A
t one time, not too long ago, there was a
relatively regular flow of western-based anglers
to the top professional fishing leagues. The Bassmaster Elite Series was filled with anglers from the
western states, and during the FLW Tour days, they had
plenty as well – thanks to qualifying circuits to get there.
It’s been a slower path in recent years, with a small handful of new West Coast names jumping to the top levels of bass fishing on a national scale. But this year, there are two more, with Cody Meyer and Andrew Loberg qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series. Both are originally from California, but now live elsewhere, with Meyer in Idaho and Loberg in Alabama. Still, each is proud of their upbringing in Northern California, and this gives all western fishing fans two more Bassmaster anglers to root for.
MEYER TAKES A BIG RISK
Each year since the split of anglers leaving Bassmaster for Major League Fishing (MLF) before the 2019 season, there has been talk of anglers “going back to B.A.S.S,” but that was not the case for Cody Meyer, formerly of Auburn, Calif. He only fished a handful of Bassmaster events before this year. He got his start and rose to national prominence in the other circuits.
“My whole career has been with FLW and MLF, and you get comfortable, being familiar with all the staff and anglers,” he said. “It was hard to leave friends I’ve fished with for so long; it was a very tough decision.”
Now that he’s in the 2025 Elite Series field, Meyer can relax knowing he made it happen. However, it was very stressful to leave and try to qualify through the Bassmaster Opens. Ultimately, all was well, and he made it look easy, finishing the year in second place in the points. But it was nothing but easy for him mentally.
“It was really scary when I fished my first Open of the year because I looked around and saw kids half my age, and they’re hungry and focused on making their dream come true,” he said. “For the first time in a long time, I felt nervous about the risk I was taking. That was the scariest part because I was fishing on one of the upper echelon leagues on the Bass Pro Tour and had to take a step down a level, in a way, to try to qualify
for the top again. That was in my mind all year, asking myself if I made the right decision.”
One primary reason for Meyer was the chance to fish for the Bassmaster Classic. “I’ve worked about 20 of them now, and I always wanted to fish one,” said Meyer. “It would be awesome to compete in one someday, which was one of my deciding factors to leave.”
LOBERG JUMPS TO THE ELITES
Previously from Rocklin, Calif., Andrew Loberg had plenty of success moving up the ranks in California, winning two college fishing events and two Toyota Series events with Major League Fishing before jumping to the next level. He fished two years on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and moved to Alabama before taking on the Bassmaster Opens this season.
Like Meyer, he did it with solid success all year to finish sixth in the points. Qualifying was a dream come true, and he credits his move to Alabama for making it happen.
“It’s tough to climb the ladder and fish nationally, and that made my decision to move to Alabama a little easier, just because of the cost of living and it being much easier travel to events,” said Loberg. “But it’s not easy, and a big learning curve coming from the West because I’ve never
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Spring 2025
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