Scotty Lago Interview: Snowboarding Bronze Medalist Turned Pro Fisherman?

With the end of snowboarding season, Scotty Lago wanted to try something new…fishing competitively! A huge outdoorsman/fishing enthusiast, last Thursday, AMP has provided Scotty the opportunity to participate in the amateur co-angler competition on the FLW Outdoors Tour (the world’s premier bass-fishing tournament circuit) at Red River.

Luckily for Scotty, his teammate is fellow AMP athlete, Stetson Blaylock, one of the best anglers in the world. The fishing and snowboarding worlds will collide, as this Thursday, Stetson provided Scotty with many tips to help him out-fish the competition. We got our world renowned fishing correspondent KYLE MANKOWSKI to follow up with Scotty and Stetson.

KM: Scotty, have you ever fished competitively before?
Scotty Lago: No….unless you count fishing derbies when i was a little kid.

With all of the years of fishing experience you have, would you consider yourself a master baiter?
SL: Yes, but I dont like to bait in large crowds.

How big is the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?
SL: I caught a 34” striper last year. I was pretty stoked on that.

Is that’s a fish tale?
SL: Negative ghost rider.

Stetson, having fished a total of 103 tournaments since 2004, averaging 14 tournaments a year and being newly married, Do you feel as though you’ve found a good balance of fishing and family?
Stetson Blaylock: I feel like there is a good balance. I have a pretty decent off season so I get to spend plenty of time with family and friends then. I know 14 tournaments a year sounds like a lot, but there are many times I feel like I need to be fishing more. I have an awesome wife, Lindsey, that has been with me in this career since the beginning and we have grown to know this as our normal lifestyle.

Scotty, how big is your rod? Is that a fish tale?
SL: Well Im 6’1” with a sack of bananas for hands….so i need a big rod to fit my big frame.

When I was a kid, we lived on a lake. The only access we had to the lakes interior was by row boat. The boat only had one oar and a rudder. Have you ever fished in a row-boat?  Have you ever heard the ‘Dutch rudder’?
SL: No just a canoe and kayak. My kayaks name is the “SS Circumstance”…..I got it from the Jersey Shore App.

Stetson, in 2009 you were the youngest ever to win the FLW Tour at age 21. Now that you’re a bit older, do you feel the kids (like Kenny McGar) are coming up from behind?
SB: Not really because I still consider myself one of the younger guys in the sport because I feel like I still have so much to learn and accomplish.

What kind of fishing are you expecting from this location, do you think it’s going to be a dominant reactionary bite or do you expect to do a lot of sight fishing?
SB: I feel like Fishing will be tough this week because of the recent flooding we have experienced in the SE the water levels are constantly changing. I feel like the dominate bite will be a mix between a reaction bite and flipping/pitching bite. But at the same time, very excited to be here with my AMP teammate, Scotty Lago – should be a good experience.

So Scotty, your FLW Outdoors Tour partner, Stetson Blaylock, is one of the best anglers in the world. Do you think you he’s good enough to catch a fish with the worm found in the base of a Mexican bottle of Tequila?
SL: Oh yeah, I bet he could.

Do you like fish and chips?
SL: Yup!

Can you draw any parallels between snowboarding and fishing?
SL: Yeah there are some parallels…..they’re a stretch though…..like ice fishing.

Do you know any good fishing jokes?
SL: No

While you’re reeling in a fish do you say things like “Shut ‘er down Cletus, she’s shuckin’ mud!!”?
SL: I said all kinds of things when i was reelin’ them in. but i said this one a lot “oh there’s one now????”

Thanks a lot fellas!