By Marla Holbert
Over the past decade, the nation’s youth fishing movement has proliferated exponentially and may be the fastest growing segment of the fishing industry. One of those youth anglers (now a freshman in college) is Louisville, Tenn. native Carson Holbert. He’s the 2025 Major League Fishing High School National Champion; a three-time Bassmaster All-State Team member; the 2025 Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Youth Conservationist of the Year; and is believed to be the youngest angler to ever qualify for a Bassmaster Kayak National Championship. And he accomplished all this before turning 19 last December.
Holbert’s love for fishing was first ignited on the Mississippi Delta as a 7-year-old military brat, while taking boat trips with his family. “I just loved getting on the water and catching anything and everything,” Holbert said. “Boat fishing, fishing off a bridge or off a river bank-it didn’t matter where I was as long as there was a rod in my hand.”
That passion turned serious when his parents retired in east Tennessee area and he began competitive tournament fishing in middle and high school. His high school career included winning tournaments in Tennessee, Georgia and Okla., eventually leading him to sign with the 5-time collegiate fishing national championship powerhouse, the University of Montevallo in Alabama.
“Last year was really a turning point for me, winning the MLF National Championship on Grand Lake in Oklahoma and then qualifying for the Kayak Bassmaster National Championship last fall,” Holbert said. “It’s kind of come full circle, because my first major win was on Nickajack Lake, which is one of the bodies of water in play for the championship.”
Holbert qualified for the 2025 Bassmaster Kayak Classic through the Angler of the Year points race, fishing three out of six possible tournaments across the country last year. In all, nearly 600 people competed in one or more of the Bassmaster national kayak opens, with the top 50 points finishers automatically qualifying for the 2025 classic.
“I was a little nervous because I was limited by my high school fishing schedule last year and could only squeeze in three kayak opens,” he said. “So, it was a big relief to find out I made the cut.
“Kayak fishing has made me a much stronger angler,” he continued. “It’s forced me to slow down and be more strategic in how I approach tournaments. It’s also forced me to understand the importance of planning and map study.”
Carson has leveraged his success by reaching out to potential sponsors. His tenacity helped make several key connections and secure sponsorship from companies and organizations such as Lithium Pros batteries, Greater Smoky Region Tourism, Bubba, Powell Rods, The Lake Lodge at Chickamauga, True South Custom Lures, Alewels Country Meats and Cliff Harris Automotive Group.
The 2025 Bassmaster Kayak Classic National Championship will be held March 11-12 on Chickamauga and Nickajack Lakes. Fans can follow along both days through the TourneyX app. The top 10 anglers will be recognized on stage March 13 at Thompson Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., during the opening day of the Bassmaster Classic.