In 40 years, Justin Kerr has fished exactly one B.A.S.S. Nation Regional.
It was the Western Regional held last fall on Lake Mead where he placed second. That qualified him for the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Pickwick Lake later that winter, where he finished third and earned a berth in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Kerr finished fourth in that Classic last week on Lake Ray Roberts and entered Championship Sunday in second with a legitimate chance to become the first Nation qualifier to win the event since Bryan Kerchal did it way back in 1994.
Such is the nature of the B.A.S.S. Nation.
It provides opportunities for anglers who otherwise might never have had them.
“It was a special thing for me,” said Kerr, an Arizona resident who turned 40 last month. “For the Nation to be represented that way is an awesome deal. It shows that people like me — people that don’t get the opportunity to fish the Elites or go off on tour because of financial or personal reasons — can still have a chance to compete in the Classic.
“It was a pretty humbling experience for sure.”
A different kind of pro
In many ways, Kerr isn’t the typical “every man” type of fisherman who competes annually in B.A.S.S. Nation events. Every year when it’s time to file his income taxes, he lists “pro fisherman” as his occupation because he earns most of his income on the water.
But unlike other full-time pros who focus their efforts on top nationwide trails like the Bassmaster Elite Series or the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens, Kerr has spent most of his time fishing out West. He’s won some major events — like the 2008 U.S. Open and the 2015 California Open — but he supplements his earnings with any team or jackpot tournament he can find.
“It’s such a hard way to make a living, and I’ve had some summers where we don’t get to do too much because we don’t have a lot of money coming in from tournaments,” Kerr said. “I make all my money through tournament winnings. At the beginning of the year, I get my sponsors to pay for my entry fees, and team tournaments keep me alive. That’s just how I go.”
An unexpected path
Kerr’s journey as a professional angler hasn’t turned out exactly as he planned.
He began fishing the FLW Tour in 2010 and immediately captured Rookie of the Year honors. He thought that would springboard him to a full-time career as a national touring pro, but it wasn’t to be.
“It happened right after the country had been in a major recession, and it wasn’t promoted at all,” Kerr said. “I didn’t even get a trophy, much less any cash. So, it really didn’t change my life or career at all.”
A year later, Kerr’s mother died of cancer, and he realized his heart just wasn’t in the FLW Tour.
He decided to stay out West to avoid the massive expense of traveling the country. That plan was further cemented when he married his wife, Kirsten, and they had two children.
“If I had been younger, who knows how I would have handled it,” Kerr said. “But I became a father later in life, and I just didn’t feel right leaving my family here all the time. I have great sponsors who really take care of me out West, so that’s where I’ve stayed.”
The next phase
Just because Kerr is still known mostly as a “Western Stick” doesn’t necessarily mean that will be his enduring legacy.
Since he knew he would earn a guaranteed $10,000 — he actually earned $30,000 for his high finish — just for showing up to fish the Bassmaster Classic, he decided to enter all three Bassmaster Central Opens this year. He finished 59th at the first event of the season on Pickwick and says he might have been in the Top 30 if not for a 4-ounce dead-fish penalty.
If he can manage to finish as one of the top three anglers in the Central Division standings, he’ll earn an Elite Series invitation, which he says he’ll likely accept.
“I had an invitation to be part of the original Elite Series (back in 2006),” Kerr said. “But fishing is all about timing, and the timing just wasn’t right.
“Now that I’ve had a taste of the Classic stage and what it’s like, I’d probably have to say yes to an Elite Series invitation.”
With longtime sponsors like Evergreen International and LifeSource Water, Kerr believes he could get the money together to make a solid Elite Series run. Of course, good paychecks from the final two Central Opens on Smith Lake and Grand Lake would also help.
“None of it matters unless I qualify — and I know that,” Kerr said. “But if I was lucky enough to make that happen, I wouldn’t be going in blind. I know it’s a hard way to make a living, but I’d love one good shot at it before it’s all said and done.”
