With more than $1 million in career earnings, Texan Keith Combs relies on pre-tournament preparation, years of guiding experience and a "never quit" attitude to compete against the best professional bass anglers on the planet. He’s tasted the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, and along the way he’s learned from his past successes and failures.
In the following Q&A, Combs shares his thoughts on his competitors, trusted gear and a mammoth bass that got away.
Dave Maas: Looking back at the intro to this article, I realize that “failure” is a strong word. When you don’t cash a check in an event, do you consider it a failure?
Keith Combs: Not always. I try to go into every event trying to win and practicing accordingly, but sometimes that means taking a huge gamble that can go really good or bad. I realize that sometimes taking a risk will result in a bad finish, but to me it’s worth the risk.
DM: During the three-day Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) on Lake Fork in 2014, you brought to the stage 15 bass for a record 110 pounds. Do you think this 15-fish total will ever be beaten? If so, where, when and how?
KC: All the stars were lined up at the Fork event, and because we fish more four-day than three-day events on the B.A.S.S. Elites, I think that record will stand for a while. I wish the TTBC was a four-day and I could have had a shot at the four-day record, too. If the record falls, I think it could be broken at Okeechobee, the California Delta, Falcon or Fork.
DM: You have the reputation of being deadly with crankbaits. Explain your absolute favorite scenario and the lure, line, rod and reel of choice.
KC: My perfect cranking situation is when bass first move out onto deep structure and school up. Usually I can catch a little better average by cranking, and those fish will usually replenish. My favorite setup is a 7.6:1 Shimano Chronarch spooled with 15-pound-test Seaguar InvizX and a Power Tackle 7-foot Keith Combs signature series rod. My favorite bait is a Strike King 6XD.
DM: Being a professional angler, you have tools and utilities at your disposal that greatly increase your productivity when on the water. Talk to me about a few that are key to your success.
KC: I love to run and gun, so the Minn Kota’s Fortrex’s Lift-Assist really makes a huge difference at the end of a four-day event. And the Talon is fast; I really appreciate that. When I want to stop, I want it immediately.
DM: You’ve fished both the FLW Tour and the Bassmaster Elite Series. Give readers a quick rundown on the similarities and differences in each series.
KC: Both are great tours, and I’d love to fish both every year. The main difference to me is the amount of media and the huge fan base that is at an Elite Series event. I enjoy that interaction. And it seems to get a little bigger every season.
DM: How often each season – before an event begins – do you truly think you can win vs. expect to make the Top 10 vs. hope to cash a check?
KC: Honestly, there are usually one to three events each year that based on my practice I think I can win. This past season it was the Sacramento River (California Delta). I didn’t win, but came pretty close, finishing in 10th place. And I felt good about Lake Havasu, but it ended up being the worst tournament of my career (103rd place out of 112 anglers).
DM: You’ve qualified four times for the Bassmaster Classic. So far, your best finish is 16th. In 2016, the Classic will be held at Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, Tulsa, Okla. Tell us about the lake and what you need to do to win.
KC: I’m really looking forward to Grand. If we have decent weather, it will be a slugfest. Those are my favorite tournaments, everybody will catch them, but to win you’ll have to target all big fish – 4 pounds or better.
DM: You’re a three-time champion of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic. The site for the 2016 TTBC hasn’t been announced yet. In order, from top to bottom, give us your wish list of four bodies of water for you to win your fourth TTBC title. And give us an educated guess as to the weight (15 fish) it would take to win that event.
KC: Fork in May, 105 pounds; Conroe in May, 90 pounds; Sam Rayburn in March, 80 pounds; Toledo Bend in June, 95 pounds.
DM: Fishing for a living is a pretty good gig, but it’s not all big cardboard checks and steak dinners. Who is in your corner when times are tough?
KC: That’s a long list. I couldn’t ask for better sponsors than I have. I also have a lot of close friends that are glued to BASSTrakk at every event. My girlfriend, Jennifer, is my No. 1 supporter; she really understands the sport and knows how much I put into it.
DM: Final question: You’ve caught untold numbers of huge bass in your lifetime. What is the biggest bass you, or someone in your boat, ever hooked?
KC: My biggest in a tournament weighed 12.24 pounds, and I caught it on the third day of a team championship at Lake Amistad. I caught her punching grass. She would barely fit in the live well. Even though she was a real skinny fish, probably a really old native Texas bass, she still weighed 12 and change.
There were several times at Lake Falcon when it was in its prime that we lost giants. The one I remember most was a fish I lost in the spring of 2012. A friend and I were out scouting for a tournament he had coming up, and we were already having an awesome day when we pulled up on a channel swing point. About every other cast we would catch one, and they were progressively getting bigger. My buddy caught one that was around 11 pounds and we released it. On my next cast, I hooked one I believed to be 15-plus. I ended up losing the fish at the boat, and then caught a 12 on my very next cast!