I just stuck with that game plan and kept with it. I kept covering water and kept moving until I found the right fish to win.
Q: Sean, when everybody is catching 2-pound bass, how do you separate yourself from the pack?
-- Matt Gaines (Harrison, Ark.)A: A lot of times, people in those types of tournaments think they need to gamble and catch one big bite. But if you don't catch that fish with that strategy, then you're in trouble. And that's what I realized early on. In my case, I was trying to find areas of the lake where there were better quality fish - and when I say better quality, I mean 2 1/2-pounders and maybe 3-pounders. And that's what I did all week - just tried to have a little bit better stringer than everyone else each day.
Q: Sean, you've now won on every level of FLW competition - BFL, Stren, FLW Series and FLW Tour. You said that was your goal. But now that you've achieved that, what are your new goals going forward?
-- Grant Murray (Vancouver, Canada)A: I think the natural progression was to win on those levels. Now, the natural progression is to focus on a Forrest Wood Cup victory. That would be the pinnacle moment of my career. I've qualified for a few of those events in the past, but this year, if I qualify, I'm going to put forth the extra effort to try and win it all.
Q: What was the deciding factor for you throwing a white jig around the boat docks to get your early limits?
-- Keith Ludwick (Rockwell, N.C.)A: The white jig resembles the shad. The whole key to the dock pattern I had was the shad spawn. When the shad spawn, they spawn at night and into the first few hours of the morning. When the sun came up, they were done. The white jig actually resembles the shad, and you can keep it up on the upper water column. I was swimming it and keeping it 6 to 8 inches below the water.
Q: Once you got the lead on day two of the Lake Norman event, how difficult was it to stay atop the leaderboard for another two days with the level of competition that the FLW Tour dishes out?
-- Jon Pageler (Napa, Calif.)A: That was probably my biggest concern. Traditionally, it's really hard
for one person to lead for three whole days of a four-day tournament. So I went into it knowing I had to fish different places every day. Probably the most special part of this win was pulling off a victory given those factors. It was pretty difficult finding new places with fish every day. I covered a lot of water. The key for me was figuring out a strong pattern that held up. So I basically had to go out each day and duplicate the areas I thought would produce like the day before.
Q: Sean, why do you always seem to do well in scratch-and-claw tournaments? Do you prefer low-weight events?
-- Nick S. (Concord, N.C.)A: That's a great question. I've always loved low-weight events because those are the thinking man's tournaments. I seem to do better in these events than slugfests. I'm a very analytical person, so the low-weight events play to my strengths. I'm not simply just sitting on a hole for four days.
Q: Why did you struggle so much at Smith Lake this year? I picked you for FLW Fantasy Fishing, thinking you would do well again.
-- Pat Teebin (Madison, Ala.)A: It was basically a series of factors. I had some bad luck and bad timing. I had sight-fish lined up but had a bad boat draw, and some anglers had already locked down on my spots. So my two primary areas weren't really fishable, and the wheels came off from there. I felt like, the whole tournament, I was always one step behind.
Q: Should I pick you for Beaver Lake (in FLW Fantasy Fishing)? What about the other lakes?
-- Ryan Walden (Eden Prairie, Minn.)A: Beaver might actually be a good lake for me this year. I love flipping, and I really am a good power fisherman. With the flooded conditions, I'm pretty excited to fish Beaver this year. Anything that has to do with flipping and shallow cranking, I like.
Q: What are your favorite lakes to fish?
-- Elsa Shoe (Boynton Beach, Fla.)A: I really don't have a particular favorite. The only tournaments I don't particularly like as much are Florida waters - mostly because those bodies of water are usually feast or famine. I've had success in Florida, but it was simply because I just found the right location. But most Florida tournaments are won by finding one good spot. And if you don't find those spots, it's hard to have a decent finish.
Q: Sean, what are your favorite techniques/baits to fish?
-- Pat Zak (Oakland, Calif.)A: The main things I really love to do are flipping and shallow cranking. Those are the two things I feel I'm really good at. I've adapted to finesse fishing pretty well - it's not my favorite way to fish - but I'm getting better and better at it. With shallow cranking, I make quite a few of my own baits - I make them from scratch. Any type of square-bill fishing, I'm comfortable with. I like dirty river systems - if it has the word river in it, I usally do pretty well.
Q: With weights relatively low throughout the Lake Norman tournament, how were you able to pull off a 4 1/2-pound margin of victory?
-- Sophie Salisbury (Engelwood, N.J.)A: Simply put: You had to have the confidence to pass over those 2-pounders. I knew that if I fished all day long, if I covered enough water, I could get five quality bites over 2 pounds. That way I wouldn't waste 30 minutes of my time trying to catch a 2-pound fish. And I think that was the difference.
Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned from moving up through the BFL to the FLW Tour?
-- Mike (Daley, Ill.)A: The anglers are a lot better on the FLW Tour. That was the toughest part coming into the FLW Tour. The biggest thing I learned, though, was about myself and who I really am. I found out what makes me click and how I need to have the right mindset. I've learned to stay positive most of the times, because this sport is a real rollercoaster. If you look at the top guys in this sport, they take their lumps and move on. You need to stay confident in your ability and not get too down if you have a rough patch. You also have to realize that if you play this game long enough, you don't know nearly as much as you think you do. So you can't get too cocky either, because it's a very humbling sport at times.
Q: I just started tournament fishing. What kind of advice can you give me? How do I go about finding sponsors?
-- Montae Gregg (Lynchburg, S.C.)A: The main focus should be time on the water. Don't get caught up in the hoopla of trying to get a lot of sponsors. Focus mainly on trying to become a better angler. And that means fishing every opportunity you get. And make sure to learn from other people in your boat. When you fish with somebody who has had success, pay attention to what they're doing. You can really move up your learning curve that way. Once you gain success, you can start focusing a little more on sponsors. As far as events go, I started off when I was 16 years old and tried to absorb everything I could. I'd recommend fishing your local club, making sure you have some success before you move up the food chain. For me, I fished the BFL, then the Stren Series, then the FLW Series and then the FLW Tour. I think a lot of people get ahead of themselves, bump up too soon, get discouraged and end up quitting.
- MODERATOR COMMENT -Bass-fishing fans, unfortunately, that's all the time we have for Sean Hoernke as of right now. However, FLWOutdoors.com will continue to provide as many installments of the FLW Live Reel Chat series as possible as we head deeper into the 2008 season. Again, thanks to Sean Hoernke for giving us his valuable time as he prepares for the Stren Series Lake Texoma event this week. And a very special thanks to all of the fans who participated in today’s Reel Chat program on FLWOutdoors.com.
