Spring 2025
page 66
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fished most of these bodies of water.”
He also credits his time fishing with Major League Fishing for getting him more familiar with different fisheries. “The two years on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit definitely helped speed things up for me, but it’s still wild that it happened,” he said. “Guys from all over make sacrifices to qualify for the Elite Series, but it’s still surreal because it didn’t seem possible because you seemed so far removed from it in California.”
Growing up, Loberg watched the professional anglers and idolized many, including Meyer. “It’s crazy because a lot of these guys, I looked up to, and now I’ll get to fish against some of them,” he said. “I remember watching Cody dominate the FLW Tour, and he was at a seminar by my house when I was super young. I lived close to it and had my dad take me, and it was super cool to meet him and talk fishing. It was a surreal moment when we both qualified because we only lived about an hour away from each other when he was still living in California.”
Meyer remembers this, too, and knew Loberg was passionate about becoming a professional angler. “I remember seeing him doing the seminar, and here’s this kid, maybe 13 years old, who is laser-focused and listening to every word I said,” Meyer said. “We were talking about that this year, and it’s great to see how some of these younger guys have moved up to the top level. Andrew, also being from
California, is also really cool.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO ‘25
Both Loberg and Meyer are eager to start the 2025 season. They are going with the flow and are not concerned about the schedule. Each grew up fishing a diverse set of fisheries, and they feel prepared for anything.
Meyer has long been known for consistency, once catching a limit for every day across four seasons on the FLW Tour. It’s much more complicated than it sounds, and he credits western fishing for much of that. “You have an advantage because of all of the fisheries we have on the West Coast,” Meyer said. “You have Clear Lake, the Delta, and all spotted bass fisheries and desert lakes. So, I haven’t spent too much time looking at the Elite Series schedule next week because I feel ready and have been to many of the lakes during my career.”
Loberg feels good about the schedule and is up for the challenge. “I’ve been to four or five of the lakes on the schedule, which is nice, but I just go wherever the tournament is and try not to worry about it too much,” said Loberg. “I really like power fishing; that’s my main deal, but
I’m fine with the
finesse stuff. I also
think things from
the West Coast,
like swimbaits and
other little tricks,
will help me at
some of the events
next year.”
The Bassmaster Elite Series will welcome a new class of anglers next year, and the representation from the western side of the country just got a little bigger. Meyer and Loberg will kick off the new season with the entire West Coast cheering them on. •