Keith Combs is quite the decorated angler. He’s got more than a couple major wins and over a million in career earnings with B.A.S.S. alone. But he only ever met Ray Scott once, and it was way back when he was a 16-year old pro-staffer working for his local boat dealer.
“The dealership was having a boat show and he told me he needed me to be a limo driver,” said Combs.
The dignitaries that Combs was to drive around, none other than Ray Scott and Earl Bentz. Young Combs was understandably excited about the opportunity to talk fishing with two legends of the sport, but it didn’t go exactly as planned.
“They were conversating so I didn’t want to interrupt them,” said Combs. “I finally brought up the conversation of bass fishing. I said, ‘Y’all been catching any big ones?’”
What came next surprised Combs a bit, and has stuck with him to this day.
“I’ll never forget what he said to me. He said, “I’ve caught big bass, and I don’t care about catching big bass. I’m into growing big deer,” ” Combs said with a chuckle.
Scott had found a new passion by then. Something else in the outdoors to play with. But there’s no denying the mark he made on bass fishing and the outdoors in general.
And little stories like this are likely a dime a dozen among thousands of other 16- year old kids Scott met along the way. One just so happened to make it all the way to the Elites.
