World Bass Enterprises (WBE) announced this week that Giessing, a 53-year-old amateur angler from Farmington, Mo., and Carr, a 39-year-old local tournament fisherman from Gatesville, Texas, have been selected as the two "Average Joes" who will compete in The Champions this fall.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK OUTDOORSAnd WBE isn't sticking them in some separate amateur division.They're fishing the same tournament, for the same money, against 60 of the best professional bass anglers in the world.Eric Giessing and Kyle Carr will compete against 60 of the best bass anglers in the world at the inaugural The Champions tournament just outside Nashville.
(World Bass Enterprises)That includes a $3.25 million purse and $1.25 million for the winner.That’s the largest purse in bass fishing history."Fans of every sport wonder how they'd fare competing against the pros," WBE founder and CEO Brian Bird said.
"We thought it would be neat to give bass fishing fans the chance to actually answer that question.Eric and Kyle will now get to see how they stack up against the pros."Well, they're certainly going to get an answer.When Bird first told OutKick OutDoors about the Average Joes concept earlier this summer, the two spots were still up for grabs.Now we know the contestants, and WBE has since revealed the professional field they'll have to deal with.The Champions will pit its Stars and Stripes rosters against one another, bringing together elite anglers from the Bassmaster and Major League Fishing worlds.And there aren't many soft spots on either side.Start with Trey McKinney, whom OutKick OutDoors spoke with earlier this month after he wrapped up a historic Bassmaster Elite season.
The 21-year-old became the youngest Bassmaster Angler of the Year in history and, at the St.Lawrence River finale, also broke the B.A.S.S.
record for the heaviest one-day bag of smallmouth bass.Trey McKinney poses with his friends and family after being named Angler of the Year.(Amber ...