In 2025, Alabamian Connor Jacob fell short of qualifying for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series by finishing 16th in the EQ points standings after the third and final Bassmaster Elite Qualifier. Only the Top 10 earned the right to join bass fishing’s premier tournament circuit.
After finishing third in the point standings for Bassmaster Opens Division 1 this season, Jacob has earned another shot at the EQs.
In 2024, Jacob also narrowly missed qualifying for the Elite Series when he finished second at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance. He lost to Blake Capps by only 14 ounces.
Ponds to tournaments
While growing up in Illinois, Jacob often fished ponds with his father, Carl Huff. He also pestered the fish, frogs, snakes and turtles that inhabited grandma Margie’s farm pond.
Jacob and his father graduated from pond fishing to a johnboat powered by a trolling motor. They launched the little craft regularly at electric motor only lakes near Peoria, Ill.
“Our favorite time to fish was in spring when the bluegills were spawning,” Jacob said. “We caught bunches of them and enjoyed eating them.”
When Jacob was old enough to operate the trolling motor, he and his father would take turns running it. This frustrated his father, because Jacob had been reading Bassmaster Magazine and would steer the johnboat away from the bluegill to the nearest grass mat where he could fish a frog.
Heading to high school
His mother, Margart Jacob, encouraged her son to compete in football, basketball and other sports. While doing so at Peoria Notre Dame High School, he befriended Ron Roling, who had volunteered to coach the school’s bass team.
A well-traveled tournament angler, Roling taught Jacob how to fish for bass and compete in tournaments. Jacob received his first boat in eighth grade, a Bass Tracker powered by a 25 hp outboard. It proved the ideal rig for Illinois lakes that had a 25 hp limit.
Before Jacob came of driving age, his mother towed the light rig with an Audie Q5 SUV. She launched her son and his fishing buddy Sam Smith at lakes where they pursued their bass passion.
Although the boys attended different schools, they created the Peoria Bass Team, which allowed them to fish high school tournaments as partners.
With mom’s help
To help Jacob compete more effectively on larger lakes, his mother purchased a 1994 482V Ranger bass boat in his sophomore year. She also served as the boys’ boat captain when Roling wasn’t available.
“My poor mom,” Jacob said. “The first time she ever drove the Ranger was at a high school Bassmaster tournament on Toledo Bend. The water was low and there were trees everywhere.”
On the first day of that event, Jacob tallied a negative weight. The length limit was 15 inches for largemouth and 12 inches for spotted bass. Jacob’s bag included one largemouth that weighed 1-15 and two 12-inch largemouth he thought were spotted bass. He was docked 1 pound for each short fish and ended with minus 1 ounce.
Auburn and beyond
Jacob’s greatest high school accomplishment was qualifying for a Bassmaster National High School Championship at Pickwick Lake with his buddy Smith. They were so enamored with Alabama, they attended Auburn University and moved to Guntersville, Ala., after graduating.
Jacob majored in marketing and minored in supply chain economics. As members of the Auburn bass team, he and Smith qualified for the Bassmaster College Championship all four years. They also competed in as many tournaments as they could to gain as much experience as possible.
He began fishing the Bassmaster Opens in 2024 and gave himself three years to qualify for the Elite Series. He has also done well fishing other professional bass circuits.
“My end goal is to make a career out of bass fishing and become one of the top anglers in this sport,” Jacob said.
His primary sponsor is Brewers Distributing in Peoria, Ill. He is also supported by Mercury Marine and Vanilla Bug Spray.
