20 Questions with Kyle Fox

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Kyle Fox is one of the youngest pros in the Bassmaster Elite Series, and he's already making his mark. He may be young, but he's been fishing a long time, as you can see from the images that go along with our 20 questions.</p>

Kyle Fox is one of the youngest pros in the Bassmaster Elite Series, and he’s already making his mark. He may be young, but he’s been fishing a long time, as you can see from the images that go along with our 20 questions.

1. Where were you born and raised?

Lakeland, Fla.

2. How did you get started in bass fishing?

I was born on a lake and grew up fishing behind the house. As soon as I came home from school I went fishing. I’d dig for worms in the flower bed to catch bluegill and later started bass fishing. My entire family fishes.

3. How old were you when you caught your first fish and what was it?

I was so young that I can’t even remember my first fish. My parents can’t remember it either. I caught my first bass on an old Johnson spoon that I found in my father’s tackle box. I was about six years old and the bass weighed about two pounds.

4. Who were some of your earliest fishing heroes?

I remember watching “The Bassmasters” when I was really young and seeing Kevin VanDam’s names on the tournament leaderboard week after week, so he was an early hero. I also remember watching Roland Martin and Orlando Wilson on TV.

5. What’s the biggest bass you’ve ever caught?

I caught a 12-5 during a 2007 Bassmaster Southern Open on the Kissimmee Chain. It was big bass for the tournament and it was my first big-time tournament, so it was a real thrill. I finished seventh.

6. What do you love most about bass fishing?

That’s hard to say. There’s so much that I love about it. Right now â as a professional tournament angler â I focus on the competition, and I really love that. But maybe it’s the thrill of the next bite. That’s what keeps me going. Setting the hook is always exciting, too … and waiting for the next bite.

7. Where is your favorite place to fish for bass and why?

There was a phosphate pit near home that I used to fish in high school. A buddy and I would skip school and sneak in to fish it. I wouldn’t even think about that sort of thing now, but the fishing was ridiculous. You could catch ’em doing anything, and we’d catch 30 to 50 a day weighing three pounds or better. Now that pit is open to the public, but I haven’t been back in years.

8. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?

A few years ago â when I was about 21 â I was missing out on a lot of friend time. Every weekend I was fishing a tournament somewhere and I thought I was missing something because I couldn’t go out and do things with my friends. I started to question whether I wanted to fish professionally. I turned it around last year and it started to be fun again. That was my deciding point, and I’ve been fishing a lot better since then.

9. What is the best advice you ever received in your career?

Without a doubt it would have to be “Just go fishing.” Don’t get caught up in dock talk or rumors or stories about how many fish people are catching. Just do your own thing, keep your head down and do the best you can do. That’s the advice that’s helped me the most.

10. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Never get discouraged. Don’t over-think things. Just go out there and do it.

11. What is your greatest strength as a professional angler?

Probably flipping grass and matted cover. I’ve really gotten dialed in on the hook-set in the last year or so, and it’s the strongest part of my game. I’m also getting stronger mentally. I don’t panic when things aren’t going well. I don’t get discouraged anymore.

12. What is your greatest weakness as a professional angler?

Swimbaits are probably the weakest part of my arsenal. I don’t think I’ve ever even caught a bass on a swimbait, but I’m working on that. I’m also very new to smallmouth fishing. There’s a lot to learn in this sport, but that’s part of what keeps it fun and interesting.

13. What question do you get asked most by your fans, and how do you answer it?

“How do you become a bass pro?” I always tell them that it takes hard work. You have to put your time in and just go fishing. Look at it like a learning process. If you’re not learning every time out, you’re not doing it right.

14. Do you have any fishing superstitions?

I like wearing the same hat for a long time, even though my sponsors don’t like that. It takes a while to break a cap in and get it feeling comfortable. I carry a lucky pocketknife, too. When I’m practicing or in a tournament, I like being in my own routine. I don’t like to go out to eat during a tournament or to get distracted. At Okeechobee, I wore the same pair of pants all four days.

15. How big a part does luck play in tournament bass fishing?

You gotta be lucky to win, but you have to make the right decisions, too. You have to fish hard. Mostly you have to avoid bad luck. I want people to wish me no bad luck.

16. When you’re not bass fishing, how do you like to spend your time?

Lately I’ve gotten into collecting arrowheads and shark’s teeth. I also like saltwater fishing and deer hunting, too.

17. If you could only fish one lure for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Probably a 10-inch Culprit worm. There’s so many ways you can fish it â flipping or pitching, Texas rigging, Carolina rigging â and it’ll catch bass everywhere.

18. If you could only have one, would it be an AOY title or Classic championship?

I want the AOY title. When you win that everybody knows you’re the baddest dude out there!

19. What profession (other than your own) would you like to have tried?

This is all I’ve ever really wanted to do. All my eggs are kind of this basket, though I have a lawn service business to generate some additional income. I love to be outdoors, so if I was doing something else it would definitely be outdoors.

20. When it’s all over, how do you want the bass fishing world to remember you?

As the best. I don’t think there’s anything else to shoot for.