In tournament fishing, you never know when your next Top-10, win, or triple-digit finish will occur.

Sure, we can usually make an educated guess about which venues we'll have the best results o, based on past experience and how well they fit in our "wheelhouse," but it never ceases to amaze me how inaccurate these predictions can be.

There have been some tournaments that I was positive I would bomb, but ended up fishing on the final day, and others that I was supremely confident going into, but found myself lamenting a surprisingly poor performance on an early drive home.

Despite the fact that it’s difficult, and arguably an act of futility, to look at a tournament schedule and try to predict what kind of success you will have at each fishery, I frankly still like to try.

That being said, if I were a true betting man, I’d say that I really like my odds with the 2022 MLF Pro Circuit season. Let’s break down my feelings about each stop.

Sam Rayburn

There always seems to be fisheries that you get a connection with – that you just “get." You always seem to know what to do next on them and you consistently find yourself near the top of the leaderboard. Okeechobee is that way for me, no doubt, and on paper you would assume that Rayburn would be the same way since the last, and only, two finishes I’ve had there have been 12th and 18th – a pretty solid track record.

However, I still remain skeptical of my connection with Big Sam. Despite logging nothing but strong finishes there, and my shallow-water power fishing style seeming to excel there, I felt like the last two events there were "grinders" where I never really knew what I was doing until they were under way.

The biggest key with Rayburn in January is either finding a pattern you are very confident in or landing on a big group of fish. Both of those can be difficult to uncover in two practice days.

Sure, I feel confident that I can capture another great finish at the opener, but I’m far from calling Rayburn a “given."

Harris Chain

Those of you who've been following my progress over the years know that I moved to Florida to learn how to fish its vegetation-rich lakes. So far, that move has paid big dividends when the tour stops in the Sunshine State.

Still, the Harris Chain is a bit different than the other Florida lakes I learned to fish, like the Kissimmee Chain or Okeechobee. The Harris Chain can be extremely diverse, with lots of different types of fishing playing a role, and choosing the right lake to fish can be a massive challenge.

I feel confident that I will log another great finish here, but I also remain aware that this is not a Florida fishery I can be complacent on.

Pickwick

The Tennessee River lakes used to be some of my least-favorite fisheries. However, recently I've started to gain a great deal of confidence on these current-driven lakes – especially during the heat of the offshore ledge bite.

Pickwick, however, will not be held during the peak of the offshore bite, which I believe will be good for me. At the end of April, this will more than likely be a strong spawning event, which means I'll likely be able to apply my shallow power fishing strengths there, but can also use what I’ve learned in recent years on the TVA as a good foundation to make adjustments if needed.

Guntersville

I lived in Guntersville for a few years after college. Just like I moved to Florida to learn those lakes, I moved to G-ville to learn the unique TVA fisheries. Unfortunately, three years didn't seem to be long enough, because instead of learning to love Guntersville in that time, there were times I despised it – and even called it my least-favorite lake.

After many more years of learning TVA fisheries, my disdain for this famed venue has all but disappeared and I believe that I understand it better than I ever have. This is an event that may pose some challenges, but I am also very excited for it.

James River

I'll be honest, I don’t know much about the James River as I have never been there, and it has largely been under my radar (no pun intended).

This is, however, an event I am very excited for. Sure, I dont have a tremendous amount of experience on eastern tidal fisheries, but my lack of experience ends there, because what I do know is that I can power-fish my way to a solid finish, which is all I need to know.

I think that I will really enjoy the James.

Champlain

Champlain is another lake that I have done well at, but I have also had a very poor showing there as well. My first year on tour I logged a triple-digit finish, which ended up foiling my chances at winning Rookie of the Year.

I don’t really worry about that last event, though, because overall I openly classify Champlain as my second-favorite fishery after the Big O and I'm thoroughly looking forward to getting back there for a little redemption.

There's really no telling what this season will bring. Just based on the schedule, however, I'm thinking that 2022 should be a season to remember!

(Miles "Sonar" Burghoff is an MLF Pro Circuit competitor and the co-host of the TV series "Sweetwater." To visit his website, click here. You can also visit him on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (SonarFishing) and Instagram (@sonarfishing).