I’m Ryan Kempton, a father of three wonderful children and the husband of Ashlea. Competitive bass fishing has been a lifelong dream of mine, with the ultimate goal of one day reaching the Bassmaster Classic, the Super Bowl of freshwater bass fishing. After stepping away from that childhood dream for eight long years, I made the decision to come back and give it everything I had. This season, I competed on the Mass Bass Pro Am Trail and had an amazing year that qualified me for the regional event on the Hudson River in New York. I was blessed to have a strong tournament there and finished in second place, just one spot shy of qualifying for Nationals.

Then an unexpected opportunity opened up: the angler who finished ahead of me is unable to attend, which means I’ve been invited to compete in this year’s Bass Nation National Championship at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. This is an incredible chance for me to keep chasing the dream I’ve worked so hard to come back to. I’m asking my community, friends, and family to help me make this trip possible. Your support will help cover the travel expenses, food, lodging, and registration fees needed to get me to Lake Hartwell and allow me to compete. Any support, whether through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser, truly means the world to me and my family. Thank you for believing in me and helping me take this next step.