Another challenge and another learning experience await Caleb Sumrall, who has traveled across the Southeast and Midwest since early February to fish the Bassmaster Elite and Bassmaster Central Open tournament circuits in his first full year as a pro bass angler.

Sumrall, who celebrated his 31st birthday May 20, has had mixed results in  two Bassmaster Opens, four Bassmaster Elites and, of course, the Bassmaster Classic going into this week’s 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Elite tournament on the Sabine River out of Orange, Texas. Mostly, he said at midday Friday while spending time with his family following a week of guiding on Toledo Bend and Lake Sam Rayburn, he is learning more and more about competitive bass fishing at the highest level.

“I’m learning a lot. I think I’m learning about what I’ve got to do to keep doing this for a long time. I’m learning a lot of lessons, some good, some bad, but I’m learning them,” Sumrall said.

The 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship winner has been on the road, towing his B.A.S.S. Nation Champion Phoenix bass boat with his black Toyota Tundra, for much of the first five months of the year. The April and May stretch was a grind that took him from the Arkansas River in Oklahoma on April 19 to Grand Lake in Oklahoma on April 26 to Kentucky Lake in Tennessee on May 4 to Lake Travis in Texas on May 17.

“I just got back from a long stretch. Yeah, it’s a lot of miles. I come home, head to Toledo and start guiding in between,” he said. “I’m just keeping at it. The support I’m getting has been overwhelming. That’s the main driver. I can’t thank everybody enough for that.”

Through four Elite tournaments, Sumrall is in in 86th with 171 points in the Angler of the Year standings led by Brent Chapman of Kansas,with 382 points. 

He cashed in in the Elite tournament at Grand Lake with a 32nd place finish for $10,000. 

“That was my first Elite check and I was pretty excited about that. Absolutely,” he said.

He was finished 10th in the Central Open at Ross Barnett Reservoir the first week of March for $3,500.

Sumrall is pleased that he’s in seventh place in the overall standings after two Bassmaster Central Opens. He has a chance to move up June 14-16 when the Open field fishes the Red River out of Shreveport.

First there’s an important stop in Orange, Texas, an easy drive for his fan base. The Elite tournament was postponed by flooding conditions in the region April 6-9 and rescheduled to start Thursday and end Thursday.  Daily takeoffs are at 6:05 a.m. at the city of Orange Boat Ramp. Weigh-ins will be at the same location at 3 p.m.

Sumrall will be on the water to prefish Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He prefished the waters before the tournament was postponed.

“Yeah, I caught a couple good ones. It’s going to fish small, though. I don’t think I’ll be by my self,” he said, noting there are mainly three or four bayous for the field to target unless the Elites make the long run to Houston.

The Sabine River would have fished smaller had the tournament been held when the water level was above flood stage, he said.

As for his tactics, he said, “It’ll fish just like home – spinnerbaits, (plastic) frogs, flippin’ …,” he said.