Local Fisherman Reelin’ for Bigger Catch

Patience keeps local fisherman Clayton Batts casting toward his ultimate goal. You can find the 29-year-old on the water most days and he hopes all the hours of perfecting his craft will reel in an opportunity better than any fish story.

At just three years old, Clayton Batts began fishing the local waters of middle Georgia with his uncle. What started as just a fun afternoon casting lines with the family grew into much more.

“Love being on the water. It’s something I have a passion for; I’ve always had a passion for it ever since I fished my first tournament I fished. I love the competition in it,” said Batts.

Batts began fishing at local tournaments. Then progressed to regional tournaments across the southeast and is now one step away from the top professional tour Bass Masters Elite.

“I started fishing the Everstarts. Last year I fished a couple and this year I’m fishing the whole series and trying to move on from there, move on to the tour hopefully next year or the year after,” said Batts.

You may be thinking fishing is kind of a cushy job, but Batts says whether it’s a hundred degrees outside or sleeting snow, he’s on the lake from dawn until dusk.

“If you got passion for it and you really love it, then yeah it’s a dream job. If you don’t like being out in the weather I wouldn’t try it,” said Batts.

With more than 15 years experience, Batts says his versatility on the water separates him from the pack.

“I either like to catch them real shallow or go out with deep crank. Which is uh, that last tournament I fished suited me well because that morning I was catching them crank and shallow and then as the sun came up I went out deep and watching them on a Spro crank bait,” said Batts.

Batts finished 5th in the Everstart Series Southeast Division event. The tournament was on LakeEufaula last weekend. He caught 12 bass, weighing 33 pounds, over the three day tournament.