James E. Everhart III • 5’ 11” • 275 pounds

Grass Valley, CA

Married to Tina Everhart • Two kids: Jakob and Cole

I was born and raised in Grass Valley, California — my family having lived in the Gold Run / Grass Valley area for over a hundred years — and married and raised two sons here as well. I was raised with an outdoors background. My grandfather was a hunter, fisherman and camping enthusiast. My grandmother was by his side for over fifty years my other grandfather spent most of his life as a forest ranger in the Sierra Mountains.

My father is an avid hunter and fisherman and from the age of three or four I spent days in the field chasing pheasant and deer. I have to say that the biggest influence in my future career as a bass fisherman was definitely my grandmother. From a very young age I remember her taking me to my aunt and uncle’s pond fishing for catfish taking me to local ponds for planted trout and of course bass. She was always a huge support system in my life and even on her death bed she simply told me, “Catch the big ones.” My Vava will always be loved & missed.

I started fishing tournaments in 1996 after an accident at work left me disabled for two years. Unable to return to work, a friend of mine invited me to fish in his club tournament. I had been catching bass in ponds for years, so how hard could it be? I packed up my Ugly Stick and headed to my first tournament at Collins Lake. After getting my butt handed to me — I didn’t catch a single fish — my competitive nature kicked in and I swore that would never happen again.

That began my career in bass fishing. My wife, kids and father have taken on the roll in my life of being my support system, always sacrificing for me to pursue my dream of making a living in the outdoors. To this day, I still share the outdoor lifestyle with family and friends…it’s our way of life.