Witch Doctor Tackle pro, Cole Sands is eyeing up his second season on the BASS Elite Series, and with that comes plenty of preparation for a new season, all while staying on top of your bass fishing game.
“My time lately has consisted of reaching out to companies with hopes of picking up new sponsors, running guide trips on Lake Chickamauga, and working to improve my craft,” said Cole. “I am thankful for each and every company that sponsored me throughout the 2023 season and I’m extremely grateful that all of them have decided to continue to partner with me for the 2024 season, I’m excited to be working with these new companies for the 2024 season: Skeeter, Yamaha, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Striker, SDG Marine, Justin McNeal Homerun Insurance, Dakota Lithium, and Batson Enterprises.”
All while sending e-mails and making phone calls, Cole still has managed to keep up his guiding on the famed Lake Chickamauga, by doing trips four or five days a week, allowing him to make a good living during the offseason. “This also allows me to stay on the water, which leads to greater confidence and having the instinctual ability to stay on fish.”
Cole has been working on improving in certain areas of his bass fishing game, to keep up with the intense Elite Series competition. “One area that I am continually trying to stay on top of is forward-facing sonar fishing. I consider myself good at it, but want to be great. I especially need to improve on catching fish out of super deep bait balls not relating to any structure. To get better at that I plan on spending time on local deep-clear lakes like South Holston, Appalachia, Watauga, and Boone. “
As far as doing anything different for 2024, Cole has the same game plan, which is to be consistent. “My main goal is always going to be to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic, which means I need to strive to have a top 50 finish in every event, and my one big goal for the 2024 season is to make at least one top-10. I believe as long as I stay consistent, then the opportunity will come up where I have a shot to win one of the events.”
