Grand Prairie, TX (September 19, 2019) If winning an FLW tournament has anything to do with paying your dues, Brian Latimer has a receipt paid in full.
Latimer worked his way through the FLW ranks fishing the T-H Marine Bass League (BFL) circuit and Costa FLW Series and survived some difficult years, all the while learning his trade and gathering knowledge. In 2018, the Belton, South Carolina pro hit pay dirt with his FLW win on Lake Seminole. To say the win was a relief was an understatement.
"It was a big deal," shared Latimer. "It was a huge confidence builder, especially after only fishing the FLW tournaments for four years. There are guys who've been fishing the circuit for thirty years and have never won a tournament." The win was the culmination of a tournament career that began when Latimer was a second grader and fished his first tournament with his Dad.
Latimer stressed that he had to do whatever he could to make it through the lean years. "You guide, work odd jobs, do seminars, whatever it takes to pay the bills." A $100,000 paycheck has a way of making the sacrifices all worth it.
Being kind of a newbie on the tournament circuit, Latimer said he doesn't have a favorite tournament destination yet. "I don't get too romantic about tournament destinations. Each event is at a new location for me, so that's my current favorite." Latimer admitted smallmouth venues take a little getting used to. "Smallmouth locations are a little difficult because I'm not used to fishing those kinds of places." When asked what he meant, he joked, "Like when you're fishing a crankbait, you're just throwing it out into the middle of nowhere!"
Every bass angler has strengths and weaknesses. Latimer considers his go-to techniques to be flippin', pitchin' and crankin'. "Those are two or three techniques that will catch bass all around the country," he said.
Few people know how difficult the life a tournament angler can be, but Latimer and his family take it in stride. "I think it's worth dispelling the myth that you need to be a single guy who roams around the country like a nomad. I know everyone isn't in the same situation, but personally, I wouldn't want to try to be a pro angler and not have kids or a family," shared Latimer. "There's a lot of conversation about responsibility where it has a negative connotation, but having kids and a family has been the best thing for me."
To learn more about Brian Latimer's tournament exploits, successes and his signature line of products, check out his YouTube Channel.
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"BLat and I had the chance to fish together last year at a writer event. From the minute I stepped onto his boat I knew he was a great spokesperson for his sponsors, a quality angler and simply fun to be around." stated Chris Russell, Marketing Manager for Plano Synergy Fishing. "His boat was totally clean and organized, plus already full of Plano storage boxes. We are very selective on what anglers become part of our team. I knew right away Brian was a great fit for
our brands."
Plano is excited and proud to have Brian Latimer join our accomplished team of bass fishing professionals.