EUFAULA, Ala. — Anglers consider themselves lucky when they find a trusted fellow fisher – a competitor to share information with and potentially work with on and off the water.
Timmy Thompkins has at least two of those assets in his corner – his son, Jordan (nicknamed JT), and his nephew, Jacob. For this trio, fishing is a family affair, and they’re showing how it’s done this week as all three are competing in the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula.
They made the trek together, from their hometown of Myrtle Beach, S.C. to the east Alabama fishery known to some as the Big Bass Capital of the World. They’re camping together at Lakepoint State Park, and on Friday, they got extra time together as Day 2 of the tournament was canceled because of the threat of high winds in the area.
Timmy Thompkins, 48, had an impressive start a day earlier in the first Open of the year — catching a 17-pound, 13-ounce limit that tied him for 24th place with Brandon Palaniuk, the reigning Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
JT, who’s 21, finished Day 1 with 13-8 and tied for 94th place in the Open that has 225 competing boaters. Jacob, 18, is in 136th place with 10-11. He had issues with his trolling motor on Thursday and hopes to bounce up the leaderboard when the tournament concludes Saturday.
All three of the Thompkins family members here this week are part of the Elite Qualifier Division, new this year to the St. Croix Bassmaster Open Series. A total of 175 anglers have committed to fishing each of the nine Open tournaments in 2023 with the nine leaders in the overall points race at the end of the season qualifying for berths in the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series in 2024.
“It’s our goal to be fishing together as father and son in the Elite Series real soon. That’s the end game,” JT said.
It might not be statistically likely, but if it does happen, it wouldn’t be their first taste of success. JT won the Northern Open on Chesapeake Bay last year to qualify for the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, which is scheduled March 24-26 in Knoxville. He’s fished in 19 major B.A.S.S. events since he was a teenager, so he cut his teeth against top-notch competition.
Believe it or not, but it’s just the way his dad planned it.
Timmy didn’t start bass fishing seriously until he bought a baitcaster at 33 and started fishing Tuesday night tournaments on places like Winyah Bay and the Waccamaw River in coastal South Carolina. Young JT was his co-angler for many of those events, until Timmy qualified, first as a co-angler and then as a boater, on national-level tours.
“I started fishing the Low Country Team Trail and (JT) and I won the angler of the year title three years in a row,” Timmy said. “And I was still super new to all this. I was putting in as much time as I could, learning what I could. I fished some BFLs, then some Costa events, and I kept moving up.
“But I told Jordan that if he really wanted to pursue professional fishing, that I probably could speed up his career by going off and fishing as much as I could on a big tour and learning as much as I could,” Timmy said. “That way, I could come back and teach him what I learned. I made sure it was OK with him, so that’s the way we did it.”
JT said just about everything he knows about fishing, he learned from his father.
“The neat thing, though, is we were learning together,” he said. “I was 4 years old in the back of the 14-foot Jon boat, fishing local trails with my dad. When he started fishing the Toyota Series, I was his co-angler…Now we’re in the Opens together. And I believe really great things are ahead. We’re the first ones to the ramp and we’re the last ones to leave.
“We’re putting in the work and I really think one of us, if not both of us, could be on the Elite Series real soon,” JT continued.
Timmy said he’s not sure what he’d do if he qualifies through this year’s EQ Division. He admits he’s been far more focused on getting his son to the promised land that is the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“I had hip replacement surgery last year and it took me some time to get back,” Timmy said. “But we’ve done quite well, and we’ve had a great time doing it. If we both qualify, it would be something I’d have to consider. But if it’s just me who qualifies, I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Jacob Thompkins has also shown promise, despite his youth. He fished as a co-angler for a few seasons, but Timmy thought it would be best to accelerate his learning curve by having him compete in the EQ Division. That means he’s making all the decisions on the water for himself.
“It’s a lot different in front of the boat,” Jacob said. “It’s been tough, and I have a lot to learn.
“But I’ve got some great support behind me,” he continued. “They’re family.”
