Eric Giessing and Kyle Carr are about to find out exactly how good they are at bass fishing.
World Bass Enterprises (WBE) announced this week that Giessing, a 53-year-old amateur angler from Farmington, Mo., and Carr, a 39-year-old local tournament fisherman from Gatesville, Texas, have been selected as the two “Average Joes” who will compete in The Champions this fall.
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And WBE isn’t sticking them in some separate amateur division. They’re fishing the same tournament, for the same money, against 60 of the best professional bass anglers in the world.
Eric Giessing and Kyle Carr will compete against 60 of the best bass anglers in the world at the inaugural The Champions tournament just outside Nashville. (World Bass Enterprises)
That includes a $3.25 million purse and $1.25 million for the winner. That’s the largest purse in bass fishing history.
“Fans of every sport wonder how they’d fare competing against the pros,” WBE founder and CEO Brian Bird said. “We thought it would be neat to give bass fishing fans the chance to actually answer that question. Eric and Kyle will now get to see how they stack up against the pros.”
Well, they’re certainly going to get an answer.
Here’s what the ‘Average Joes’ are up against
When Bird first told OutKick OutDoors about the Average Joes concept earlier this summer, the two spots were still up for grabs.
Now we know the contestants, and WBE has since revealed the professional field they’ll have to deal with.
The Champions will pit its Stars and Stripes rosters against one another, bringing together elite anglers from the Bassmaster and Major League Fishing worlds.
And there aren’t many soft spots on either side.
Start with Trey McKinney, whom OutKick OutDoors spoke with earlier this month after he wrapped up a historic Bassmaster Elite season. The 21-year-old became the youngest Bassmaster Angler of the Year in history and, at the St. Lawrence River finale, also broke the B.A.S.S. record for the heaviest one-day bag of smallmouth bass.
Trey McKinney poses with his friends and family after being named Angler of the Year. (Amber Harding Snyder)
Then there is Jordan Lee, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion who won the sport’s marquee event in consecutive years in 2017 and 2018. Hank Cherry is also a back-to-back Classic champion, while Jason Christie won the 2022 Classic.
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And that’s just one side of the field.
The Stripes roster includes Jacob Wheeler, who has won four Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year titles and captured REDCREST in 2026. Wheeler has racked up 12 Bass Pro Tour wins since the circuit began in 2019.
There’s also Dustin Connell, the only three-time REDCREST champion, and reigning 2026 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year Zack Birge.
Oh, and Ott DeFoe, who won the 2019 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, is in there too.
So, yeah. Good luck, fellas.
The Two ‘Average Joes’ Aren’t Exactly Beginners
To be fair to Giessing and Carr, “Average Joe” doesn’t mean either guy wandered into Bass Pro Shops last week and bought his first rod.
Both have tournament experience.
Giessing has been an amateur angler for five years and fishes primarily around Lake of the Ozarks. He started fishing as a kid with his late father and has competed in a variety of amateur events in recent years.
And he’s not shy about wanting to see how far he can take it.
“My goal is to continue growing as a competitor, learning from every experience, and pushing myself to see how far I can take this passion,” Giessing said. “I consider myself a power fisherman and enjoy the challenge of finding aggressive fish and figuring out what it takes to get them in the boat.”
Dave Zeug of Shell Lake releases a largemouth bass he caught on Shell Lake on the opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin general fishing season. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Giessing said his ultimate goal would be reaching the professional ranks and competing at the highest level of tournament bass fishing.
Well, this should be one hell of an audition.
Carr also grew up fishing with his dad and now competes with Cen-Tex Bass Hunters in Belton, Texas, as well as the Tuesday Night Tight Lines 3×9 Series on Stillhouse Hollow Lake.
“My dad taught me from an early age what it means to be a sportsman, respect the outdoors, and appreciate conservation,” Carr said. “I’ve been hooked on bass fishing since I was a kid, and these days I enjoy putting that passion to work.”
He added: “At the end of the day, I just enjoy being on the water, chasing bass, and competing with good people who share the same passion for fishing.”
The jump from a Tuesday night tournament to lining up against Wheeler, McKinney, Connell and a pile of Bassmaster Classic champions is admittedly a pretty significant one.
But that’s also what makes this interesting.
The Champions brings the two pro circuits together
The inaugural Champions tournament will take place Oct. 28-Nov. 1 on Old Hickory Lake at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, Tenn., just outside Nashville.
The concept from the beginning has been to put top anglers from the sport’s major professional circuits on the same water and settle things in one big-money event.
Old Hickory Lake in Nashville, Tenn., at day’s end. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Bird said Giessing and Carr won’t be treated any differently just because they got into the field through a sweepstakes.
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“We’re going to roll out the red carpet for them and treat them the same way we treat the pro anglers,” Bird said. “Both ‘Average Joes’ have a chance to win the grand prize and the ultimate bragging rights, but no matter what, they’ll be leaving Nashville with some prize money and a great story to tell.”
Well, fellas, you’ve got six weeks to practice. Good luck!
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