Gamakatsu Prostaff

Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, of Max, Minnesota, is one of the most recognized and respected anglers in North America. Bro, as he’s known, is a multispecies angler best known for his influence on the sport of ice fishing. Several popular ice fishing products are based on his ideas.

Drew earned 2019 Elite Rookie of the Year honors after notching five Top 20 finishes and three Top 10s. Since then he has finished in the Top 20 seven times. Drew won his first Elite Series event at Santee Cooper in 2022.

Virginia pro John Crews is an eleven-time Classic qualifier and is a one-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion. With career winnings well over $1,000,000 and with a world rank of 76, he’s certainly made a name for himself over his years in pro fishing.

Bill Dance, one of the world’s most famous fishermen, was contemplating becoming a doctor like his father, grandfather, and three other generations of Dances; but instead he found his calling in fishing. Bill has an amazing record of 23 National Bass titles, Bassmaster Qualifier, and finished 2nd in '73. Three-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. Out of 78 total B.A.S.S. entries, Bill finished 64 times in the money. 7 wins, 8 runner ups, 6 third place & 40 top ten finishes. International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame, Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Congressional National Water Safety Award, US Army Corps of Engineers Water Safety Award, National Freshwater Hall of Fame and many more.

Gary has earned over two million dollars in winnings, awarded 40 boats, and has won more tournaments than any other angler in the region. No one can dismiss his dominance when he shows up for an event. When asked what tournaments stand out in his career he mentions some of his favorite wins, saying “There are a few tournament wins that do stand out in my memory and mean a lot to me,” he said. “The best win I’ve ever had happened this year at the U.S. Open on Mead. I’ve been in the top 5 far too many times, especially second-place finishes. This is the one event that ate at me. After my second-place finish last year, I was committed to putting forth a full effort into practice and trying to win the event. I finally did it. I won the U.S. Open."

Brent Ehrler is a professional angler from Redlands, CA. The 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series season will mark Brent's fourteenth year as a professional angler. Brent has earned over $2,000,000 in career earnings, nine career wins and a Forest Wood Cup title in 2006. Brent's first year efforts on the Bassmaster Elite Series earned him Rookie of the Year honors and a spot in the 2016 Bassmaster Classic. We also saw Brent crowned as the 2015 champion of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic held on the storied Lake Fork in Texas. Brent competed in the Bassmaster Elite Series and Jack Link's Major League Fishing events in 2018. When Brent isn’t practicing his finishing skills he spends time with his wife Kelley and has one son Ollie who was born in 2011.

Marc qualified for the Elites in 2020 by finishing fourth in the Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year standings as well as fourth in the Central Opens standings.

Shin is a full-time professional angler originally from Japan and now resides in the United States. He is honest and gentle with a great sense of humor. Married to his wife, Miyu. Shin started fishing through his older brothers’ influence when he was a child and always dreamed of being a professional angler in the United States. He joined a junior bass fishing program to compete in the tournament in Japan and turned professional in 1991. With a 13 year pro-angler career in Japan, Shin accomplished successful results and earned the opportunity to compete in the FLW Tour. He decided to accept the challenge even though he did not speak English. Since 2004, Shin mainly has been competing in U.S. tournaments, winning the FLW Tour Angler of the Year (AOY) in his rookie year. He is the only angler to win the AOY title in two countries, United States and Japan. He also has added 3-time single event victories and 20 top-10 finishes during his 9 year career in the America. Shin also is known as a hard worker practicing as much as he can and thinking about fishing both "on" and "off" the water.

In just three seasons on the Elite Series, Jeff has bagged 11 Top 20 finishes, including a win at the 2021 Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee River.

Greg is a three-time Elite Series champion (Sam Rayburn 2006, Cayuga Lake 2014, Sabine River 2018) and the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

Derek qualified for the Elites after a stellar season on the 2018 Bassmaster Opens. Since 2019, he has earned four Top 20s.

Chris kicked off his Elite Series campaign with two second-place finishes at the St. Johns and St. Lawrence River in 2019. In 2020, Chris became the first Canadian to capture an Elite title at the St. Lawrence River, and 2021 saw him place second in the Bassmaster AOY standings.

Cory has quickly established himself as one of the fiercest competitors on the Elite Series, amassing 17 Top 20s in just three seasons. In 2021, Cory finished fifth in the AOY standings and claimed his first career victory with B.A.S.S. at the Bassmaster Northern Open at St. Lawrence River/1000 Islands.

Stacey has been bass fishing since he was big enough to hold a rod and guide on his favorite body of water, Table Rock Lake. His excited about tournament fishing started around the same time Ray Scott entered B.A.S.S. tournaments. Stacey competed in local and regional tournaments until the early 80’s when he began fishing B.A.S.S tournaments. He qualified for 12 Bassmaster Classics. In 2007, he began fishing the FLW tour where he has qualified for 4 Forrest Wood Cups. Stacey has served on the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Board of Directors and the Professional Anglers Association Board of Directors. He won the BFHOF tournament on Lake Ouachita in 2001 and the PAA tournament on Table Rock Lake in 2011. Stacey is also known for appearing often on fishing shows, specifically “The Bass Pros”. As much as catching fish himself, Stacey enjoys working with kids and teaching people about fishing.

Russ Lane has been competing on the Bassmaster Elite Series since the beginning of 2006 and qualified for seven Bassmasters Classics. Russ won the AOY event on Lake Jordan in 2010. Russ also competes on Major League Fishing and has managed to win well over $1,000,000. One of his passions is to design products that help others catch more fish. During the off-season when Russ is not working for sponsors or new bait designs, he really likes to bow hunt. He says it helps him to relax and reflect on the previous season while preparing mentally for the next. Before his fishing career began, Russ played college and minor league baseball as a right-handed pitcher. His fastball reached 93 mph at times and a hard slider. Tournament fishing was a great way to stay competitive long after his baseball career was over.

A recent member of the bass fishing “Million Dollar Club” for career earnings, Jeremy Lawyer qualified into the Bass Pro Tour in 2022 and promptly went 6-for-7 on Knockout Rounds and finished 14th in Angler of the Year standings. The Missouri pro was the winner of the 2019 Pro Circuit event on Grand Lake, a 2018 Toyota Series event at Lake of the Ozarks and the 2016 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American on Lake Barkley.

In three years, Lee has already claimed two Elite Series victories, the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Chickamauga Lake (2020) and the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork (2021), where his final-day catch of five bass weighing 42-3 was the third-heaviest, single-day weight in B.A.S.S. history. He also won a Bassmaster Open event on Ross Barnett in 2022.

In his second year on the Elite Series, Wes claimed his first career victory on his home lake at the 2021 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Neely Henry. He followed that with a second-place finish at the very next event, the Berkley Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville.

Ed finished his rookie season in 2019 with three straight Top 30 finishes. Over the past two seasons, he has earned five Top 20s.

Aaron Marten’s history with Gamakatsu began over 30 years ago. At age 16 Aaron began split-shotting with Gamakatsu hooks he acquired from Japan. Since that time Gamakatsu enjoyed a special relationship with one of the most talented and beloved anglers the sport has ever known. Aaron’s spirit lives on as we remember our friend and honor his legacy.

Hilary Martin, (aka The Reel Hilary Sue), comes from a long family history of angling tradition. Her granddad the legendary angler Roland Martin, her grandmother Mary Ann (World Champion Lady Angler) and her dad Scott Martin who is an acclaimed World Champion Angler and leading influencer in the outdoor segment. At just 17 years old, Hilary has already made a name for herself on TV, in YouTube videos and on the B.A.S.S. Nation High School tournament trail. In addition to filming with her dad for the Scott Martin Challenge, she has also launched a successful social media following with over 300K combined YouTube subscribers, Instagram and TikTok followers. Hilary is known for her true passion for the sport and prides herself on being a leader for women that share her same passion for the outdoors. In 2022, Hilary and her fishing partner Rafe Sexton consistently placed in the Top Ten at many of the events throughout Florida. In addition, they took home 5 th place in the Florida State Championship, weighing in over 35 pounds on the St. Johns River. Hilary and Rafe are off to another great start in 2023! Hilary will soon be announcing the college she’ll be attending to continue her successful career on the Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. Watch for exciting things ahead for this talented angler.

Mike's strong competitive nature is what lead him to his career as a professional bass angler. After winning back-to-back BASS events on the Arkansas River and Ross Barnett, Mike was able to fish full-time for a living. He went on to win two more events at the BASS Invitational level, four Elite Series events and has qualified for eleven Bassmaster Classics.

Mark held the B.A.S.S. Big Bass record from 1997 to 1999 for a 13-9 large- mouth. He has won three B.A.S.S. events, including an Elite tournament, Bassmaster Southern Open and Top 100 tournament.

Paul is the 2014 B.A.S.S. Nation National Champion. Paul has won two Elite titles (Lake Lanier 2019, St. Johns River 2020). Paul holds the Classic record for heaviest daily five-bass limit with 32-3 on Day 2 of the 2014 Classic, as well as the record for the largest smallmouth caught in B.A.S.S. history.

Tennessee native Michael Neal became one of the youngest anglers in history to compete in the FLW Tour when he kicked off his pro career in 2012. Neal won Stage Seven of the Bass Pro Tour on Lake St. Clair in 2021, just a month after securing the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title. In 2022, Neal claimed his second Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title in back-to-back fashion, becoming the third pro to win AOY in consecutive years and the sixth pro to win multiple AOY titles.

Before coming to the Elite Series, Bryan had 44 Top 10s in FLW-sponsored events. After winning the first Bassmaster Open of the 2020 season, he registered for all of the Opens in a bid to qualify for the Elites. He succeeded in that endeavor, claiming the title of 2020 Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year and continuing his momentum into the Elites by winning the first event of 2021.

After saving up all his money and carrying one tackle box, a few rods, and some clothes, he made his first trip to the U.S. in 1992 to compete in the Texas B.A.S.S. Invitational. Unable to speak English and didn’t know anyone there, Takahiro competed in his first competition in America. Takahiro says “I was 21 years old and everyone I talked to in Japan told me I was crazy and impossible to be successful. That kind of stuff even motivated me more. I was young and I had nothing to lose.” He started as a non-boater and learned the ropes from the bottom up. It was really a struggle in the beginning without sponsors and he had to sleep inside an old truck most nights. Besides the difficulty of learning how to find and catch bass, he also needed to learn the language and culture. He had no idea that there was so much involved to being a tour pro. He says “ My only option was to catch some bass and win a tournament or go back to Japan as a loser.”

Bass anglers all around the world aspire to be successful in the sport of bass fishing and who could blame them. Fishing for a living doesn’t sound like a bad way to make money. With the ever-growing popularity of this sport, comes bigger and bigger paydays, which leaves the possibility of a pretty darn good living. Countless, local and regional, tournaments are held every weekend, in which anglers match their skills with the best in their respective area. Just like any other area, many try but few succeed. Dean Rojas, of Lake Havasu City, is a local angler that not only became one of the few, he is blazing a trail to the top. This Pro-File takes you along Dean’s path from a young man with a dream to one of the hottest anglers on the Bassmaster Top 150 Tour.

Caleb joined the Elites after winning the 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. He had a breakout season in 2021 with two Top 10s and a seventh-place finish in the AOY standings.

Kyle has proven competitive during his first two seasons on the Elites with a 10th-place finish in the AOY standings in 2020 and four Top 20 finishes in 2021.

A native of Hawaii, Matty won the 2021 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship to earn his invitation to the 2022 Elite Series.