Hi, my name is Jacob Foutz, but Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer nicknamed me “The Paperboy.”
In August of last year I was fortunate to win the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Bracket Championship in Minnesota, and that qualified me for bass fishing’s most prestigious event – the GEICO 2018 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’s Sporting Goods, which is coming right up in mid-March on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina.
Being able to fish in the Classic is something I’ve dreamed about since I was age 5 or 6. I just never dreamed I’d get to be a part of it so soon, and to fish against all of my heroes is super humbling.
I’m a 19-year-old sophomore at a small, faith-based school called Bryan College in Southeast Tennessee. I’m majoring in business marketing, and I’ll be writing a column each month on Bassmaster.com. So I thought I’d use this very first column to talk not just about the Bassmaster Classic, but also the chance to sort of tell you a little about myself.
As far as my nickname “The Paperboy” – Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer started calling me that because I’m so young looking, and it kinda stuck. I’m gonna embrace it and have fun with it. It’s good for my brand, and it’s fun for fans of bass fishing.
The coolest thing about fishing in the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series is getting to travel around the country to the tournaments and forming great, lifelong friendships with so many college anglers that are good people. They are just as passionate about fishing as I am.
The person who had the greatest influence on my love of bass fishing was my dad, because ever since I could crawl he took me fishing. He even took me to one of his bass club tournaments when I was only 6 years old. I later fished as his partner in that club, and away from fishing, he’s just a great source of support and advice, even when I might be having a bad day.
When I think about the Bassmaster Classic it’s really just a feeling of pure excitement. I can’t wait for my chance to fish against my childhood heroes.
My favorite place to fish is Lake Erie in the month of May for smallmouth bass. You can catch 60 smallmouth a day in the 4-pound class on a drop shot or tube.
As far as my other favorite things in life, I love Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, eating at Chick-fil-A and old school country music from the 80s and 90s.
I hope this first column helped you feel like you know me better. It’s an honor to write it, and I’m really looking forward to sharing my thoughts on fishing and life with you throughout the months ahead.