Looking around at the Media Day set up for the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, 23-year-old Tyler Campbell found himself parked close to several of his bass fishing idols.
To his immediate right, Patrick Walters. A few boats down, Lee Livesay and next to him, Justin Atkins and Jeff Gustafson.
“(Walters) is my hero,” he said. “I’ve been watching him since he started. It’s unbelievable. I don’t think any of this has set in.”
It’s hard to believe his path could have been a lot different than what he is experiencing now. When Campbell was thinking about going to college, bass fishing was not at the top of his priority list. His initial plan was to head to Athens to go to law school at the University of Georgia.
Then, led by Classic qualifier Pam Martin-Wells, Emmanuel University started up their bass fishing program, and Campbell made a pivot that changed his life.
“She is far and away the only reason I went to Emmanuel,” Campbell said. “I didn’t even want to fish in college, to be honest. I was going to go down a completely different route in life. The year before I graduated high school, the Emmanuel team started getting some traction. I talked to Coach Pam and one thing led to another. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Now, Campbell and his Emmanuel University teammate and roommate Dylan Akins are competing on the biggest stage in bass fishing this week, showcasing not only their individual talents, but also the strength of the Emmanuel program.
“It has been pretty surreal,” Campbell said. “There have been several times this week where I’ve found myself looking back at some old memories of Dylan and I traveling together with our other friends.”
Akins claimed his spot in the Classic by winning the annual College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s at Tims Ford Lake in Tennessee after he and partner Chase Carey won the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops Team of the Year award.
Not only did Akins qualify for the Classic, he earned entry into the Bassmaster Opens for the 2025 season with full use of a Toyota Tundra and Nitro Boat.
Campbell, meanwhile, won the Bassmaster Team Championship at Kentucky Lake in December, earning the last available spot in this year’s Super Bowl of Bass Fishing. He is also fishing both divisions of the Opens and is currently in third place in the overall points standings.
“When he made it, I was super excited,” Akins said of Campbell. “It was someone I could really talk to.”
Throughout the practice period, Akins and Campbell checked in periodically with each other, making sure they were both doing alright in the wavy conditions on Ray Roberts among other things.
“It has been so helpful from a logistical standpoint too,” Campbell said. “I’ve got someone I can bounce stuff off of. We’ve been working together getting to the boat yard and figuring out which launches are safe. It’s been nice.”
Iron Sharpens Iron
From the beginning, Emmanuel intrigued Akins, who resides in Flowery Branch, Ga., not only because it was close to home, but because of the proximity to Lake Hartwell.
“It is a super renowned fishery,” Akins said. “Major tournaments are always coming to Hartwell, so trying to get as many tournament there as possible was really important to me.”
Made up of mostly Georgia anglers, Emmanuel University’s fishing team has grown into one of the top performing programs over the past few seasons. The quality of angler Martin-Wells has recruited has always kept Campbell motivated.
“Iron sharpens iron,” he explained. “That’s how the guys we went to school with work. They kept us on our A game. Our graduating class was freaking loaded.”
Before attending Emmanuel, Akins, Campbell and several of their teammates fished against each other in the Georgia high school circuits. While they never partnered together in college tournaments, the dynamic at Emmanuel was such that both anglers learned the importance of working together with teammates, even if they weren’t in the same boat.
“A lot of people see fishing as an individual sport,” Akins explained. “But the only way to get better is learning from others. It really helps being there with other anglers and makes it more enjoyable. If you have a bad day, you can ask your teammates, when allowed, and see what they have going on. Coach Pam really emphasized that because in college you have team awards too. Everybody comes back to the same house at the end of the day and it is really nice to have that communion.”
As the old saying goes, nothing beats time on the water. That was certainly the case for Campbell, who believes simply getting to travel around for the past four years as a college angler has been the most important factor in his growth as an angler.
“The number one thing that has helped me get to this point is traveling all over the country for four years. Getting to see these different styles of lakes, different times of year and adverse weather conditions.”
Being able to experience those places as a unit was a key piece of the puzzle for Akins.
“It gives you a good foundation. You get to experience these places and learn from teammates along the way,” he said.
Not only that, Campbell said learning to deal with the adversities any given tournament can hand out was crucial. Finding success on the back end of that, including two Top 10 finishes at the College National Championship, gave him an incredible confidence boost.
“Along the way, I took some teeth kickings, and that is a good thing. You learn the most from your mistakes,” Campbell said. “There have been a lot of times I questioned, ‘Do I deserve to be here?’ Finally getting some success and seeing my fellow teammates boosted my confidence.”
A lot of the important lessons for Akins came off the water during his preparation. Having rods ready to go beforehand was a big deal as well as doing important research on the fishery, from map study to searching public forums.
“You want all of your equipment to function and work well, whether it is making sure the engine is running well and the oil is changed,” Akins added.
Akins has made sure to pick the brain of Martin-Wells along the way too. Whether it is interviews with the media or actually competing, Akins recognizes how much his coach has accomplished in her career.
“She’s been there before, so she knows all of the answers to everything. She has done interviews, rigging, maintenance,” he said. “So four years of that really helps you develop those skills.”
Prayers for Coach Pam
Akins and Campbell will be keeping Martin-Wells in their thoughts and prayers this week as she continues to battle cancer.
“She has had a tremendous impact on my life,” Campbell said. “Thoughts and prayers go out to her. She is dealing with some tough stuff right now.”
