As Reece Tremaglio left the Day 2 weigh-in stage at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open on Wheeler Lake, the Opens pro said he had to immediately depart for the 12-hour trip to his home in Dunkirk, Md.
He didn’t want to be late for his High School prom.
That’s not exactly a common statement for Opens anglers, but the more you get to know this engaging young man, the less surprising the scenario becomes.
Tremaglio, who turned 18 during his Wheeler practice days, is a senior at The Calverton — a college preparatory school whose mission statement includes such phrases as “high expectations,” “personal responsibility” and “work ethic” — all attributes Tremaglio embodies.
“What motivates me is my parents; they’re huge role models for me in terms of hard-working individuals,” Tremaglio said. “My dad is a retired federal agent and my mother is the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association.
“They’ve always worked hard, and I feel like, if I can apply that inspiration to whatever I do, it’s going to pay off in the long run. It’s going to take time, like anything else, but they always taught me that being the hardest worker is going to get you farther than being the smartest.”
Tremaglio has clearly embraced that notion with an impressive list of accolades including: President of his Student Government Association, International Baccalaureate student and National Honor Society. He’s also an Under Armour Athlete and a member of the Bass Pro Shops Pro Staff and the Mercury Pro Team.
If this sounds like a full plate, it is. So how does Tremaglio manage his busy schedule of school and fishing?
Priorities.
Case in point: Tremaglio had to miss the Open at Buggs Island because this early May even conflicted with a French IB exam — he originally planned to fish all nine Opens.
“It hurt to miss the tournament and not gain overall points,” Tremaglio admits. “But school has to come first, because education will help you in the future.”
Competitive spirit
Having played on a nationally ranked Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team from fourth through ninth grade, Tremaglio now competes on Calverton’s varsity basketball squad, with two MVP titles to his credit.
Perhaps surprisingly, Tremaglio’s relatively new to the bass fishing game. It’s a fact he wears proudly, and one that defines his “go-getter” nature.
“I’m also motivated by the reward of doing everything by myself,” Tremaglio said. “My great grandfather was a big-time waterman in Maryland, but besides that, no one in my family fishes.
“I practice by myself. I don’t have any fishing coaches or mentors, so I have to figure out everything by myself. So what motivates me is the need to keep trying and working hard, because at the end of the day, learning everything by myself is going to pay off in the long run — especially since I want to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series one day.”
Tremaglio calls flipping his strength and names the St. Lawrence and Potomac rivers as his favorite fisheries. Notably, the latter yielded his personal best 8-pound, 3-ounce tidal toad — on his 16th birthday, no less.
Tremaglio’s journey to the Opens has been brief, but intense.
“I started bass fishing during (the COVID pandemic),” he said. “Up until my freshman year of high school, I only fished for catfish. I wasn’t into bass fishing, but during COVID, I would take a johnboat out on the Patuxent River after online school.
“I just kept picking up more and more. That’s why my Instagram handle is PaxRiverReece, because I learned to fish on the Patuxent River and Pax is an abbreviation for it.”
Acquiring his first sponsor, Venom Lures, in his 10th-grade year, Tremaglio poured himself into local tournaments and steadily grew from there. Committing to the Opens schedule was as much about education as it was competition.
“I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could before going to college,” Tremaglio said. “I believe this can give me an advantage to learn these bodies of water before going into college fishing.
“To be the best fisherman you can be, you’re going to have to fish around people who are better than you. The Opens are a mix of Bassmaster Elites and pros from other circuits, so the competition doesn’t get any bigger than that.”
Service and motivation
Having recently committed to Auburn University, Tremaglio plans on studying accounting. His career goal: CFO of Bass Pro Shops, or another major company, like Under Armour.
In the meantime, Tremaglio’s big on community service and motivational speaking.
“Every Open I go to, I try to do some type of community service event during the practice period and just help the community,” he said. “I value this especially around the communities where we (compete) because they let us fish their waters, and I feel that, sometimes, we anglers don’t give back enough for what they have done for us.”
For example, during the Open at Toledo Bend, Tremaglio coordinated a meet-and-greet at a local auto dealership, where he spoke with high school anglers and local softball teams and passed out Bass Pro Shops and Under Armour gear.
After the Open at Lake Eufaula (June 15-17), Tremaglio plans to drive through the night to the Steve Harvey Foundation in Atlanta, where he’ll speak to kids about fishing and life skills he’s learned through this sport.
“I’ve also partnered with the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge in Baltimore, where we get young African-American kids fishing who haven’t had the chance,” Tremaglio said. “In the city, there’s not much opportunity to fish, and I feel like, without the opportunity that I had, kids will have no idea of the gift that fishing can give you, whether you want to do it professionally, or recreationally.”
True talk
Whenever he has the opportunity to engage young people, Tremaglio does his best to leverage his own experiences to encourage and inspire. Big dreams require big commitment, but he feels he’s living proof that the plan works.
“Fishing is the most humbling sport I’ve ever seen. You have to be organized, you have to work hard and you have to have to be persistent,” Tremaglio said. “Whether that’s fishing or schoolwork or any sport a kid may be playing, persistence and hard work pays off.
“It took me nearly two years to get sponsored by Bass Pro Shops. I reached out to them probably once a month. I tell everyone that persistence paid off for me because that was my first major sponsor.”
As for individual ambitions, Tremaglio’s big on removing perceived limitations.
“The biggest life lesson fishing has taught me, in terms of sponsorships, is that you don’t have to be a football player or basketball player to be an Under Armor athlete,” he said. “I explain to kids that you can follow your dreams and achieve anything you want to through your own passion.
“Be your true self.”
