Bassmaster Classic Champion: Justin Hamner

This is the greatest story in professional tournament bass fishing history. It is a story of sacrifice, drive, determination, unwavering pursuit, and willingness to pay the price to reach the top.

The story of Justin Hamner winning the 54th annual Bassmaster Classic goes much deeper than the emotion-filled tour around the stadium he and his family took after he was crowned world champion. Justin's journey to reach that point had taken him to the depths both mentally and physically for years prior. Justin had a childhood dream like many others before and many others after. Yet, as many know, life, if we allow it, can sidetrack those once-childhood dreams.

As an adult, Justin never gave up hope that he would one day see the vision in his mind become reality. Providing for his wife and daughter, Justin poured concrete and mowed lawns for years to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. All the while, he was fishing local tournaments in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 2019, Justin felt it was time to give it a shot and attempt to make this dream a reality. With the help and support of his family, Justin began his journey to qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series through the Bassmaster Opens qualifying series.

The Bassmaster Opens are a grueling task, with hundreds of fellow anglers all looking to make it to that next level. At this stage, Justin had no sponsor dollars or outside support. The price was high, both financially and emotionally. Only with the amazing love and support from his family was he able to do this. in 2019, his first year on the open qualifying circuit, Justin finished the year 1 point out from qualifying. There was pain, there was reflection, yet there was never a moment of self-doubt. In 2020, Justin again pursued qualification through the Bassmaster Opens. This time, he was successful. Yet now, the real task begins. Just because you make it to the Bassmaster Elite Series does not mean you have a free meal ticket. It gets harder as you must prove yourself again to sponsors and maintain a yearly points status to stay on tour. With no sponsor-backing to speak of and a yearly cost of $50,000 plus in entry fees and travel, this was a daunting obstacle in Justin's way. Again, his family did whatever it took to help him.

Around this time, during his first year on the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2021, our relationship with Justin began. We saw Justin sleeping in tents, eating PB&J's, and willing to pay whatever price it took to make it. Justin had a decent first season on tour and earned enough points to qualify for his first Bassmaster Classic. That Classic took place at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, in March of 2022. Justin had an amazing event with a 4th place finish. Standing in the bright lights while on the big stage, he showed signs that he could rise to the challenge and deliver. Yet that 2022 season on the tour was not a good one for Justin as the pressures of home life, being away from his wife and daughter for weeks at a time, and still no major financial backing was taking its toll. Justin finished the 2022 season very low in points, that carried over into 2023.

Halfway through the 2023 season, Justin faced the potential of disqualification from the Bassmaster Elite Series if he didn't turn it around and earn the results needed to keep his place on tour. With three events left in the 2023 season, this was the gut-check moment. Justin dug deeper than he ever had before, fought hard, and finished the year strong. He not only kept his qualification on tour, but he earned his spot in the 2024 Bassmaster Classic. Leading up to the 2024 Bassmaster Classic, Justin had two very good results to start the regular season. In an interview before the Classic, Justin said he was going to win it. While many took that in jest, Justin meant it.

Now, as for the 2024 Bassmaster Classic, it was over before it started. Justin led day one of the tournament and then carried that on through to the finish. On Sunday, March 24th, 2024, Justin Hamner was crowned Bassmaster Classic Champion. At that very moment, his life and that of his family changed forever. This story is not about winning or the financial freedom that follows from becoming a world champion. No, the Justin Hamner story is one of paying the price. Everyone wants to win; everyone wants the spoils, yet not everyone is willing to do the work and pay the price. You see, in life, everything has a price tag to it. In Justin's case, the price tag to get to the top was the hurdle of finance, the challenge of being away from family, and the weight of the burden of knowing your family is giving you everything they have for you to reach the top. The hurt after a phone call with your daughter because she is crying and missing her daddy. It is easy to sit here now and see the confetti falling, the fans cheering, and Justin's family celebrating; that is what it is about. Yet that's not it. It's about Justin's unwavering belief in himself, putting the weight of his family's belief in him on his back, and his mental strength to carry them all to the top. Justin didn't win the 54th Bassmaster Classic for himself. He won it for his family. He wasn't crying because of what he had achieved; it was tears of joy knowing that his family's lives would all change forever.

There will be many future champions in professional bass fishing that Justin will have inspired. Yet none of them will truly know what it is like until they have to pay the price to achieve their goal. We are very thankful to know Justin yet more thankful that we were able to witness his journey through all the struggle. It's easy for a man to be the man when they are on top. The true character of a man is who they are when they are in their darkest moments. Justin, through it all, was always Justin. Fun-loving, good-hearted, and a genuinely good son, husband, father, and friend. As we sit here now, looking back on the beginning of his career and where our brand started out, hoping we would all make it to the top one day and taking a chance on each other as we were headed toward the same goal, we at BUCKN'BASS couldn't be more proud and honored to have Justin representing our brand and, more importantly, honored to call Justin a friend.

Congratulations, Justin Hamner, you are the 2024 Bassmaster Classic Champion.