After years and years of fishing, Luke Bryan has finally reeled in a bass over ten pounds, fulfilling a lifelong dream of his.
On Thursday (June 2), the country superstar took to social media to share a clip from a fishing trip on his Tennessee lake alongside his longtime friend and fishing buddy, Jay Clementi, the father of duo CB30.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. 11.6 baby” Bryan captioned the post before tagging award-winning bass fisherman Kevin VanDam, his friend Jay Clementi, his property manager Troy as well as Bass Pro Shops and Lew’s Fishing.
Soundtracked by Bryan’s song “Bill Dance,” The clip begins as the “Up” singer is seen shouting in excitement of his big catch with a big smile on his face.
“That’s a long time coming,” his fishing partner in the clip then says as he held a massive bass in a fishing net.
“God, she’s big, alright get ready, 11.6,” Bryan shouted. “Thank you.”
“That’s a lot of years and a lot of casts right there,” Bryan’s fishing buddy added.
“I’ve been trying to catch my ten pounder my whole life and I just caught an 11.6,” Bryan said in sheer happiness.
The country hitmaker and Georgia native then took the bass from the net and kissed it.
Several country artists celebrated Bryan’s big catch in the comment of the post, including Jon Langston, Chayce Beckham, Jake Owen, Dustin Lynch, Randy Houser, LoCash and more.
“No shiiiiit!!! That’s awesome man! I know how pumped y’all are! Amazing,” Langston wrote, while Beckham said, “Absolute hawg. 🐗”
“That a boyyyyyyy,” Owen commented, before Lynch added, “Heck yeah!”
Luke Bryan Honored Bill Dance With A Tribute Song That Appears In Clip
Bryan previously honored the professional fisherman with “Bill Dance,” a song on Bryan’s latest album, Born Here Live Here Die Here. Co-written by Bryan alongside Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip, “Bill Dance” serves as a tribute to the 81-year-old fisherman.
There is a lyric in the song, ‘There’s a lot of heroes out there these days, but if you ask me mine, there’s only one name I’ll say.’ That seems to sum up Luke’s adoration for the world-renowned angler as is evident throughout the video.
Dance also appeared in the music video for the track, which Bryan released on Dance’s 81st Birthday in October of 2021.
The video, shot at Bryan’s farm just outside of Nashville, opens with the country hitmaker’s sons Bo and Tate watching Dance on TV before the famous fisherman surprised the young boys with a knock on the cabin door and an invitation to go fishing with him. Bryan joined his sons and Dance on the fishing trip of a lifetime on Bryan’s lake.
In addition to Bo and Tate, the song’s three co-writers and Dance himself also appeared in the music video.
The clip was co-directed by Bryan, marking his directing debut, along with Michael Monaco of FlyHi Films who has now directed eighteen music videos for Luke since 2013. Monaco also directed and executive produced Bryan’s original five-part docuseries, Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, which is available now on IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service.
Dance is likely the most famous fishermen in the world who began competing and winning bass tournaments in the mid ’60s. That success led to a sponsorship deal with a lure manufacturer who encouraged him to begin a TV show to help promote the product.
Since 1968, Bill Dance Outdoors has aired over 2,000 shows and Bill has produced over 36 educational videos and 12 audio educational tapes on a variety of subjects. His hilarious out-take shows have been aired all over the world. His TV shows Bill Dance Outdoors airs on the Outdoor Channel and Bill Dance Saltwater airs on the Sportsman Channel.
Additionally, Bryan will soon embark on his 30+ city Raised Up Right Tour, which kicks off on June 9 in Charleston, West Virginia. The trek, produced by Live Nation, will feature special guests Riley Green, Mitchell Tenpenny and DJ Rock.
The tour takes its name from the chorus of Bryan’s current hit single, “Up,” which is the sixth single from Bryan’s No. 1 album, Born Here Live Here Die Here.
“Up / In the sky, there’s a guy / Lookin’ down on us / Lookin’ up / Our whole life, raised up right / In a town nobody knows / What a way to grow.”
RAISED UP RIGHT TOUR Schedule:
6/9/2022 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center
7/7/2022 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
7/8/2022 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park
7/9/2022 – Atlanta, GA – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/21/2022 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
7/22/2022 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
7/28/2022 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
7/29/2022 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
7/30/2022 – Hartford, CT – Xfinity Theatre
8/5/2022 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
8/14/2022 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8/18/2022 – Birmingham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre**
8/19/2022 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
8/20/2022 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
8/25/2022 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
8/26/2022 – Lafayette, LA – Cajundome
8/27/2022 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
9/8/2022 – Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
9/9/2022 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
9/10/2022 – Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
9/29/2022 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena*
9/30/2022 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
10/1/2022 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/6/2022 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center**
10/7/2022 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena
10/8/2022 – Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
10/13/2022 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum**
10/14/2022 – Huntsville, AL – The Orion Amphitheater**
10/15/2022 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center
10/27/2022 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
10/28/2022 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena*
**Mitchell only +DJ Rock
*Riley only + DJ Rock
