Big things can happen when chasing the big dream, as Jacob Bigelow learned.
The 21-year-old from Cecil, Wis., is taking another shot at the Bassmaster Elite Series in the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers (EQ). Bigelow came oh-so-close last year, falling out of contention in the final two events.
In his scouting for this season, Bigelow has already had one big thing happen. While pre-fishing in December for the Feb. 15-17 Open on Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita, Bigelow landed an 11.57-pound largemouth, his personal best and a monster for the state.
“It was one of those dream days,” Bigelow said. “Conditions were right, and everything pretty much worked out perfectly … I had no idea Arkansas grew them this big.”
It was Bigelow’s second personal best in the span of three months. During practice for the 2023 season finale at Florida’s Harris Chain EQ in October, Bigelow caught a 10.89-pounder. If it had been in competition, he might be preparing for the Elite opener on Toledo Bend instead of the Feb. 1-3 Lake Okeechobee Open.
In 2023, Bigelow stood among the top nine to make to the Elites before bombs of 106th on Lake of the Ozarks and 101st at Harris Chain saw him drop 12 spots to finish 21st in points.
“It definitely stung. I legit had a shot,” he said. “I needed a Top 10 at Harris. I thought I had a chance to win after practice because I caught the 10.89 and found another school with 150 fish in it. I felt good about my decisions, but at the end of the day, Florida fish just wouldn’t cooperate.”
It’s been a steady climb for this young angler, who turns 22 on Feb. 7. After fishing just three Opens in 2021 and 2022, Bigelow went all-in last year. He started hot with a 12th at Alabama’s Lake Eufaula and ninth at a Toledo Bend to stand among the early point leaders. There were ups and down in the next five before the late letdown.
In attacking his second attempt at the Elites, Bigelow is working to gain more knowledge of the nine 2024 EQ fisheries, like his week scouting at Ouachita. He’s familiar with some and knows he needs to bone up on others.
“For me, preparation is huge,” he said. “The way I fish, finding stuff offshore, going to lakes I haven’t been to before, it helps a bunch.”
As a guide on Sturgeon Bay, Bigelow is well-versed in smallmouth and electronics, and he’s been hopscotching the country to avoid a potential bad finish in 2024.
“Honestly, the schedule sets up really good. I like the lakes,” said Bigelow, adding he hopes to visit most.
Like most touring pros, Bigelow’s dream started young when his parents bought him a tacklebox at Walmart that included a Bassmaster DVD. Bigelow was drawn to his local lake, riding his bike there carrying two rods and a backpack full of tackle.
“That Bassmaster DVD, it absolutely set the course,” he said. “The fire was so fueled. I’d bike down there every day in the summertime.”
There were missions too. After watching a particular technique, Bigelow would work to master it. The introduction of a boat continued his education, as did joining a local bass club. Winning the club’s angler title in his second season increased his confidence.
His portfolio broadened through four years of competition for Shawano High School. His team made two national championships, placing 11th in 2018 at Lake Hartwell, and he earned an All-American honorable mention.
“Without high school fishing and what Bassmaster has done, there’s no way I would be as far as I am in my career,” Bigelow said.
Making connections is a huge part of that, with his fishing brethren as well as sponsors. He got some funny looks from classmates explaining he studied business and marketing to help become a pro angler.
“I spent a lot of time learning how to market myself, really dial in speaking,” he said. “I didn’t totally understand how important it was until recently. Times are changing. You have to be on your A game as far as all that goes.”
Bigelow has been, and he’s putting in the hours to boot. Between scouting and guiding, he’s producing content for sponsors like 6th Sense and Dakota Lithium, calling those opportunities dreams come true even as it leads to long days.
“I’ve really worked hard on my sponsor game this offseason. There’s pretty much not a single night where I didn’t stay up to 1:30,” he said. “I did not like being that close and not making it. I’ve been a work in progress since I’ve gotten back.”
Through competition, Bigelow has developed close relationships with a number of peers, including incoming Elites Tyler Williams and Kyle Patrick.
“We’re all just super close,” Bigelow said. “It’s cool having a family atmosphere with all these young guys. It makes life on the road a lot easier.”
The 2024 Elite rookies might be the youngest class ever. They average 24.8 years old, five years younger than the previous season. Bigelow believes their proficiency with electronics has made a difference.
“No doubt. The technical age has definitely helped us out,” he said. “I feel even without LiveScope, there would have been a lot of guys in the top nine who made it. The passion we have to make this a career is remarkable.
“I think the dream that Bassmaster has given us, we are all so beyond passionate about it. All of the same age group, we are all pushing in the same direction to make this work for a career.”
Seeing where forward-facing sonar was heading, Bigelow said he put in the time to learn it. He just installed 360 and hopes to get consistently better. Electronics have served as a great tool to hunt down suspended bass and separate himself from the pack.
“That’s the biggest thing with 225 boats, you need more than one way to catch them, more than one technique,” he said. “You have to junk fish as far as fishing what’s in front of you, brushpile here, rocks over there, a bluff, docks.
“That’s how I got the big one. I was trying just to figure out what (Ouachita) was about. I know it’s known for brush, but there’s not a lot of tournament history.”
Bigelow came across a number of stripers on Ouachita, and on his third day there, thought he had another in his sights.
“I saw the size of the mark on the screen. ‘Ah, it’s probably a striper.’ I’m a little shallower so maybe it’s not, so I ending up throwing at it,” he said. “It absolutely destroyed the jerkbait. I fought it for about a minute and half thinking it was a striper, because it never came up.”
The fish peeled drag off his baitcaster but finally wore down. It gave him a glimpse, making him think it could be a 7-pounder, still a giant for the lake.
“When I got down in the seat, grabbed it and I started lifting it up, I realized how long it was,” he said. “As soon as it got in the boat, I freaked out. I had no idea they were this big here.”
Wondering if it was a lake record, he called friends to help search, soon learning pro angler Mark Rose caught a 12-pounder there a few years back and the state record was 16-8. Bigelow documented the catch then met with EQ angler Jonathan Dietz at the ramp. After some marveling and celebration, he returned to the area to release it.
“I pretty much caught everything I caught that day off that spot – 24 1/2 pounds,” he said. “I’m hoping that exact spot pays off in the tournament.”
The big catch is giving Bigelow hope that more big things are ahead.
