Moss Hill native invited to participate in pro circuit fishing

The phone call of a lifetime came this week for a 19-year-old Moss Hill angler when he was invited to participate in the 2023 Fishing League Worldwide Tackle Warehouse Invitational Tournament. Jaden Parrish, the son of Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Cody Parrish and Angela Parrish of Moss Hill, Texas, said he was “without words” after being picked for the prestigious fishing circuit.

“I was shopping in Tractor Supply for welding rods when I got the call. I was so excited that I left the store without the welding rods,” Parrish said with a laugh. “I immediately called my dad, my mom, my girlfriend, friends and family members to give them the news. A day later, I am still smiling.”

The invitation to the tournament is the fulfillment of a dream Parrish has had since he was a young boy.

“I didn’t think I was going to be a professional fisherman, but it happened. My parents are stoked and are ready to support me. I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

At the age of 9, Parrish was introduced to fishing, and he was hooked, so to speak. In middle school, he started fishing in tournaments and enjoyed a lot of success. By 16, he was old enough to participate in the Toyota Series, though his first-year finish was mediocre. By the second year in the series, he had bumped up his ranking from the 40s to the 30s.

“I really wasn’t expecting much of it. I was just going to continue fishing, but then I got the call yesterday and everything changed,” he said.

Parrish is one of 150 anglers in the invitation-only pro circuit. The circuit is actually six tournaments in Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Maryland, Wisconsin and Missouri. Each tournament has a $100,000 prize for first place and a $50,000 prize for second place. The first of the six tournaments will be on Feb. 8-10.

He credits much of his success to lessons he has learned about fishing from Kevin West, a Hardin, Texas, angler.

“He took me on tournaments when I was 9-10 years old. He taught me how to drive a boat and the basics of fishing,” Parrish said. “He just knows how to fish.”

The support of his parents has made it possible for him to travel to tournaments all across the country. Parrish said his mother hasn’t missed a single tournament.

His family’s business – Chubby’s Packing in Moss Hill – is one of his primary sponsors. He also has sponsorships from Curtis and Sons of Liberty, Moss Hill Washout of Moss Hill, Enduro Power Batteries of Colorado, Maruto Hooks of Japan, and Pride Rods of Montgomery, Texas. He fishes from a Ranger Z5 20-L boat.

“Everyday my passion for this sport grows more and more, and I am determined to make this dream of professional fishing become a reality,” he said.

Parrish is a 2022 graduate of Hardin High School where he helped start a fishing club to share his love for the sport. He now volunteers as a team captain for the two-person team of Luke Collins and Laken Hudnall.

“Our high school team is ranked fourth for the year,” Parrish said. “Anybody can sign up for the team. You just have to have a team of two, and you have to find someone to be your boat captain and take you on high school fishing tournaments. That’s what I am doing now as a captain. I want to give back to what got me here.”