Country singer Trace Adkins has spent decades performing for audiences around the world. On Saturday morning in Tennessee, though, he was the one feeling a little starstruck around some of professional bass fishing’s biggest names.
Adkins sang the national anthem before the final round of World Bass Enterprises’ first Champions tournament on Old Hickory Lake. Fifteen top anglers were competing for a record $1.25 million first-place prize.
The longtime outdoorsman said he was impressed by the competitors, and especially appreciated the sport’s openness about faith and patriotism. He recalled growing up fishing and said meeting the anglers felt a bit like meeting rock stars. He also liked that the event included prayer and the national anthem before fishing began.
Fishing has been part of Adkins’ life since he was a boy growing up in Louisiana. His 2011 song “Just Fishin’” tells the story of a father taking his young daughter fishing, with the focus on their time together rather than the catch.
That year, Adkins also invited children and mentors from Big Brothers Big Sisters to fish and take part in outdoor activities at the lake on his Middle Tennessee property.
In a 2017 interview, he joked that he’d made his fishing trips more reliable by stocking his own pond with fish. “I don’t fish, I just catch,” he said.
Adkins remembers watching fishing shows hosted by Roland Martin and Bill Dance when he was young. The sport’s growth since then, he said, has been exciting to see.
The three-day Champions tournament brought together competitors from the Bassmaster Elite Series and Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour. It offered a total purse of $3.25 million, the largest in professional bass fishing history.
Matt Robertson won the $1.25 million top prize on Saturday. The event also included a team competition, with Bassmaster’s Team Stars taking the Champions Cup on Friday before 15 anglers moved on to the individual final.
For Adkins, being at the tournament was a chance to celebrate a sport he has loved since childhood—and the traditions around it.
