PROFILE :
MITCH
CRANE
COLUMBUS , MISSISSIPPI
Sometimes on those dead-slow days , catching bass can feel like pulling teeth . As far as we know , Bass Pro Tour rookie Mitch Crane is the only high-level tournament bass pro who could ever make that comparison : when he ’ s not competing against the likes of Jacob Wheeler , Kevin VanDam and Ott DeFoe , Crane is a full-time dentist in his hometown of Columbus , Mississippi .
Crane made a fast , splashy entry into the world of tour-level bass fishing , qualifying for the FLW Tour in 2020 after fishing only two years in the Toyota Series , finishing fourth at the 2021 Pro Circuit TITLE on the Mississippi River and then qualifying into the Bass Pro Tour via his fourth-place finish in the 2021 Pro Circuit Angler of the Year race .
QA &
By Matt Naber
The fishing world knows you as Mitch Crane , Bass Pro Tour pro . At home in Mississippi , though , you ’ re known as Dr . Mitchell Crane DDS . How does one go from being a dentist to competing on the Bass Pro Tour ?
In 2014 I was fishing in local events around the house , but then was sixth in points my first year ever fishing the BFLs [ in 2016 ] and said , ‘ maybe there ’ s something here .’ I kept learning and made the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit [ in 2020 ]. Most of my tournaments would be great but I ’ d have a bomb or two . In 2021 , I finally had a year without any bombs and made the Bass Pro Tour .
You travel a lot for tournaments , but you still maintain a busy dental schedule – how does that all work ?
Life is very hectic . I have a 2-yearold ( Bowen ), a 6-year-old ( Bella ), and two fulltime jobs . There are other dentists in my office and 20 employees , and they ’ re my biggest fans . They want me to fish and do dentistry , so if I ’ m not fishing , I ’ m in there working 8 to 5 . It ’ s hectic , but we make it work .
80 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2023