There was a time when catching a bass might earn you bragging rights, a fishing trophy or maybe a few bucks from your buddies. On Oct. 31, it earned one Kentucky angler $1.25 million.
Matt Robertson walked away from The Champions on Old Hickory Lake outside Nashville with the richest first-place payout in bass fishing history, capping a three-day tournament that featured a staggering $3.25 million purse and brought together some of the biggest names from Bassmaster and Major League Fishing.
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And if the event was any indication, the business of fishing has come a long way from the neighborhood pond.
Matt Robertson celebrates with his catch on stage after winning the 2026 World Bass Enterprises – The Champions Tournament on Oct. 31, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (World Bass Enterprises/Getty Images)
According to the 2026 Special Report on Fishing from the American Sportfishing Association and Outdoor Industry Association, 57 million Americans went fishing at least once in 2025. That’s up from 50.1 million in 2019.
Those numbers help explain why companies with roots outside the fishing industry have increasingly turned their attention to the water.
Take FXR, for example.
The Canadian company built its reputation making performance apparel for snowmobiling and motorsports. But founder Milt Reimer told OutKick OutDoors that he began recognizing fishing’s potential roughly a decade ago, after discovering just how much overlap existed between his motorsports customers and the fishing community.
“We just started to connect through that, and then just realized, man, there is a lot of participation in Minnesota, especially,” Reimer said.
Fishing, he explained, was already a summer passion for many of the same people who spent their winters on snowmobiles or their weekends riding dirt bikes.
That connection eventually led FXR into the fishing apparel business, where the company now sponsors several professional anglers including Robertson, Fisher Anaya and 2026 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Trey McKinney.
Trey McKinney, 2026 Bassmaster Angler of the Year, prepares to launch on the final day of The Champions tournament on Old Hickory Lake. (World Bass Enterprises)
But for Reimer, the appeal of fishing extends well beyond the professional tournament circuit.
When asked what an event like The Champions says about the future of the sport, he summed it up pretty definitively: “It’s real. It’s here. It’s in front of us.”
Fishing has mass appeal from pros to amateurs and weekend hobbyists
Reimer described the adrenaline of a tournament boat launch and the sudden change of pace once anglers reach the water, where wind, current, sunshine and countless other variables determine whether they have a successful day.
It’s that combination of competition and connection with the outdoors that he believes resonates with so many people.
And unlike many professional sports, fishing offers a particularly direct connection between the athletes competing at the highest level and the average person who just wants to wet a line after work.
Anglers and boat crews are on the water during day one of the 2026 World Bass Enterprises – The Champions Tournament on Oct. 29, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (World Bass Enterprises/Getty Images)
“There is this massive connection both from the pro side to the regular, just weekend, evening fishermen,” Reimer said. “We love that part of it, and we love the community it’s building. It helps us to really connect across all our genres of motorsports that we’re in, and this is the one core sport that’s really generational and passed on in a big way. It really vibes with so many people.”
That connection was on full display at The Champions, where 60 competitors from two rival professional circuits went head-to-head for a record-setting payday.
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For Reimer, who had three sponsored anglers in the top 15, the opportunity represented something special.
“It’s hard to describe. I’m so jacked for the guys,” he said before Saturday’s championship round. “It’s kind of a dream come true for them.”
Matt Robertson prepares to launch on Day 1 of The Champions tournament on Old Hickory Lake. (World Bass Enterprises)
He also praised the tournament for creating a stage where anglers from the sport’s two major circuits could compete against one another for a championship.
Robertson ultimately claimed the $1.25 million prize, while McKinney finished fourth and earned $200,000. Anaya finished seventh.
Fisher Anaya out on the water during The Champions bass fishing tournament on Old Hickory Lake. (World Bass Enterprises)
Events like The Champions illustrate just how far professional fishing has come. And with tens of millions of Americans already spending time on the water, there’s no shortage of people who can appreciate what these anglers do for a living.
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Whether someone is chasing a seven-figure paycheck on a national stage or simply hoping to catch dinner at the local lake, the appeal of fishing remains much the same.
The stakes might be different, but everybody’s still waiting for that next bite.
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