Wheeling, Ill. — “My dad, Chris, is my biggest fishing role model,” said Tyler Lubbat, member of the 2017 Bassmaster High School All-American presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be fishing at all. He put a rod in my hand when I was two years old.
“He was a really successful salmon fisherman, but when we were born he said, ‘If I keep them trolling with salmon fishing, they might not get into it because it’s not as hands on.’ So, he gave that up completely, bought an inland boat and said, ‘Cast!’”
A junior at Buffalo Grove High School, Lubbat has placed in the Top 5 of nearly every tournament he has entered in the past 12 months. He won eight of those events and earned a second-place finish in the 322-field Bassmaster High School Southern Open on Lake Guntersville. Lubbat set a new record for the five-fish limit in the Golden Sabre High School tournament series.
“From the start of this year, being named a Bassmaster High School All-American has been one of my biggest goals,” Lubbat said. “So, to finally make it is crazy. I don’t think it’s even settled in yet that I’m one of 12 high school anglers in the country to make it.”
He participates in the Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation program to use recycled plastics to make fishing awards and plaques. In addition to his fishing accomplishments, Lubbat has qualified for the state math competition the last two years, and recently qualified for state with DECA, an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. He also made sectionals for the World Youth Science and Engineering Organization’s high school academic competition.
“Off the water, my main goal is to go to medical school and become a radiologist,” Lubbat said. “On the water, I’m just planning on fishing as many tournaments as I can and fish the Opens. Maybe qualify for the Elites.”
“Tyler has been the face of the class board as an elected treasurer for three consecutive years,” wrote Francesca Murphy, Buffalo Grove High School counselor. “It is evident that he is a positive role model as his classmates have elected him every year … Our district has even accepted him into our medical academy, a very competitive program that only accepts 15 students per year.”
“I’m hoping to go to Vanderbilt,” Lubbat said. “It’s much warmer there, and I can fish all year-round.”
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Darrell Ocamica partnered with Lubbat to participate in a special Bassmaster High School All-American Bass Tournament held in conjunction with the 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department event.
Read more about the Bassmaster High School All-American anglers on Bassmaster.com and look for their profiles in the September/October issue of Bassmaster magazine.