Always a competitor , Ebare turned to his other passion as a youngster : rodeo . An amateur bull rider and son of a livestock hauler , Ebare knew his way around a ranch , and felt rodeo could be the next step toward an athletic career – or at least pay some bills .
A scholarship opportunity came along to Tarleton State University in Stephenville , Texas , to work as a bullfighter – a key role to ensure cowboy safety in the arena . In 2013 , Ebare packed up his Honda minivan and moved , sight unseen , to Texas .
“ I didn ’ t know a single person , I was completely a rodeo bum ,” Ebare readily admitted .
There ’ s not a lot of money in college rodeo , but Ebare was able to lock down a job and earn a few hundred dollars each weekend . Blessed with a diligent sense of financial responsibility , the youngster was happy with what he was able to scrape together .
Ebare soon befriended a fellow Tarleton student with similar interests – Jacob Bare – who just happened to own a boat . Sitting in on a few meetings of the Tarleton Fishing Team with Bare stoked Ebare ’ s bass fishing fire once again . He and Bare jumped in a tournament on the Red River , totally oblivious to the ways of modern bass fishing .
“ We showed up in white T-shirts ,” Ebare said . “ Everybody was wearing jerseys and making fun of us . We didn ’ t know anything about all of that .”
The teasing came to an end when Ebare and Bare placed fifth in the event , thus qualifying them for the Conference Championship .
Ebare would continue to flex time between rodeo and bass fishing – from the Conference Championship came Nationals . But just as he was gaining steam , a freak accident occurred .
Ebare broke his pelvis while setting up for a rodeo , leaving him unable to walk for three months . But while it would ’ ve been easy to give up , Ebare doesn ’ t think that way . The first day he could walk again , Ebare was at the FLW College Fishing qualifier .
“ Jordan Lee had just won the Classic , and he was a big college fishing story ,” Ebare said . “ Instantly , a light bulb went off . I thought ‘ Man , that could be me .’ I
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON realized this thing – this college fishing – could be a pathway to make it to the next level .”
two good breaks
Recognizing the dangers of rodeo , Ebare went all in on bass fishing , working on a ranch and scraping by in an effort to self-finance his career . But then the first of two lucky breaks came his way .
A close friend and younger angler , Kyle Hall , was also bitten by the bass bug and wanted to try his hand at life as a bass pro . Hall ’ s father Keith saw in Ebare a mentor for his son and offered to sponsor the youngsters through the Hall ’ s tackle store , Tri Lakes Tackletown . That was the break Ebare needed . He jumped into the Toyota Series , earning “ just enough to keep going .” That ’ s the key goal for Ebare : to keep moving forward competitively , and never go in the hole financially . From the beginning , Ebare recognized his need to fish as much as possible and learn everything he could about bass fishing . Another opportunity would allow him to do just that .
“ I had recently done an interview for a local news show ,” Ebare said . “ I was practicing for a Toyota Series event on Grand Lake , and this guy walks up to me , and tells me that he enjoyed the interview , and that he was impressed by the way I handled myself . He said he would like to talk to me more about helping me out .”
That guy would turn out to be Bob Keeland , a successful businessman and big fan of competitive fishing . Keeland helped Ebare with entries into the Toyota Series , as well as offering lodging at his camp on the shores of Sam Rayburn . Keeland encouraged Ebare to fish every day possible , and Ebare jumped at the opportunity .
“ I ’ ve always wanted to be as wellrounded as possible , I never want to be uncomfortable with any technique or at any lake ,” he said .
With Keelan ’ s backing , Ebare fished two divisions of the Toyota Series , quickly qualifying for the FLW Tour , where he ’ d earn a spot in the Forrest Wood Cup his first year . But yet again , the sport proved expensive , even with some help .
Ebare ' s 2023 success is the result of years of hard work .
JUNE-JULY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 21