Editor’s Note: The writer’s opinions and observations expressed here are his own, and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views, policies or positions of FLW.

It’s been a big few weeks for a country boy. I was honored and humbled to receive two fantastic awards over the past month. First, the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame selected me as the 2013 Co-Male Athlete of the Year. The Chattanooga area is rich in sports tradition, and I am proud to have received this recognition from its members.

The second honor came from Bassfan.com, one of bass fishing’s premier media outlets, where I became its No. 1 ranked angler in the world. Considering the many outstanding bass fishermen in the game today, it really means a lot to me.

I’ve also had a very good start to the 2014 season. I began at Lake Okeechobee with a 13th-place finish and then placed second on Lake Hartwell. I take one tournament at a time and stay focused, but in the big picture I’d love to become the second back-to-back Angler of the Year winner in Walmart FLW Tour history. Only David Dudley has reached that lofty goal, winning consecutive AOY titles in 2011 and 2012.

I’m proud once again to be running a Bullet Bass Boat powered by Evinrude. I will also be representing Zoom soft plastics, Livingston Lures hard baits, War Eagle spinnerbaits, Sheffield Financial and New Breed Archery. For years Zoom and War Eagle have been setting the bar for quality soft plastics and spinnerbaits, respectively, and Livingston Lures is changing the game in hard baits.

I’ve also created a few signature fishing rods for iRod, and I’m excited with how they turned out. Dealers already have my heavy flippin’ stick in stock, and a lighter flippin’ stick/junk-fishing rod is on the way to dealers now. Be sure to check those out if you’re in the market for a new rod.

On the TV front, I’m excited to be a part of another season of Moultrie’s The Hit List in 2014. This will be the fifth season of the show; you can catch it on the Outdoor Channel. Going forward, I hope to blog on FLWOutdoors.com quite a bit this year and share some insights from the road, as well as fishing tips and maybe even a hunting tip or two as we go along.

For now, though, I’ll sign off, taking the opportunity again in this, my first blog, to thank the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame and Bassfan.com for the recognition they bestowed upon me recently. To receive two such honors has really been a great experience.