Aaron’s Magic: All-Star Voting and Down Time

Wow, I feel really humbled right now. To be leading the Fan Voting after the first week of the All Star event vote is a great feeling. It means a lot to me that the fans of the sport appreciate what I do. I work my tail off to try and be the best angler I can and to have that appreciated really means the world to me. To all of you who have voted for me so far, thank you and please continue to vote.

On the topic of fan voting, I am not sure if I am a fan of it. It’s hard to ask the fans to vote for you, but right now you have to. It’s really going to come down to just a few votes between getting into the event and not making it. Every angler out here is exceptional and deserves to fish this event and they all have fans around the world, so every vote matters.

I have to say its been nice to have a little down time right now. We (Lesley, the Kids and I) have been going full speed from tournament to tournament almost non-stop since the Bassmaster Classic.

This time at home is special because nothing is more important to me than spending time with my family. It doesn’t matter if we are hanging out watching a movie, swimming, or just heading into town for haircuts. Every minute with them means a lot to me. They have travelled with me all year and they needed some time at home as much as I did. Next year will be different as they’ll be going into traditional schooling and I will be on the road solo for the most part.

This downtime also allows for me to get my fishing gear and boat in order. The Phoenix boat has been great this season. It rides great, fishes great and I am really happy with it. However, I didn’t get it until right before the Classic, so I haven’t really had time to dial it in the way I like my boats until now. Little things like removing all the excess battery cables and waterproofing all the compartments are things I like to do.

Any new boat has pretty decent waterproofing, but after I get done you can submarine the boat and the compartments will stay dry. The same goes for cables, a new boat comes nicely cabled, but I remove all the extra cable, cut them down to the exact length they need to be. I removed over 20 feet of cable from my boat last week. By removing that cable the boat gets lighter. The lighter the boat the faster it’ll run and conserve more fuel as well. Every pound counts. Don’t let my modifications affect your thoughts on the Phoenix Boat, it came rigged perfectly and everyone would be thrilled with it. I just go a little overboard sometimes, after all it is my job and the little details can sometimes be the difference makers.

In the next few weeks I will be heading back west to fish the US Open and attend ICAST. The US Open is one of my favorite events. I really enjoy fishing Lake Mead and it’s a chance to fish against many of the guys I grew up fishing against.
ICAST is always a good time as well. I enjoy seeing all the people from the industry and working with my sponsors to get the word out on their new products. It’s also a good to see my fellow Elite Series anglers without the competition edge we have during tournament season.

Following the US Open and ICAST I hope to drive back to Alabama in a rush for the All-Star event, however, that’s not up to me – its up to you. So even though I hate to ask, please vote for me, I’d really appreciate it. Also, for one randomly selected person I will be giving them an autographed tournament jersey. Check out my Facebook page for details on how you can help me make the All Star event and how you can win the jersey.

Click here for Aaron’s Facebook Page or Visit Aaron’s WebsiteAaronMartens.com