By Hunter Baughman
Everything about this is new. This column will be new to the NPFL. Reading it will be new to you. And it will be new for me to be writing anything more than some attempts to be funny on social media. One of my goals with this column is to give you a look inside my path as a professional angler.
My name is Hunter Baughman, and I’ve fished “The League” since the very beginning — March of 2021 at Lake Eufaula, Alabama.
I live in Judsonia, Arkansas, with my wife Andrea and my daughters Kinley and Kassidy. Andrea and the girls travel with me to all the events and have done so since Kinley was born in June of 2021. In fact, I was at Stop #3 of that year in Leesburg, Florida, when Andrea went into labor with Kinley. I flew home during the tournament for her to be born, then flew back to Florida to finish the event.
That’s a crazy story for another time. I look forward to sharing it with you.
You may be interested to know that I am a double below-the-knee amputee and that I use a wheelchair to get around. I am a fan of being as normal as possible. You may not ever hear me bring up my disability again unless I’m making a “legless” joke, which I tend to do from time to time. I’m not mentioning any of this to get your pity. I just want you to know who I am.
That first NPFL event on Lake Eufaula was my first tournament at the national level. I was a nervous wreck. Then, to top it off, there was a live camera in my boat on Day 1. That was stressful. Luckily, I didn’t make a fool of myself and caught them well enough to earn a camera again on Day 2. I missed getting a camera on Day 3 — the final round — by one place in the standings.
I had so many doubts in my head leading up to that tournament. The biggest doubt wasn’t the expense of fishing a national trail or even the fact I had never been to four of the six lakes on the schedule.
The biggest question I faced was, “Am I good enough?”
I think it’s the same question that most aspiring professional anglers ask themselves. Obviously, we need to prove ourselves at the scales, but we also need to answer that question within ourselves. We can be our toughest critics, and we probably should be.
I earned a check in that first tournament and remember driving home thinking, “This might just work out.” When I fast-forward 21 NPFL events later, there have been plenty of ups and downs, plenty of times leaving after a bad event with no check, a few times when I was happy with the result and earned a nice check, and one time when I felt I had messed up an opportunity to win. I’ll remember that last one for a very long time.
Have I set the world on fire with my fishing these last few years? Not even close! Has it been rewarding? Absolutely! Have the ups outnumbered the downs? Yes, I think so.
I was able to qualify for the first NPFL Championship on Lake Amistad, which was a great experience. Unfortunately, I’ve got lots of work to do in our last three events this year if I’m going to qualify for the 2025 Championship.
It comes down to drive and determination … just like most things in life. How bad do you want it? Nothing good comes easy, and those who work the hardest reap the most rewards.
Because of God’s grace and some wonderful sponsors, I’m still here and intend to be here for many years to come. I will continue putting in the hard work … and I’m going to win one of those fancy NPFL trophies eventually.
I’ll do it for Gods glory, for my family, for my sponsors, for myself, and for all of you that care to join me on this journey.
I’m looking forward to sharing more with you in each installment of this column. Until then, work hard and good luck!
