
Oklahoman Blake Capps was a bass addict even before he attended Muskogee’s Hilldale Elementary School. In third grade, he and his classmates wrote on slips of paper what they hoped to be when they grew up.
These aspirations were placed in a box that remained sealed until the students were seniors. When the box was finally opened, Capps couldn’t recall what he had scribed those many years before. He was amused when he read the words “professional fisherman.”
Fishing with dad
His father, Robert, an avid tournament angler, had Capps and his older brother Jake in his bass boat as soon as they were able to stand and hold a fishing rod.
“I have a picture of mini-me standing on the front deck with my dad, wearing a life vest and fishing with a push-button outfit,” Capps said.
As the boys grew older, they fished several local bass tournament circuits with their father, who is a shallow-water power fishman.
“He always stressed casting accuracy,” Capps said. “If I was flipping to a tree and didn’t hit the base of it, he would tell me to pitch again and put my bait where it needed to be.”
Capps learned to cast with both hands and to flip, pitch, skip and do whatever it takes to put a lure precisely where he wants it to go.
Teenage fishing
His brother Jake, who is four years older, got a job and a driver’s license when he was 16. This allowed the brothers to team up and fish local bass tournaments. It was heady stuff for 12-year-old Capps.
“Some of the best memories I have are tournament fishing with my brother,” Capps said.
When Capps was 14, he and his brother wanted to fish a tournament that had a pricey entry fee. To come up with his half of the money, Capps sold his PlayStation. They finished third in event and pocketed over $2,000.
“After that day, I quit playing video games altogether,” Capps said. “I wanted to do nothing but bass fishing.”
Capps competed on his high school’s bass fishing team for three years. These events took him to new waters, some of which were out of state. Many of the anglers he met remain good friends to this day.
No silver spoon
His father stressed the importance of earning what you have. Both Capps boys began working for their father’s gutter business early in life. At age 16, Capps took a job at an Anheuser-Busch warehouse. Every weeknight after school, he worked at the warehouse until 9 p.m.
On weekends he was free to pursue bass tournaments, which he did with unabashed enthusiasm. Many of his working schoolmates were all about buying a new truck. Capps spent his money on a used Phoenix 721 bass boat and towed it with a 25-year-old hand-me-down truck.
After high school, Capps attended Oklahoma State University’s Institute of Technology where he studied Power Plant Technology. Although he did fish some collegiate bass tournaments, his team did not receive the funding that the bass team on Oklahoma State University’s main campus did.
After graduation
Soon after graduating, he landed a job as a power plant operator at Georgia Pacific. He resumed fishing local events and joined a Bassmaster affiliated club.
“My goal was to fish the Elite Series, but I didn’t know how I was going to do it,” Capps said. “I would have loved to fish the Opens, but there was no way I could get off for nine weeks. That’s not feasible for everyone.”
His job also prevented him from competing in enough club events to get to B.A.S.S. Nation regional tournaments. When B.A.S.S changed its format to allow any B.A.S.S Nation member to enter a regional event, Capps took full advantage of it.
“The new format makes it so a working man is able to pursue his dream,” Capps said.
B.A.S.S. Nation success
He entered a B.A.S.S. Nation regional on the Arkansas River and finished second with a frog and a flipping rod. That propelled him to the championship on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, which he won by making pinpoint casts to challenging targets around boat docks.
“My dad’s emphasis on casting accuracy really paid off at Grand Lake,” Capps said. “I could put a spinnerbait into places where 90% of the other anglers couldn’t.”
Phoenix boat president Gary Clouse personally called Capps after his victory to congratulate him and offer a sponsorship. Although one of the awards for winning the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship was the use of a boat for the 2025 Elite season, Capps elected to go with a Phoenix boat.
“I wanted to stay loyal to them because I ran their boats for so many years,” Capps said.
He has also signed contracts with PRADCO to promote Booyah, Yum and War Eagle baits, as well as Falcon Rods.
“This is so exciting,” said the 28-year-old angler. “It’s a dream come true. I’m taking a break from working and dropping both feet into the Elite Series to do it right.”