Neubauer follows his dream of going pro as a bass fisherman

When Grant Neubauer was still in elementary school, he told his parents, Andrea and Dale Neubauer of Medford, that he wanted to be a professional angler when he grew up.

Now, the 17-year-old senior at Medford Area Senior High School is moving closer to that goal after earning his first paycheck competing in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League as part of Major League Fishing and qualifying to advance to regional competition in Illinois next month.

Since April, Neubauer has competed in five tournament events. The most recent was held on the Mississippi River near LaCrosse last weekend.

Throughout the season, Neubauer earned points determined by his place in the tournaments which is based on the bass caught. He ended the series ranked 32 in his division.

The top 45 boaters in the Great Lakes Division have qualified for the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional tournament on Pools 13-17 of the Mississippi River in Quad Cities, Illinois. Boaters will fish for a top award of $60,000, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury.

They are also competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“I am really pumped on qualifying for the Regional, especially since it is only my second year fishing for the MLF (Major League Fishing). I have not fished these pools in particular, but I am very familiar with river fishing so this event should suit me well. I have been working very hard for this, and it is beginning to show. Hopefully I can continue this streak and finish in the top at the Regional,” Grant said.

“Ever since I was young I loved the thought of competitively bass fishing, but I didn’t really know how to get started,” Grant said.

“Thankfully my cousin Steve helped me start off my career by fishing with him in some local tournaments. We had an absolute blast fishing together and we even managed to win a couple events. Although after a few years I knew I needed to learn how to do it on my own,” he said.

“So I talked my parents into getting our own boat so that I could fish on my own, and fish at a higher level. Now that’s where I am at, fishing at a higher level than I ever could’ve imagined,” Grant said.