I am Professional Angler Taylor Watkins. I was introduced at a very young age to hunting and fishing. It’s more than a lifestyle, it's my passion and drive in life. I grew up fishing Northern Alabama Lakes and the Tennessee River. I’ve been fishing competitively since I was in my early teens, however, it wasn’t until my early twenties that I wanted to pursue the dream of becoming a professional angler. I started fishing the TBF locally and had made my way to nationals. I then decided to give the Costa Series a shot and had decent success there where I had qualified for the championship. In 2021, I joined the National Professional Fishing League (NPFL). During the inaugural season I was fortunate enough to cash a check in every event and capped off the season with a win at Grand Lake, Ok. In the 2022 season with the NPFL I won the opener at Lake Cumberland, KY and finished the season with another win at Lake Toho, FL with placing second in AOY points. I am thankful to have a supporting wife, family and friends that have encouraged me to go follow my dream.
Hunter is 36 years old and has lived in Central Arkansas his whole life. From a very early age, Hunter was outside with his family every chance he could get. However, Hunter has a very unique story that could have kept him from ever experiencing his love of nature. At 9 months old he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, extremely high fevers and infections nearly took his life. After months in the hospital Hunter was sent home with lifelong effects of the sickness. Both his legs are amputated below the knees, he has no fingers on his left hand and partial fingers on his right. However, that was not the end of Hunter’s story! He was determined to live a normal life. Through God’s grace and lots of hard work and support, he did just that. Growing up Hunter realized that he would never be extremely competitive in “normal” sports, but something about tournament bass fishing caught his eye. At the age of 14 he had a boat before he had a truck and started fishing local tournaments. He found success through the years and realized tournament fishing would be a great way to scratch his competitive itch. He slowly fished his way through the local and regional levels of bass fishing until all of his hard work and dedication paid off. Hunter was invited to fish the National Professional Fishing League in 2021 achieving his dreams of fishing a national tour. Hunter has been married to the love of his life, Andrea, for 8 years. They have 2 young daughters, Kinley and Kassidy. Church is their first priority and they love spending time with their friends and family. He spends his winters in multiple states chasing deer and finds it as a nice “reset” from the tournament scene for a couple of months.
Hometown: Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Featured Rod: Elevate Series "The Hammer" 7'5"
Hometown: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Featured Rod: 7'3" The One
"I love em all, but in the end I'd go with 7'3" The One - There's nothing it won't do from the deck of a bass boat period!"
Hometown: Sweet Lake, Louisiana
Featured Rod: 7'3" The One, Medium Heavy Action Rod
"Using The One to catch anything and everything from Redfish, Catfish, or anything you can get your hook on!"
Hometown: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Featured Rod: 7'4" Versa Frog, Fast Heavy rod
"Line is replaceable, the reel gets the fish and bait from point A to point B, but the rod is my lifeline and I like to pick them apart, but I can't find a thing wrong with these."
Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas
Featured Rod: 7'2" Switchblade SS, Medium Heavy Action Rod.
"The way the rods are made are truly second to none, against even more expensive rods, this rod has the best sensitivity. I wouldn't trade it for any other on the market."
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