Carl Jocumsen – Bassmaster Elite Series Pro

2021 has kicked off to a crazy busy start for Kayla and me. I have been competing since I was 16 years old and this will be my 11^th year here in the states. Just like for anyone out there, it’s been a tough road and you just have to keep pushing forward, breaking down barriers and for me I  have this goal or vision in my mind on where I want to get to. These past few years have really been humbling for me,  to have the opportunity to have companies who’ve you’ve looked up to and their products you use and trust, to have them reach out and want to work with me and support me. Like I said before, crazy humbling.

Those that know me, know that I am an extremely loyal person, and I don’t like changing sponsors. The majority of my sponsors have been with me for over 10 years, some over 20 years, and I’m proud of that. The fun part to me is working with a company who listens to their pro-staff and takes the input we give them and utilizes that. We are on the water every day and when a company really wants and values your input, that’s a company I want to align with.

One of my biggest moves this year will be moving into a new Falcon bass boat. The last 5 years with BassCat has been incredible, but it was my decision to move into a little bigger boat and into something that I believe was going to help me in my career going forward. They are a family-owned company, with a great product and the ride in the boat is just awesome,  so it made sense for me and my career to make this move.

Another move for me this year is the welcome addition of both Rapala and XZone lures. Both products I have used over my career and products I truly have confidence in to help me catch more fish. The XZone Slammer is one bait that had been kind of a secret for a long time, especially up north and I caught onto it pretty quickly and the fish just love it. Most of their products I have been using for a while now, Brandon (Palaniuk) had turned me on to a few of their newer products that he helped design and I quickly saw how I could utilize them in my arsenal. One neat upgrade is putting a swammer on a chatterbait, the difference in the action was incredible. Another thing XZone does, is it gives me a lot of options for my soft plastics, especially for jig trailers. The craws with the floating claws, the chunks, the adrenaline bug, I’m excited to dial those into my jig game because I do change my trailers a lot and I like options because jig fishing is an important part of my arsenal. The XZone stuff is something you should really check out. Great people and the products are awesome.

Over my career I’ve probably never been more excited to get a season started. With the new boat, rigging up the new Humminbird and MinnKota stuff, getting all my tackle organized and being prepared to not have a single excuse when we kick off next month in Florida. I’m ready to go!