After rounding out the 2024 Bassmaster Opens schedule with three finishes in the top 20, Arkansan Beau Browning earned a spot in the Bassmaster Elite Series via the tough Elite Qualifier schedule. He began fishing the EQs during his senior year at Alabama’s University of Montevallo and has been “rolling with the punches ever since.”
After graduating from college with a major in communications and a minor in marketing, he focused his full attention on tournament fishing. He drove straight to his graduation ceremony after a Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin Lake and arrived with minutes to spare.
Traveling young
As the son of prominent bass pro Steven Browning, Beau was “born into the game.” Soon after birth, he began traveling with his father and mother, Tammy, to Elite Series tournaments across the country.
“My parents took me to my first tournament when I was 2 months old,” Browning said. “My grandmother wasn’t too happy about it. I grew up riding in the back seat of a car, living in motels and on the Bassmaster stage. I loved it. I think I found comfort in the chaos.”
The chaos was limited to the summer months after Browning’s official schooling began in kindergarten. He was already years ahead in bass fishing knowledge. So much so that he began competing in high school tournaments at age 8.
“Those were the only youth tournaments available locally back then,” Browning said. “My dad had to run the cable steer trolling motor for me the first couple of years. I didn’t weigh enough to move the pedal.”
More sports
Besides fishing, Browning played baseball, football, soccer and golf. He found he loved golf as much as fishing, partly because both sports depend solely on the individual.
He began playing competitive golf at age 10 and continued through high school. Browning also did well fishing high school bass tournaments and local tournament trails for adults. He won Arkansas’ Bassmaster High School Championship four times and was the 2016 Bassmaster Junior National Champion.
He planned to play golf competitively on the collegiate level, and things were lining up for that to happen. But he decided he loved fishing more than golf and joined a college bass team instead.
“I think dad shook his head a little bit about that decision because there’s more money in golf,” Browning said. “But when you love something, you’ve got to chase it. Whether I make it or go broke, it’s what I want to do for a living.”
College and beyond
He attended Drury University in Springfield, Mo., for two years and then matriculated to Montevallo. This allowed him to compete on a wide variety of fisheries in different parts of the country. He credits these experiences for making him a more versatile angler.
His highlights include winning a Bassmaster College Open on Arkansas’ Norfork Lake, 12 top 10s and qualifying for five national championships. He also guided for bass on Arkansas’ Washington and Hamilton lakes through college, which he continues to do.
“Guiding keeps me on my toes,” he said. “Testing yourself by coaching other people to catch fish makes you a better angler overall.”
As the son of a professional angler, it’s easy to believe Browning simply fishes the same way his father does. That was true early on, but he soon took his own path to fishing success.
“When I was about 13 dad really pushed me to learn on my own,” Browning said. “Now we’re like two bass heads bouncing stuff off each other. He’s a very good shallow-water fisherman and taught me most of what I know about power fishing. I’m more of a finesse guru who is capable with forward-facing sonar.”
In 2024, Browning’s sponsors included Jackall, Z-Man, Trade Maker Real Estate, Revoltage Rods, Monster Marine Lithium Batteries, Power-Pole, Gamma Line, SIMMS and Bob’s Machine Jack Plates.
