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Scene shifted quickly for Sumrall

Scene shifted quickly for Sumrall

(Editor's note: Longtime industry rep Alan McGuckin provided this feature on a 2018 Bassmaster Elite Series rookie.)

Leveraged by the magical fate of a few good topwater bites, Caleb Sumrall went from a recently laid-off father of two to a B.A.S.S. Nation National Champion and then the last guy invited to join the Elite Series in 2018.

With roughly $40,000 in start-up money from his B.A.S.S. Nation win, he accepted the lofty and rather intimidating invitation to launch a pro career. But with two young children and a stay-at-home wife, 40 grand is only about half the required funding to cover entry fees, boat gas and travel.

“At one afternoon weigh-in back in October, I went from thinking I might finish 2nd, have to sell my boat and hurry to find a new job, to being a national champion and a Bassmaster Classic qualifier, with a chance start the pro career I’ve dreamed about forever,” said the highly likeable and humble 30-year old from southern Louisiana.

The Sumralls are all-in. Soon Caleb, wife Jacie, and their two young children will tour the country in a Toyota Tundra, towing a BassCat, and trying to run down a dream.

They’re pushing all the chips to the middle of the table, and instead of laboring for an oil company, where for 12 years he steadily progressed from turning wrenches to managing a maintenance area, he’s now working daily to secure more sponsorship dollars and fill his 2018 calendar with detailed tournament travel plans.

Sumrall says his Toyota CrewMax and the thousands of Bonus Bucks dollars he’s won fishing amateur tournaments to this point are more than a just another truck and some pocket change, and instead a means to travel with his family and significantly offset the unnerving expenses he facing.

“There’s a lot of things I love about my Tundra, but if I had to pick one feature I love most, I’d tell you it’s the huge amount of space in the back seat of my CrewMax, because it allows us to travel as a family with a lot more space and comfort,” he said.

While winning the B.A.S.S. Nation National Championship paid him $5,000 in Toyota contingency cash, he also won a lot of Toyota Bonus Bucks prior to that in American Bass Angler events, and that money is playing a significant role toward launching a pro career right now.

The odds are high, the costs are steep, but Caleb Sumrall is a special talent. Still very young, and most at home punching hay grass or hyacinth matts with a 1 1/4-ounce weighted Missile Baits D Bomb, he proved he can win in clear water with a topwater and a dropshot too. He also plans to earn extra money and experience between Elite Series tournaments guiding with highly respected Toledo Bend guide Darold Gleason.

“Even though I’m super nervous about all the unknowns of being a rookie on the Elites, I’ll tell you, I don’t wanna be a one-and-done on the Elites. I want to be around for a really long time,” he said.

Guess what? The win with a dropshot and topwater came on Lake Hartwell, home to this year’s Bassmaster Classic in late March, where Sumrall will have a chance to win $300,000.

Don’t bet against him.

You don’t have to be a rookie pro like Sumrall to win the Bonus Bucks – you just have to be a registered participant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program and be the highest-placing participant in any of the dozens of tournaments supported by the program. To learn more and get signed-up, visit www.ToyotaTrucksBonusBucks.com or call (918) 742-6424.

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