Date: July 21, 2023
Venue: Lake T, a flatland reservoir
Weather: Partly cloudy, high of 90 degrees
Pro: Keith Combs, 47, Huntington, Texas. Combs has fished the Elite Series since 2011, charting two wins and 53 Top 20 finishes. He has qualified for the Classic nine times.
Boat: Ranger 520R with 250-horsepower Yamaha outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor and shallow-water anchors and Lowrance electronics on Bass Boat Technologies mounts
Texas is THE best bass fishing state in America. Here, 10-pounders are legion, there’s a bass boat in practically every garage and a “local” tournament on a lake like Sam Rayburn can easily draw several hundred boats and offer a five-figure first prize. Many veteran Lone Star anglers regard Keith Combs as the king of Texas bass fishing. Putting his prowess in top-tier B.A.S.S. events from New York to Michigan to California aside, Combs has won more Texas tournaments than you can shake a cranking stick at, which happens to be the tool he uses most often to rake in the winning bag. “Fishing is all I’ve ever done,” Combs admits. “I caught my first bass when I was 2 years old and was permanently hooked.” Combs played football in high school (he’s a big boy — he already stood 6-1 by the time he’d reached sixth grade) but confesses, “I really didn’t like it. I wanted to be fishing instead.” This lifelong obsession, combined with his relentless work ethic, has made Combs a superstar in his home state and
