Fall 2021
W
estern anglers and fishing fans have had
Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, Calif. on their
radar for a long time. Afterall, he is the first of only two anglers to ever claim championship honors at
both the WON Bass U.S. Open (2008) and the WON Bass
California Open (2015). However, the entire fishing world as
a whole took notice of Kerr’s prowess at this summer’s 2021
Bassmaster Classic.
Kerr parlayed his first B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional
event on Lake Mead, into a runner-up position going into
the final day – Championship Sunday and ultimately a 4th
place finish at this year’s Big Show.
Here, Kerr shares some of his Classic journey, fishing
background and career goals.
WB: First of all, congratulations! The West was on fire with excitement rooting for you through the event! For those that don’t know, tell us how you got started fishing?
KERR: My stepdad started me trout fishing. It was all I thought about, so that was my first fishing passion. At 15, I started working at JT Tackle. That’s where I met Aaron Martens and a lot
of the West Coast guys that were big at the time. They got me into bass fishing at local ponds and then tournaments.
When I was 18-years-old, I started WON Bass teams. I kept working so I could get my own boat and started fishing WON Bass Pro/Ams at 21.
I think I made top-10’s at all my first four Pro/Am events and I got Angler of the Year (AOY) which was really cool, because we had like 200 guys competing for that back then. When I look back, I would say WON Bass has definitely been a lifeline to my career as a fisherman out West.
WB: And how did you decide pro angler would become your career?
KERR: Well, both of my parents are teachers, and they
didn’t want me to go this route. They wanted me to go
to school. I just want to go fishing and they said, “yeah
right!”
I’ve always that had a knack for fishing, a kind a
sixth sense. It’s like I know what to do and that’s not
something that a person can be taught. That is just
something a person has. I
think I realized that I had
that early
on.
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