EUFAULA, Oklv. – A Muscogee Nation citizen recently made the top five of the recent St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula during the MCN Festival weekend. Zach Roberts of Morris, OK, managed to take fourth place in the Co-Anglers competition with a weight of twelve pounds, zero ounces. Roberts, who goes by the nickname “Porky,” is also an employee of the Nation, working in the General Services Administration, also known as GSA. This is Roberts’ third time participating in the Bassmaster Open, and his first time placing in the top five. Roberts has competed in multiple tournaments across the state, including Major League Fishing in March, where he placed fifth in the Okie Division.
Roberts, when being interviewed, stated that one of his biggest memories of fishing was fishing with his father and his brother.
“People always ask me why you do it or what drives me. I don’t know. It’s just always been a dream of mine,” Roberts said. “I remember growing up when I was little and my grandpa was still alive. Me, my dad, and my brother, we would go fishing. I just remember, you know, growing up watching the old timers, Billy Dance, Jimmy Houston and them, and always teasing my dad like ‘Hey, I’m Bill Dance’ or ‘Hey, I’m Jimmy Houston.’. And so it’s little things like that (that drive me).”
Roberts went on to say it was a surprise that he did so well. “That tournament trail, the Bassmaster Open, that’s like the cream of the crop, I guess you would say, of fishing. … Going into it, I figured that if I could at least get six pounds as a non-boater, I would be set in contention going into day two. Never did I think that after day one, that I’d be leading the event.” Roberts said.
Even with his fourth place finish, Roberts was overjoyed to have done so well, and being a competitive person, he hopes to do better in the future.
“And yes, the fourth place finish, man. That’s just like I said, a dream come true,” Roberts said. “A lot of people know my dad, he works for the tribe, and they don’t see the emotional side and stuff. You know, after day one, after I got off the weighing stage, just seeing my parents and them giving me a hug… Like if I can explain it… I mean, my watch was saying I had a high heart rate like five or six times. Just them giving me that hug, and that alone, that means so much.”
Finally, Roberts took a moment to share some words of inspiration to those in the tribe who may be pursuing a similar career path or simply want to follow their dream careers. “If you dream it, pursue it. Don’t let nobody tell you you can’t do it. No matter finances or whatever it can be. If you really set your mind to it, you can achieve anything you want to.”
