Photo: Lucky Craft
	Kelly Jordon stays sharp with a different stick and string ・he bowhunts in the off-season.

Week 42 ・Kelly Jordon
The Deer Hunter 10/17/2005

Many of the Team Lucky Craft pros use their off-season time to physically prepare themselves for next season. They train with weights and cardiovascular machinery or they may run. Whatever they can do to get ready, they do.

Kelly Jordon prefers to stay active in the field to keep his mind and body ready for the rigors of a full tour season. With the newly announced Wal-Mart FLW Series, the current FLW Tour and the Bassmaster Elite Series, opportunities abound for tour-level anglers.

Stick and String

Jordon likes to hunt deer in Texas to keep his body and mind in tournament condition.

"I feel that deer hunting is very similar to bass fishing," he said. "The only difference is the kind of stick and string I use for deer. Seriously, it's one of the things I'm passionate about and it helps me keep my body in shape and my mind sharp for the tournament season ahead."

Big bucks abound in Texas. "I've already taken two deer this year with my bow," he said. "I just shoot tall bucks and does. I hunt to help manage the herd. A few days ago, I had the biggest buck of my life pass by my deer stand. It was too young, still a breeder. I hope I get to see that buck next season, because it'll be huge."

Down to Business

While some anglers fish AAA-level events and smaller tournaments between tour seasons, Jordon focuses on business.

"This is the time of year I use to dot the Is and cross the Ts," he said. "I don't have any time to conduct business while the tour season is in progress, so I need to get things done now.

"With all of the events in front of me for next season, I need to figure things out logistically and monetarily for the 2006 season.

"I've got my wrap-boat deal done thanks to Lucky Craft," he added. "I've had that for 3 or 4 years. I'm real fortunate that I've got the best industry sponsors available, but I'm kind of maxed out with endemic sponsors. Of course, I'm always looking for that big non-endemic sponsor.

"With the ability to have your own boat on the last day with the FLW Series and your own boat at least on one television day with BASS, I think in the next few years there will be some more non-endemic involvement. Not being able to have your own boat promoting a big non-endemic sponsor on the television days has always been a big sticking point in contract negotiations with those companies."

New FLW Series

Like many pros, Jordon is excited about the possibility to fish out of his own boat on the last day of an FLW event.

"I'm really excited about what the FLW has done with this new Series," he said. "This is what the PAA (Professional Anglers Association) has been working so hard to achieve and the FLW came through. Not only is the money good, but you can be in your own boat. That's great.

"Add to that the existing FLW Tour and the Elite Series and we have more opportunities to make a good living at this sport than ever before. Plus, we now get to fish throughout the year and not just in the late winter and early spring."

Notable

> Jordon wants to take them all on. "I'd love to fish them all (the tours), but I know that's not possible," he said. "There are some overlapping events, so I'll need to figure out which events I'll be in."