Hayden Lee

Angels Camp, CA

In his own words

I have always had a passion for the outdoors. Growing up in the Foothills and Sierra Nevada Mountains of California makes getting addicted to catching giant fish and hunting big bucks very easy. I would like to give special thanks to my idol, mentor, long time team partner, and grandpa who has taught me everything about how to handle and succeed in this way of life that we both love so much. I fished my first tournament at the age of 9 which was a WON Bass team tournament where me and my grandpa took 4th place. From that day on I fished team tournaments just about every weekend on Mother Load Lakes in between playing 2-3 sports a year. I began Wild West Pro Ams at age 18. While fresh out of high school and college not being my option I learned the hard way on how much dedication and what head space you have to be in to be a real pro and fish with the best, so I struggled the first 2 years. In 2021 I put my head down and set aside unnecessary distractions and it paid off. At 21 I qualified for the Apex Tour as the youngest pro so far. I am beyond excited for this opportunity. I have a lot of belief that this circuit will do great things for western anglers allowing us to live our dreams while living a happy life close to your home.

Highlights

BBT Angler of the Year at 16 years old

1 top ten finish in WWBT

A handful of team tournament wins

Apart of Hook’d fishing team!

Behind the Angler

I recently engaged the girl I started dating as a sophomore in high school, who really doesn’t care how much I fish and hunt! I look forward to our future and and growing a family with her. I come from a fishing family and have been raised on tournaments all my life. My grandpa was a part of the Brown Baggers (for all you brown trout guys) and my dad is a 4 time Bassmaster winner at the CA Delta. In my spare time while not fishing I enjoy scouting and hunting for deer, barbecuing with family and going out with friends. As for a job outside of fishing I work construction doing commercial buildings, concrete, metal buildings, and more for my family’s company. I also manage maintenance on my grandparent’s businesses and ranches.

In the Boat

Being versatile is probably my biggest strength I run my boat with as much tackle as I can. Three baits that are always on my deck include a Yum Flash Mob Jr. A-Rig, a big swim bait, and a Neko rigged worm. I also love flipping and punching anything reaction innovations made!

SPONSORS

HOOK’D bait and tackle of Ione
Thompsons automotive group
Blade Runner
G money jigs
Mercedes Benz of Stockton
State Farm Insurance
Cal Tel
Meeks RV
Lance
Murphy’s Suites
Troy Hays Plumbing
Spearpoint Hooks
Basscat Boats
Mercury Marine