Kevin
Vandam
Most agree this Michigan native is the best professional bass angler that has ever lived. Inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2018, Kevin has won 25 Pro Tournaments, won 4 Bassmaster Classics, and 7 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Titles. So, describing him as the greatest of all time becomes hard to argue. He’s a class act, highly articulate, and has a work ethic that’s rarely outmatched. He loves all Detroit sports teams, and sharing time in the outdoors with his twin teenage sons.
Hometown:
Kalamazoo, MI
Birthday:
Oct 14, 1967
Family:
(wife) Sherry,
(children) Nicholas, Jackson
Hobbies:
Deer Hunting, attending NASCAR and Detroit Lions and Tigers games.
Highlights:
2018 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee
26x Pro Tournament Champion
3 MLF Tournament Wins
4x Bassmaster Classic Champion
7x Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 125
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes: 194
Career earnings: $7.2 Million
Mark
Daniels Jr
A graduate in agricultural biology from Tuskegee University, Daniels fished his way up into the Pros after winning the 2013 TBF National Championship. Mark is a 3 - time T our level winner, perennial Major league Fishing RedCrest Championship qualifier, and champion of the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Oahe. He has amassed over $1 Million in prize money in a short 9 - year career. Daniels , commonly called , “MDJ” - - is extremely close to his parents back in California, as wel l as his bride Tan eisha and their two children. He now makes his home in the same Alabama city of Tuskegee where he and Taneisha met in college.
Hometown:
Tuskegee, AL
Birthday:
July 24, 1981
Family:
(wife) Taneisha,
(children) Mark Daniels (III), Morgan
Hobbies:
Gardening, Hunting, and Billiards
Highlights:
2013 TBF National Champion
3 -Time Tour Level Winner
Bassmaster Elite Series Champion (Lake Oahe)
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 22
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes: 28
Career earnings: $1.2 Million
Terry
Scroggins
Known for his cooking skills as well as his gifted ability to locate large schools of bass, Terry “Big Show” Scroggins might just win the Mr. Congeniality award if pro fishing had one. The upbeat Florida native is quick to lend his mechanical mind to fix just about anything he or fellow pros tear up along their 40,000 miles of travel each year. Scroggins is truly one of the best in the world, his nearly $2 Million in prize earnings prove it, and his super-friendly demeanor makes him a friend to all he meets. If you want to know a killer grill recipe, how to catch anything that swims in fresh or saltwater, or need help changing the spark plugs in your lawnmower, then “Big Show” is your guy. Which is why fans and fellow Pros alike all look up to him.
Hometown:
Palatka, FL
Birthday:
Nov 18, 1968
Family:
(children) Kristi, Jonathon
Hobbies:
Saltwater fishing, chillin', and grillin
Highlights:
5x Pro Tournament Champion
11x in the Bassmaster Classic
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 49
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes: 76
Career Earnings: $2.1 Million
Gerald
Swindle
Without a doubt, Swindle is the funniest pro angler, and very possibly the most hilarious person you’ve ever met. Street smart with a country farmer’s work ethic, his humor is complimented by a great heart, as well as a very impressive 18 Bassmaster Classic appearances, and $2.5 Million in cash prize earnings – and one of only 11 men in history to win more than one Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Titles. When not fishing, the very fit former 3-sport athlete is either in a tree stand hunting whitetails or on a summer beach with his bride LeAnn.
Hometown:
Warrior, AL
Birthdate:
Dec 17, 1969
Family:
(wife) Le Ann,
(children) Whitney
Hobbies:
Deer Hunting, Health and Fitness, Auto Restoration
Highlights:
2x Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year
2 Pro Tournament Wins
19x in the Bassmaster Classic
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 58
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes 102
Career earnings: $2.5 Million
Mike
Iaconelli
A proud native of Philadelphia, Iaconelli graduated college with honors and has parlayed his passionate screams of celebration, urban style, and occasional heat-of-the battle temper into one of the most authentic fan followings in the sport. The heavily tattooed former break dancer has won $3.1 Million, including the 2003 Bassmaster Classic. Iaconelli loves old school rap, his ground wire of a wife, Becky, and his four children. He’s also passionate about introducing / passing along the sport of fishing to youth, in particular in urban areas, where kids might not have the exposure and opportunity. He and his wife started The Ike Foundation to reach inner-city youth and introduce them to fishing and the outdoors.
Hometown:
Pittsgrove, NJ
Birthdate:
Jun 17, 1972
Family:
(wife) Becky,
(children) Drew, Rylie, Vegas and Estella
Hobbies:
Hangin' with the family, Collecting antique ink bottles, Philadelphia pro sports
Highlights:
10x Pro Tournament Champion
2 MLF Tournament Wins
2003 Bassmaster Classic Champion
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 86
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes: 130
Career earnings: $3.2 Million
Matt
Arey
Matt Arey passed his driver’s test 35 years ago in a Toyota truck. He has won over $1 Million in his pro angling career to date, still towing with a Toyota truck across America to and from tournaments. Arey was a 3-Time FLW Pro Tournament Champion, qualified for the FLW Tour Championship 11 of the 12 years he was an FLW Tour Pro, was an FLW Cup Champion, and had 24 Top 10 FLW finishes. Arey fished the Bassmaster Elite Pro Series for the first time in 2019, and he had 2 Top 10 finishes and 6 Top 20 finishes. When not competing in Elite tournaments, you’ll find Arey spending time with his wife and daughter in the scenic outdoors in NC.
Hometown:
Shelby, North Carolina
Birthdate:
March 2, 1971
Family:
Wife- Emily,
(children) Reese & Wren
Hobbies:
Bowhunting, turkey hunting
Highlights:
Finished 2nd in the 2021 Bassmaster Classic
2 Top 10 finishes Bassmaster Elite Series (‘19)
3x Pro Tournament Champion
Qualified 11 out of 12 years as an FLW Pro for the FLW Cup
Championship
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 30
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes: 19 (’19 / ’20 as Bassmaster
Elite
Pro)
Career earnings: $1.7 million
Brandon
Palaniuk
Brandon Palaniuk earned the nickname "The Prodigy" after bursting onto the scene with a B.A.S.S. Nation Championship win as a 22-year old Idaho native. Palaniuk then placed 4th in the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, and the rest as they say, is history. Palaniuk has since added numerous trophies and accolades to his resume, including Bassmaster Elite and Angler of the Year titles. He's gone from sleeping in the bed of his Tundra as a rookie, to one of the most highly accomplished and well-respected anglers on tour. The 38-year-old father of two handles himself with class in all that he does, earning the admiration of fishing fans and his peers alike.
Hometown:
Rathdrum, Idaho
Birthdate:
November 3, 1987
Family:
Wife- Tiffanie,
(children) Kora and Kyra
Hobbies:
Videography, photography, snowboarding and big-game hunting
Highlights:
2X B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year
6X Bassmaster Elite Series Champion
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Champion-Okeechobee
Bassmaster Open Champion
13X Bassmaster Classic qualifier
B.A.S.S. Nation National Champion (2010)
Quick Stats:
Top 10 Pro Tournament Finishes: 41
Top 20 Pro Tournament Finishes: 68
Career earnings: $2.2 million
