Just minutes ago Cody Hollen upgraded again, moving up one spot to 5th place. Part of the reason might be his background.
Growing up in Oregon, Hollen’s father put a spinning outfit rigged with finesse plastic baits and taught him how to catch light line smallmouth.
Throughout his preteen years, there were regular trips to Oregon’s John Day River where they would sometimes catch 100 smallmouth in a day. Family fishing vacations took them to places like Lake Shasta in California, and to Banks and Roosevelt lakes in eastern Washington. All are top western smallmouth fisheries.
Eventually, Hollen joined the Cascade Bassmasters. He climbed the ranks through state tournaments, regional B.A.S.S. Nation events, and finally to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, which he won in 2019. He competed in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic and is running a B.A.S.S. Nation wrapped Triton boat.
This morning on the takeoff dock I watched Hollen go out of his way to find a fellow Oregonian Jay Yelas. They both wished each other good luck. It was an admirable gesture from the veteran pro.