I finally have a hero.
Since the inception of this column, I’ve been reluctant to ever pin the hero tag on a professional bass fisherman. First responders who crash into burning buildings are heroes. Selfless Americans who sign up for the military, or cops willing to take a bullet to protect us average citizens; those are heroes. Not bass fishermen.
But when I learned the story of Hunter Baughman, I quickly made an exception.
Baughman is a hero. Not the same as those mentioned earlier, but in a way that inspires human beings to live life to the fullest. To never take for granted the gifts that God has given us, and to realize that anyone can be a role model toward a better future.
By now, many of us have heard the story of Hunter Baughman. Suffering from bacterial meningitis as an infant, Baughman lost both of his legs below the knees, his left hand and much of his right in an attempt to save his life. With a fever climbing to 113 degrees, the prognosis was dim. Even if he lived through it, Baughman’s parents were told he would likely be brain dead. But a miracle happened. Young Hunter thrived. And with him came a shining light.
Growing up an amputee was anything but easy, and Hunter struggled to find a place in the “normal” world of sports. Attempting youth athletics with prosthetic legs led to disappointing results. But a passion for the outdoors was always there.
“My whole family hunts and fishes. We fished every weekend,” Baughman said. “And I’ve always been a competitive person. So, when I finished junior high, I ditched the legs and got into tournament fishing.”
Baughman liked the idea of combining his love of the outdoors with a competitive format. He recognized it as a way that, despite his physical drawbacks, he could compete on a level playing field.
To clarify, Baughman finds no real disadvantage in the mechanics of competitive fishing. He’s fully functional with baitcasting equipment. Baughman uses an Ultrex trolling motor, steering and operating with the end of his leg, as we would our feet. He drives his outboard safely at all throttle ranges, and is quite mobile around the boat. “It may take me a little longer to get from front to back than it would you,” Baughman admits, but he readily moves to the back with ease to lip a fish. Baughman uses a butt seat without a pole for stability, and he can swim.
“My only disadvantage, really, is sight-fishing,” Baughman said, due to his height.
Once bitten by the tournament bug, Baughman went all in. A prior winner of the prestigious Mr. Bass of Arkansas trail, Baughman fished 69 tournaments in 2020 and tacked on 40 more each season since. His competitive career comes complete with a polished sponsor portfolio, and now includes competition in the NPFL. Nothing, including his physical situation, holds Baughman back.
Still, Hunter’s performance has never been to his approval. “I’m routinely a 50th-place angler,” he commented. Recently, however, Baughman set the world on fire with the biggest win of his career at the Toyota Series event on Truman Lake.
I wonder, what changed?
“I don’t know,” Baughman admitted. “I had never been there, but I knew what I wanted to do even before I went.”
Recently, Baughman had been turned on to the use of forward-facing sonar. A multi-day event fishing offshore at Lake Eufaula had shown him the potential of the new technology, especially after catching an 8-pound bass early on. Immediately following that event, Baughman bought the Garmin unit he still uses today.
Baughman planned to take his brush pile game to Truman, where it proved to be the perfect pattern for transitioning bass. His final-day, 19-pound stringer would be the heaviest of the tournament and secure the biggest win of his career.
The win was no surprise to Baughman’s supporters; if anything, it was a long time in coming. Baughman sees no asterisk next to his name, nor should he. In a heavily-weighted field of local standouts and AAA hustlers, Baughman took them all to the bank. His win was quite inspirational.
But it’s Baughman’s life that’s heroic. He’s faced, and beaten, adversity that you and I will never see. Through it all, Baughman’s demonstrated that anything’s possible, using bass fishing as a platform to showcase gifts and talents credible only to God.
In addition to his fishing accolades, Baughman works as the sales manager for Redemption Ranch, empowering and creating jobs for disabled persons. A new position, Baughman’s relationship also led to a fishing sponsorship, making it possible for him to compete in the Toyota Series where he’d come into all of our lives.
In champion's fashion, Baughman dismisses credit for one of the greatest victories our sport has ever seen. “God is the reason I have the ability. Yeah, I work hard, and that’s a big part of it. But He’s the reason for all of this.”
To no surprise, spoken like a hero.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
