Fishing up memories: Elizabethton father, son bond on the water

Published 4:53 pm Friday, June 29, 2018

Like a river, sometimes skills flow from a father to a son.

And that is the case for Elizabethton’s Chip Chambers and his son Colton Chambers.

Much like his father, Bob Chambers, did for him, Chip has handed down his knowledge and talent in fishing to Colton, who for the past two years since his graduation from Unaka High School, has made a splash in the world of fishing.

In high school, Colton was a standout out post player for the Rangers in basketball, and Colton had every intention of playing ball at the collegiate level as he was set to compete for a prep school. Life, however, had other plans, and soon Colton would be fishing in numerous tournaments. Most notably, Colton competed in a series of FLW-BFL Volunteer Division tournaments and finished second in season points. Colton also finished Top 10 in the FLW-BFL Volunteer Division Super Tournament before taking fifth place in the James River Regional securing Colton a spot at the FLW-BFL All American.

During the All-American Tournament at Cross Lake, Louisiana, Colton found himself sitting in ninth place after day one after pulling in a 7-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass, which was the biggest bass that Colton has caught during a tournament. However, for Colton to catch that bass, it would take a spinnerbait that he didn’t have, and the night before the tournament, Chip made Colton a spinnerbait, and it worked like a cham the next day.

“During practice, I noticed that the bass were biting on this type of spinnerbait,” said Colton. “So I went to the room that night and told dad, and he actually experiments with making spinnerbaits, and he made a spinnerbait that night. We took it to the pool and ran it, and the next day I caught that 7-pound, 10-ounce bass on it.

“It is something that I will never forget,” added Colton. “It is one of the most special moments that I have had in fishing and guiding.”

Colton went on to place 21st in the All-American tournament. It is important to note that Colton was one of the youngest competitors at the All-American, a tournament that roughly 30,000 fishermen compete to qualify for and only 50 make it.

“I am just so thrilled to see him do so well,” said Chip. “The All-American is one of the hardest tournaments in the world to qualify for. I was just so proud when he qualified for it during the Jame River Regional last fall. And to see him go and handle himself so well and catch the biggest bass of the tournament, it was amazing.

“My dad was one of the best fishermen around this area, and he is the one that got me started when I was five years old,” said Chip. “It is more about the relationship you form than winning, and it is great to see Colton doing so well in something I love.”

The father and son team of Chip and Colton have seen its own success on the waters. In 2017, the two anglers won the Bass Pro Shops South Holston Open, a 200-plus boat tournament. The two are also three-time USA BASSIN Tournament Trail champs on Watauga Lake.

For Colton, being able to compete in tournament’s with his dad has been more important than winning.

“We didn’t get to hang as much as I wanted while I was in high school and middle school,” said Colton. “It has created a phenomenal bond between us and has really brought us together.”

Chip and Colton also co-own C & C Outfitters in Elizabethton together. The company offers lake and rivers bass fishing tours along with bear and deer hunting guide services.