With a name like Laker, you might be destined to be a bass pro. Is that what Bassmaster Classic Champion Randy Howell and his wife, Robin, had in mind when they brought Laker Howell into the world in August of 2001?
If that was the plan, it appears to be working. After competing in all four Div. 2 Bassmaster Opens this season, the young Howell holds fourth place in the Angler of the Year standings. He also claimed the winner’s trophy at the fourth event in the series on Leech Lake.
If he maintains this momentum through the upcoming Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers, Howell will be competing on the vaunted Bassmaster Elite Series tour next year along with his father.
It has been a while since a father-and-son duo competed simultaneously at Bassmaster’s highest level. The most accomplished of these are Guido Hibdon and his son Dion — both Bassmaster Classic champions.
Laker and his younger brother Oakley practically lived on the road with their parents who traveled from tournament to tournament.
“I grew up on the road,” said Howell. “It has been instilled in me since I was an infant.”
His family’s gypsy lifestyle necessitated home schooling. Whenever they camped at a lake, which was most of the time, the boys were motivated to finish their schoolwork so they could go fishing.
The brothers were once allowed to fish with their father on official practice days for Elite Series tournaments. After B.A.S.S. made this illegal, they fished from the bank while their father practiced. Between tournaments, they often fun fished with their father wherever they happened to be. Laker claims he has seen water in 46 of the 50 states.
The boys were also homeschooled about bass fishing from their father, and they learned their lessons well. During the three years Howell competed in Bassmaster tournaments under the banner of Guntersville High School, he qualified twice for the national championship. He won the AOY title in the Northern Alabama Division his senior year.
His brother won the Bassmaster junior division AOY title and was also Alabama’s junior division state champion.
“Oakley is more naturally talented than I am but doesn’t want to take the fishing path,” Howell said. “He jokes that he retired from fishing after winning the junior state championship. He’s currently studying to get a law degree in real estate.”
Howell also participated in church basketball leagues through his high school years. At age 12 his 6-foot height towered over other youngsters. He now stands 6-5, weighs 235 and is buff from pumping iron.
“My brother tells me I waisted my height,” Howell said. “The gene pool on my mom’s size is very tall. She has two great uncles who stand 6-9 and 6-7.
Howell lives in Guntersville, Ala., with Madi, his wife of two years. He has a 100-ton Master Captain’s License and has been a full-time fishing guide on Lake Guntersville since age 18. He recently began training high school anglers how to go pro.
“I’ve been working with one kid from Georgia who’s incredible,” Howell said. “He’s going to be on a tear one day.”
While growing up and watching his father compete and attend to the many other aspects of maintaining a career as a professional angler, Howell has seen the positive and negative side of this challenging occupation. Despite the downsides, he hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“A lot of people want to be bass pros because they think they’ll be living the dream,” Howell said. “There also are those who long for fame and fortune. I want to do it because I just love catching bass. I can’t imagine doing anything different.”
Howell believes he was born at the right time to be a well-rounded professional bass angler. From his father, he learned how to find and catch bass by instinct and with old-school tactics. He has also grown up with digital technology and is competent with forward-facing sonar and other advancements.
“At the end of the day, I’m a fishing nerd,” Howell said. “I try to learn as much as I can from other anglers.”
Rick Clunn underscored the importance of keeping an open mind on the only day Howell had an opportunity to fish with him. Before Clunn made a cast, he took time to study how Howell fished.
“Here was this legendary angler seeing what he could learn from an upstart like me,” Howell said. “Amazing!”
Howell’s sponsors include Livingston Lures, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha, Power-Pole, Buck N’ Bass, Yellow Technology, Daiwa, Gamma, Buckeye Lures, Yamamoto, Redfin Polarized, FishLung, Texoma Tackle and Precision Sonar.
