The road was long and never easy, but John Cox and Keith Carson had plenty of fun along the way. Before they were both qualified for the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, the two were bass-obsessed childhood friends growing up in central Florida who regularly skipped school to fish, often borrowing leaky boats or sneaking rods and reels into parks that didn’t allow fishing. They spent portions of pre-tournament practices catching fish to eat because they were too broke buy food and may have (accidentally) started a marina fire once upon a time.
Now they’re sharing their stories for the first time as they prepare to compete on bass fishing’s biggest stage in next week’s 2021 Bassmaster Classic on Texas’s Lake Ray Roberts.
The story of Cox and Carson is as funny as it is timely and inspiring. “Tinboat Dreams” profiles the duo’s journey to the highest points of the sport they love, proving anything is possible with a little luck and a never-say-die commitment to chasing a dream.
