Bradley Roy Continues to Pay Forward his Passion for the Sport of Bass Fishing
“Pay it Forward” could easily be the title of the Bradley Roy story at this point in his life.
Roy is one of the younger anglers on the MLF Bass Pro Tour roster at 28 years old, but he’s been a professional angler since he was 19. His focus on growing the sport of bass fishing from the ground up – providing opportunity and sharing knowledge with the next generation of potential pros – is mature well beyond his years
“I’m a product of the ‘older’ system: I didn’t have high school bass fishing like so many kids have today,” Roy says. “The opportunities available now are tremendous for the next generation. I want to make sure I can help everybody out like I was helped when my passion for this sport started as a kid.”
Family Encouragement Paved the Way
Roy’s dad, Anthony, is a typical hard-working American family man who busted his backside working construction for 30 years. Roy credits his pops for seeing a light in him and encouraging him to pursue his passion for bass fishing. That encouragement, according to Roy, was a large part of what made him successful at a young age.
“My dad loves to fish, and from the time I was 10, he knew I really wanted to be a pro angler,” Roy said. “He’d let me captain the boat and find my own places to fish. By him doing that and letting me find my way, he really helped me blossom. I want to help others in the same manner.”
Bradley’s dad is no longer makes his living in construction, but now works with his family at a business they own, Anglers Outpost and Marine in Lancaster, Kentucky. Using the business as a foundation, Roy has consistently paid forward all the help his family bestowed upon him.
“Through the business, we have a youth tournament every year,” Roy said. “My dad and I oversee it and it’s really growing. We have around 130 to 140 boats fishing it. Everyone meets at our boat store, we feed them, and we work with sponsors to give away prizes.
“We teach basic boat captaining skills and encourage the adults to let the students run the trolling motors. I work with one of my sponsors, Mudhole and MHX Rods, and I teach rod building to the students.”
That hands-on involvement is an important part of Roy’s mission to help foster the growth of the sport.
“I really believe if we get more students involved with tournament fishing, the more the sport will grow,” he said.
Although Roy is far from an elder statesman and even farther from retirement, he wants to make sure the sport is left in good hands as each generation passes it along.
“I believe the MLF Bass Pro Tour is the future of our competitive sport,” Roy said. “There’s nothing wrong with other formats, I just believe that MLF is the model for true professionalism in the sport, and how we can move forward to recruit more anglers into the sport from the bottom up.
“(Starting) at the high school level, through college, and eventually a minor league system that leads to fishing the MLF Bass Pro Tour. I always want to see what I can do to get involved and help my sport grow. I’m excited for the future.”