Behind the leader board: Derek Geldhauser

January 24, 2012

With the first month of the 2012/2013 cycle in the books Derek Geldhauser stands atop the Leader Boards. I sat down with the Team DeadDrift leader and Georgia native to talk about his recent success.
Hamann: Congrats on your win. Let’s jump right in. Team DeadDrift has come along way in a short time. You guys finished the 2010/2011 cycle in a very respectable 8th place. What’s been the key to your growth?

Geldhauser: Without a doubt, the biggest key to our success is our desire to compete in as many events as possible. We believe there is no substitute for experience, and are fortunate to be able to compete against some of the best fly anglers in the country on a fairly regular basis, all within a short drive from home. We share all our experiences with each other, and work hard towards the collective goal of making the best it can be.Hamann: Team DeadDrift’s top 5 performers in the 2010/2011 cycle were: Corey Roberts (1825 pts), Bret Nelson (1199pts), Joey Walraven (912pts), Mark Adams (861pts), and Jamie Sullivan (504pts). Which of your team mates do you feel might be your rising stars and big performers in this cycle?

Geldhauser: Corey is ridiculously consistent, and is poised to help lead our team into the 2012/2013 cycle. Bret and Mark gave DeadDrift our first win, and always seem to be in the hunt at the end of the day. I expect big things out of Joey in the future, he is an excellent angler, and has had some very solid performances in his short comp. career thus far. I would keep an eye on Seth Sullivan, Scott Brown, Pat Brechbill, and Jamie Sullivan to do big things this year as well.
Hamann: What kind of techniques and flies brought home the win for you at the “Chattahoochee Winter Mini Series I”?

Geldhauser: Nothing crazy, standard winter nymph patterns with a little junk food mixed in for good measure. That section of the “Hooch” is a large tail water, and can sometimes be a little overwhelming to folks that aren’t familiar with it. The key to that comp. was locating the fish. Once you found where they were holding, you generally could pick up a few before they shut off. The river is 60+yds wide in many areas, so you really had to put your work into finding fish.

Hamann: Did you feel some added pressure to perform well on your home waters?

Geldhauser: Absolutely. This was the first comp. I’ve attended that was in my own “backyard”, so I think I was putting pressure on myself to do well. Fortunately it went away after I scored a few fish, finishing towards the top of my first flight.

Hamann: Where do you feel your strengths and weaknesses lie as a competitor? What are you concentrating on this year?

Geldhauser: This year I’m focusing more on relaxing, not overthinking everything, and attacking each beat/flight/comp. with as much confidence as possible. One of my biggest weaknesses seems to be my preparation before each flight. I often find myself in a rush to get everything rigged, and in its place, before time begins. Hopefully this will be an easy fix. I would say my attitude, and the ability to apply lessons learned are some of my greatest strengths.

Hamann: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. As we wrap up, what plans does DeadDrift have for the upcoming cycle? And could you leave us with some thoughts on what competitive fly fishing and being a part of the TroutLegend Premier Fly Fishing League means in your angling life?

Geldhauser: Continued involvement in the fly fishing community, sending our first squad to the Americas Cup, and finishing the new cycle with a top 3 team ranking are among the most important goals we set as a team.

Before I discovered comp. fishing, and the TroutLegend Premier Fly Fishing League, I felt as though I was getting stale with the fishing I was doing at the time. I had no idea there was so much I could learn, and so much I have to learn about fishing. Having the ability to converse with so many top quality anglers, across North America is amazing. Being able to compete against these same anglers is even better. It has been the spark I needed to re-energize my drive to become a better angler.