Foul weather limited the first Div. 2 Bassmaster Open of 2025 to a single day. Iowa’s Chris Miller made the most of it by sacking 28 pounds, 10 ounces, of Sam Rayburn Reservoir bass. The impressive winning limit earned him $52,086 cash and a berth to the 2026 Bassmaster Classic.
“Fishing the Classic will be a lifelong accomplishment,” Miller said. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid fishing a gravel pit.”
When he was a lad, Miller’s parents put a fishing rod in his hands during camping trips. He remembers casting three-hook worm rigs with a push-button reel. These experiences ignited a lifelong passion.
At around age 8 Miller unleashed his zeal for fishing at a 100-acre gravel pit that was four miles from his home in Sanborn, Iowa. His parents would drop him off there and let him cast from the bank. By age 12 he would bicycle to the pit when he couldn’t hitch a ride.
In his early teens, a small johnboat powered by a trolling motor let him venture off the bank at the gravel pit. He emulated the way he watched the pros fishing big lakes and rivers on Bassmaster television shows.
There are times, places and experiences for many youngsters that comprise the foundation for the rest of their lives. The gravel pit is a substantial piece of Miller’s foundation, so much so that he married his wife Shawna in 2010 aboard a bass boat floating in his beloved gravel pit.
In his early 20s, Miller teamed up to fish bass tournaments with his cousin Bryan Forcier who owned a 17-foot, 1995 Ranger powered by a 115 horsepower Mercury outboard. They became members of the Oxbow Bandits club, which held many of their derbies on the Missouri River.
These events taught Miller and his cousin how to catch smallmouth from the current on the main stem of the Missouri and largemouth from the river’s oxbows. They eventually branched out to fish larger open tournaments in the region.
It wasn’t until Miller was in his late 20s that he acquired his first bass boat. This happened the same year his cousin Bryan bought a new rig.
“When I came home from a family vacation, Bryan’s old 1995 Ranger was sitting in my driveway with a bow on it,” Miller said.
They eventually began competing in B.A.S.S. Nation events and did well. They qualified to fish the Bassmaster Team Championship at the Harris Chain in 2023, and again the following year at Kentucky Lake.
The 37-year-old has longed to compete in big-time Bassmaster tournaments, but “getting things right” at his business took priority.
After graduating in 2005 from high school in Sanborn, Miller worked in construction, starting with concrete and transitioning into carpentry. He leveraged the knowledge he gained from these experiences to found Frame2Finish LLC in August of 2021.
His construction company builds custom homes, mainly on Iowa’s West Okoboji Lake. As with any new business venture, there have been many obstacles and challenges with which to contend.
He eventually assembled a competent crew, particularly foreman Mark Thompson, who can handle the business while he’s competing in Bassmaster tournaments.
He also has the full support of his wife, Shawna, and their three children Caidyn, 14; Jessa, 11; and Mason, 7. They were onstage with him when he received his trophy at Sam Rayburn.
“Without them, none of this would be possible,” Miller said.
Miller’s victory at Sam Rayburn was his sixth Bassmaster Open since 2023 and by far his best showing. He refers to his previous Open events as “cutting my teeth.”
“Fishing down in the South was a huge learning curve for me,” Miller said. “Those bass act completely different down there. I was overthinking and overanalyzing everything, as opposed to just going fishing.”
His current sponsors include Powerhouse Lithium and The River coaching and consulting. He also credits Oak Hill Outdoors for helping him acquire his Ranger boat.
