Congratulations to Leesburg, Ohio pro Cole Floyd, the youngest angler ever to receive an invitation to fish the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. Floyd qualified into the 2022 Bass Pro Tour based on his 2021 AOY rankings in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit.
Floyd will be considered a rookie for the 2022 season, but he is no stranger to fierce competition. His father Steve Floyd, himself an accomplished tournament angler, taught Cole and his two brothers to fish back in Ohio.
“You should have seen us boys sprinting for that perfect spot on the front of dad’s bass boat growing up,” Cole said. “We were quite a sight with all four of us lining the deck, with rods and baits flying all over the place. Hats off to my dad for putting up with all those backlashes and snagged hooks.”
There is no question that his father was the teacher Cole needed, honing his skills pitching around matted grass and shoreline cover as a child on Kentucky Lake. He later perfected his style with a coveted spot on the Bethel University Bass Team, fishing all over the nation and surrounding himself with some of the most talented collegiate anglers in the sport. But ultimately, Cole taught himself the various styles he would need to compete on the national stage, and with three Top 10 finishes in the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit regular season, he has impressed his peers.
Arkansas angler Mark Rose, against whom Floyd will compete in his rookie season, has admired the performance of the younger Floyd.
“He is one of the great rising talents out there,” Rose offered. “Just the right blend of confidence and humility, and an extraordinary angler.”
