Despite three finishes well below 100th place in the 2024 Bassmaster Opens, Tennessean Kyle Palmer ended the season respectably by finishing 30th in the final Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifier standings. It was his first go-around at the EQs.
Disappointed but not defeated, the former Bassmaster High School All-American intends to give the EQs another shot in 2025. Given the new format, he has yet to determine if he will fish one or both divisions.
A resident of Winchester, Tenn., Palmer guides for bass at Tims Ford Lake and works for his father’s company, Palmer Heating and Air Conditioning.
His father, Freddy, an avid tournament angler, began taking him fishing in a bass boat at age 4. The early outings were for bass and crappie. At age 6 or 7 he graduated to bass tackle and topwater baits.
“I would still rather catch ’em on topwater than anything else,” Palmer said.
He fished his first tournament at age 10 with his father, a Wednesday evening derby on Tims Ford. They didn’t win but did well enough to earn a check.
“When I realized that I could make money doing this, I was hooked on tournament fishing,” Palmer said.
He attended Franklin County High School, which did not have a bass club. To get his bass tournament fix, he fished four years for Grundy County High School’s bass team.
He and his partner Kyle Ingleberger won the first high school bass tournament they fished — an event at Nickajack Lake. They competed in Bassmaster and FLW high school tournaments that took them to a variety of lakes in Tennessee and Alabama.
“There was enough diversity in the lakes we fished that we had to become versatile to do well,” Palmer said. “The most important thing I learned was how to go to a new lake and break it down quickly.”
Palmer qualified for the Bassmaster High School National Championship all four years. In 2017, his senior year, he earned Bassmaster High School All-American status.
Tennessee’s Bethel University took note of Palmer’s fishing talent and offered him a scholarship to be on their collegiate bass team. Over the next four years, he competed on bass waters from Florida to New York and as far west as Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma.
These experiences greatly enhanced Palmer’s fishing knowledge. He also credits the other anglers on his team for teaching him new techniques.
“I’ve always been a power fisherman who likes to get up on the bank with heavy line and cover a lot of water,” Palmer said. “With the advances in sonar technology, I had to become more versatile. It’s hard to win power fishing against forward-facing sonar. I’ve had to use a spinning reel a whole lot more than I would like to.”
While at Bethel University, Palmer’s team won four national championships and was twice the school of the year in the point standings. In his junior year, he finished fifth with partner Dax Ewart in the Bassmaster College National Championship. He also finished third in the FLW College National Championship with partner John Garrett, who is now an Elite Series angler.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business management, Palmer competed on the Tackle Warehouse circuit for one year. The following year, he stepped up to the Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers.
“Bassmaster tournaments give you more bang for your buck,” Palmer said. “I’ve been watching the Elite Series on TV since I was a kid. It has always been my dream to be one of those guys.”
What makes fishing the EQs even more appealing to Palmer is that his father not only travels to these events with him but also fishes as a boater.
Palmer’s sponsors include Phoenix Boats, Palmer Heating and Air Conditioning, Gilliam Marine in Tullahoma, Tenn., Wags and Wiggles dog grooming, Lifetime Docks, Metro Industrial Staffing, Powers Flooring in Woodlawn, Tenn., Tims Ford Bass Club, Bluegill Grill on Tims Ford Lake, Duckett Rods, Grundy County High School Bass Team, Achosa Home Warranty and Action Graphics & Wraps in Tullahoma.
