MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Pennsylvania bass fishing pro Dave Wolak heads into the fifth of six Bassmaster Tour stops leading the Rookie of the Year race and riding a wave of momentum that he hopes will carry him to the Bassmaster Classic in Pittsburgh. Competing at bass fishing's highest level has been Wolak's dream for the past 13 years.
"It's a dream come true to fish the Tour and have a chance to qualify for the Classic," Wolak said. "It would be awesome to make it this year."
At 28 years of age, Wolak is still a young gun by bass fishing standards. He grew up in Scranton, Pa., and, apart from tournament travel, has always lived within a 20-mile radius of his hometown, where he now resides with his wife. Wolak began fishing competitively at the age of 15 in local club tournaments and joined the BASS Tournament Trail three years ago when he competed in his first Open event in August of 2002.
2005 marked the first year that Wolak qualified for the Bassmaster Tour, after finishing ninth in the 2004 Northern Open points standings.
"I qualified through the Opens, and, after looking at the Tour season, I felt I had a good chance to be competitive," he explained. "The Tour is in the spring, and it's the time of year I felt I could do my best."
So far, Wolak's performance has him atop the pack of Tour rookies, and he hopes to stay there.
"I feel good about leading the race, but there's still a lot of fishing to be done and lakes I've never fished before. Every time I go out, my goal is to land five and have a limit. Maybe in 10 years, I'll approach the events differently, but right now that's my strategy."
Wolak finished 24th in the season-opening event at Lake Toho and 82nd on the Harris Chain. After two events, he ranked a distant second in Rookie of the Year points behind Arizona's Andre Moore, trailing Moore by 167 points. The title appeared to be Moore's for the taking but sluggish performances at Guntersville and Clarks Hill opened the door for Wolak, who shot into first with 786 points and a 91-point lead.
"I caught limits each day in Florida, but it just wasn't enough. I found some spawning areas in practice that I planned to hit in the tournament, but I was in a late flight, and the fog delay hurt me. By the time I got to my spots, somebody else was already there. I still caught a limit, but it took time to find a new location to fish.
"That night I changed my focus and was able to bounce back on the second day. If I had been able to anticipate what had happened the day before, I would have fished the pre-spawn areas like I did the second day."
Wolak came back from a 50th place start after Day One in Guntersville to finish in 39th place on Day Two.
"I was able to adapt at Guntersville, and when something didn't work, I was able to use plans B, C and D to bounce back."
The Tour's most recent stop at Clarks Hill proved to be Wolak's best performance thus far. He missed the cut to the top 12 by just 10 ounces.
"I was disappointed by not making the cut but happy with my performance at Clarks Hill. I learned how to fish on reservoirs and feel comfortable on them. I've learned to adjust as water levels rise and fall, and I know how the fishing can change under these conditions."
Wolak believes his northern upbringing may be an advantage for him on the Tour.
"There aren't as many prime fisheries in the northeast, but being from there has made me a very versatile angler. I've learned to fish everything - tidal waters, rivers and lakes.
Wolak is a power fisherman and will throw a spinnerbait or jig when conditions permit. He's generally fishing fast and covering a lot of water during the course of a day. The angler he admires most is Missouri's Denny Brauer.
"I've seen his style of fishing and the way he approaches an area on TV. He analyzes the cover and territory the same way I would approach it. He fishes an area the same way I would."
North Carolina's Lake Norman and Missouri's Table Rock Lake are the final two stops in the 2005 Tour. The first time Wolak will see either of these fisheries will be the three-day practice period before the events begin.
When asked if he was feeling the pressure, Wolak replied, "I've done my research, and I'm expecting to see spotted bass in Norman and smallmouths at Table Rock. Evaluating an area before you get there is helpful, but it can also cause you to be closed-minded. I don't discredit what I hear about an area, but I try to go to each lake with an open mind and fish my style.
"I want to be successful on the Tour and make it to the Classic. I want to become a better fisherman, become more well-known and make the Classic - not once, but many times."
With that in mind, the Rookie of the Year leader keeps things in perspective.
"There are still a lot of points to be earned in the last two tournaments. It's going to take consistency to win, and I hope I can keep up the pace."