Why Does Travis Hunter Love Bass Fishing So Much?

Inside the Sports Illustrated feature that reveals how bass fishing keeps the Heisman winner grounded

NFL Draft prospect Travis Hunter opens up in Sports Illustrated about how bass fishing helps him relax, focus, and escape the pressure of being a football star. | Sports Illustrated

Travis Hunter: Equally at Home on the Field or the Lake

Why does the current reigning Heisman trophy winner and likely number one or two draft pick care so much about bass fishing? Shouldn’t he be at the gym or reviewing game footage instead of floating around on a pond trying to find the next bite?

According to Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde, in a Hunter Travis story featured in the May issue of the magazine:

[Hunter] grew up fishing canals and ponds in Florida, and now, at 21, his angling skills are considerable. In roughly two hours on that private Texas lake, Hunter landed half a dozen quality bass, with a high weight of 5 ½ pounds. (He says his personal record is a 12-pounder.)

The May 2025 cover of Sports Illustrated is a real boost for the sport of bass fishing. | Sports Illustrated

How Bass Fishing Grounds Hunter Amid NFL Draft Pressure

So, for Hunter, he has always fished. Bass fishing is his passion just like football is his passion. But how can these passions coexist?

When he’s focused on football, he’s intense. He works hard. He never stops. He puts pressure on himself, in addition to the immense pressure coming from hundreds of external sources.

But when he’s bass fishing… well, honestly, he still appears to be pretty intense, working hard and never stops, but it’s different. The pressure from external sources magically disappears. While fishing can be a challenge, there’s also something very freeing about it.

In my everyday life, my mind is always working on something, usually multiple things. I have a hard time shutting it off. But, when I’m fishing, I’m able to put the rest of the world on hold and focus all of my thoughts on the one task at hand—the next bite.

Hunter confirmed what fishing does for him. “Patience. Relaxing. I just love to be on the lake, on the water, rippin’ lips. It’s relaxing and chillin’ and fun at the same time.”

Writer Pat Forde gets an assist from Travis Hunter landing the big bass he just hooked. | Sports Illustrated

Travis Hunter’s Sports Illustrated Bass Session

Having spent an afternoon on the boat with Hunter, Forde summed it up like this:

More than finding peace on a lake, Travis Hunter appears to be finding a release from the pressures of being a rising star facing major (and uncertain) life changes at the age of 21. Out there, rod in hand, nobody else around, doing what he’s loved since childhood, he is in command of his surroundings. On this particular day, with a drone camera and a dozen other people watching every move, Hunter finished the afternoon by steering his boat away from it all. He faced the cows onshore, his back to everyone, and kept casting for fish.