Basketball was Lucas Toliver’s first love. Starting in the third grade, he spent hours and yearsperfecting his shot, crafting his ball-handling skills and ultimately becoming a record-breaking scorer at Paw Paw High School before playing for three years at Western Michigan University.
Then, it all ended, and without basketball, Toliver wasn’t sure where to turn. As graduation approached, he debated going to grad school, and that’s when a friend of his suggested joining the bass fishing club at Western Michigan. He accepted the invite and hasn’t looked back.
“Basketball was my whole life before I didn’t know what to do with my life anymore,” Toliver said. “I’m glad I had people who introduced me to this. I like bass fishing more than basketball, honestly.”
The 26-year-old caught 20 pounds, 13 ounces on Day 1 of the 2026 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Lake Guntersville presented by Bass Pro Shops to finish Day 1 in third place. If he can keep up the pace on Thursday, Toliver will notch his first ever Top 10 in just his second full year fishing the Bassmaster Opens/EQs.
In a roller coaster season, Toliver notched a 16th at the first event at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and a 31st at Kentucky Lake. His Day 1 success at Guntersville took Toliver back to his childhood when he would take a paddleboat out to a grassy pond and largemouth fish.
“I had an awesome year fishing in college, and I wanted to see where I could take it,” Toliver said. “My first tournament this year I (almost) Top 15’d it and I was like, ‘Maybe I do belong here.’ I’ve been trying to prove that I can stay here since.”
Fishing has always been a part of Toliver’s life, but time spent in the gym was the number one priority, and trips to a lake or pond took a back seat until his basketball career ended. His brother Eli, who runs SBS Outdoor on YouTube, has always kept him close to the water.
“He films like crazy steelhead, salmon and trout excursions, so he has always taken me with him in the offseason,” Toliver said.
The sports he has chosen couldn’t be more different. Peak physical endurance, elite hand-eye coordination and teamwork are must haves in basketball. While the physical rigors aren’t quite the same, the mental strength required for Division I basketball has helped Toliver on the water.
“It’s the drive to never give up. It’s the ability to keep taking your losses and coming back from them. I’m really good at losing,” Toliver said. “Basketball has taught me to go through this gauntlet of anglers I’m going up against. You are going to lose more than you win.”
The tournament aspect of fishing fuels Toliver’s competitive drive, but being out on the water in general has given him a sense of peace that he hadn’t really felt before.
“Being away from the chaos… when you are out there, you don’t feel like the world is moving,” Toliver said. “I want to do that for the rest of my life. The rush of the tournament is obviously cool, but I find myself at peace when I’m fishing.”
