Welcome to our first Anglers Spotlight. Today we have an interview with a player many of you in the community already know and if you don’t, he’s our 2022 Online Bassmaster Classic Champion Sw1fty86_TTV.
We talk with Sw1fty about how he prepares for online tournaments, adapting to changing conditions, and what winning the 2022 Online Bassmaster Classic meant to him. Let’s get stuck into it.
Benjamin - Thank you for taking some time to talk with us and congratulations on your win at our debut online event, the 2022 Online Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell, and for coming third in our most recent event, the 2022 Online Chickamauga Elite! How long have you been playing Dovetail Games fishing titles?
Sw1fty - I started playing Euro Fishing back in 2015 and since then have played Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour and The Catch: Carp & Coarse. I compete in the monthly Dovetail Fishing League on Fishing Sim World which is a bit like the tournaments in Bassmaster Fishing 2022 and I’m pretty consistently top 3 every month. I think the Dovetail Fishing League has probably helped in some small ways but tournaments in Bassmaster are a lot more fun especially when you spot a lunker in the underwater camera. Will it or won’t it bite!?
Benjamin - How do you prepare for online tournaments?
Sw1fty - I prepare for online tournaments by spending as much time as I can out on the lake the event is being held on. I spend this time looking for hotspots, named legendary fish and trying to work out what setup is going work best once I find a location I like. I also will speak to other players in the community that do well on the game for their feedback and trade information.
Benjamin - What did winning the 2022 Online Bassmaster Classic mean to you?
Sw1fty - It meant a lot to me as it was the first online cross-platform tournament held on the game. That's special as there will only ever be one first tournament.
Benjamin - During the events if things aren’t going well, what do you do to adapt and start catching lunkers?
Sw1fty - It’s simple really I have a number of hotspots I use that are usually close together, I'll just move to a new spot until I land a big fish. There is no point sticking to one spot hoping it will get better if you aren’t catching fish.
Benjamin - What’s your go-to loadout for big bass?
Sw1fty - I always use a size 4/0 hook on a Jighead, drop-shot or any other hook type that allows for soft-plastics. The lures I use are the Jenko Fishing 7-inch Tremor Shad and the 8-inch Booty Shaker. Big lures catch big bass!
Benjamin - What advice would you give someone thinking about taking part in a tournament for the first time?
Sw1fty - Just give it a go. Don’t be worried and just have fun. Also as I stated earlier, don't be afraid to ask others for help, get onto Twitch and other streaming platforms, watch how people tackle the event, and learn from them.
Benjamin - What advice would you give to players who have their sights set on winning one of our online tournaments?
Sw1fty - Make sure you put the hours in before the tournament, the more the better. But don't be disheartened if you don't win, just have fun and aim for a top 25% finish that's still an awesome achievement.
Benjamin - You live stream all your attempts on Twitch, where can people tune in to watch and learn?
Sw1fty - You can find me on Twitch by searching for sw1fty86TTV. Hope to see you there, tight lines to you all, and good luck in your fishing journey.
Benjamin - Thanks for your time Sw1fty and good luck in the Lake Seminole Open Series Event taking place between May 6 - 23.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/25385/Bassmaster_Fishing_2022_Bass_Lake_Bundle/