Micah Frazier made a name for himself when he was just 16. He won a BFL tournament on his home water, West Point Lake, and went down in the record books as the youngest angler ever to win a BFL.
Now 26, Frazier is ready to join the Bassmaster Elite Series, after several years of competing on the FLW Tour and working for his father.
Frazier and his wife, Anna, will travel together to the Elite Series stops, camping in their plush Lance 855s short-bed truck camper in the back their pickup.
The two have never been camping before, but the travel will be cheaper, the campgrounds safer and there will be Elite Series wives around for Anna, a registered nurse, during the day.
Between tournaments, Frazier will continue to manage three gas station/convenience stores owned by his father, Bruce Frazier.
“My dad is super supportive,” Frazier said. “If all else fails, I can go back and work for him.”
Given that Frazier qualified for the Elite Series by fishing only four Bassmaster Open tournaments, his father may need to hire another manager.
Frazier’s first Bassmaster Open event happened on the James River in 2013. He finished in 91st place. Undaunted, Frazier signed on to fish all three Bassmaster Northern Opens in 2014. The tally at season’s end landed him in fourth place, 10 points behind leader Koby Kreiger. Sandwiched between them were Elite Series standouts Ott DeFoe in second place and Aaron Martens in third.
The reason for Frazier’s quick success in the Bassmaster Opens is that he has been a bass tournament junkie for the past 10 years. And, in 2011, Frazier began competing on the FLW Tour. He has since earned more than $200,000 there and has finished among the Top 10 several times. This season, the Elite Series and the Southern and Northern Bassmaster Opens are the only tournaments on his schedule.
That adds up to a lot of traveling, camping and, more importantly, time on the water fishing.
“I want to fish a lot and stay consumed with it,” Frazier said. “I’ve always done better when I’m fishing a lot.”
As for goals, the only item Frazier has on his list is qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic.
“I don’t know how to control everything else,” Frazier said. “I’m just going to do the best I can.”