Elliott Gardner of Brenham, Texas, signed up for the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir out of curiosity. After three days of competition, his first Bassmaster event concluded with a ninth-place finish on the co-angler side.
Heading into his junior year at Brenham High School, Gardner fishes when he can, but he spends much of his time raising turkeys and Boer goats. The former is part of his school’s 4-H program, while the latter is a part-time job for agricultural shows.
With hopes of nurturing his fishing career after high school, Gardner said he learned a lot this week by watching his pros and picking up on the electronics skill.
“I only fish shallow around my home, but I learned how to fish deep this week, so I’ll definitely be putting that to use,” Gardner said. “I learned how to graph. My pros really showed me how to find fish.”