PROFILE :
PAUL
MARKS JR .
CUMMING , GEORGIA
Looking back on his brief professional career , it ’ s obvious that growing up in a fishing family on Lake Lanier was a recipe for success for Georgia pro Paul Marks Jr . The 23- year-old winner of the 2024 BFL All- American was only 24 events into his MLF career when we sat down with him for this issue ’ s Q & A , but those two dozen tournaments have been a study in astounding success : Marks has five MLF champions ’ trophies , 15 Top 10s and just shy of $ 285,000 in tournament winnings to his credit across the Abu Garcia High School , Phoenix Bass Fishing League , Toyota Series and Tackle Warehouse Invitationals circuits .
As he prepared for a fall schedule that includes a mixed bag of regional tournaments ( and as much duck hunting as he can manage ), Marks shared a few thoughts about his home lake , growing up in a tackle shop , and how both prepared him for his current success .
QA &
You ’ re still pretty fresh off of winning the 2024 BFL All-American on
By Matt Naber
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
Cherokee Lake in Tennessee . You ’ ve had a little time for it to soak in , but how does it feel to be known for the rest of your career as “ All-American champion Paul Marks Jr .?”
I ’ m pretty young , so to win it is pretty cool . I feel like the All-American is an institution in the bass fishing tournament world , so to win it is going to help my career for the next several years .
72 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024