Brothers Josh, Jeff and Jared Bauer are competitive on and off the water. “We are all competitive by nature and have been competing since we were kids,” said Jared. “From sports to friendly wagers, we always have a bet going with each other.”
But when it comes to fishing the Dick Hiley St. Jude Bass Classic Tournament Weekend, the brothers are all in on the same mission: Finding cures. Saving children.®
“Jared and I started fishing in 2015 and heard about the Dick Hiley St. Jude Bass Classic Tournament,” said Jeff. “It has a lot of notoriety in the bass world and is known as a premier tournament. It wasn’t until the tournament banquet that we realized this wasn’t just another bass tournament.”
When the two brothers heard a patient family share their story, their focus switched. “Driving home, we knew we wanted to do more,” said Jared. “It is a competitive tournament, but when it comes to fundraising and sharing about St. Jude, everyone works together. We had people teach us how to fundraise and how to share about St. Jude.”
Their brother, Josh, joined the tournament a few years later and was right in line with his brothers. “This is the week that we look forward to all year,” said Jeff. “We block the whole week and get to enjoy time together as a family.”
While there is friendly competition – and usually a wager or two about which team will place higher – the family also looks out for one another. “When it comes to fishing, we help each other out a lot,” said Josh. “We stay in the same house for the week and are able to really catch up.”
Spread across the state of Wisconsin, the brothers aren’t always able to get together as often as they’d like. “But when we are together for holidays and stuff, we usually all show up in our St. Jude Dick Hiley gear,” laughed Jeff.
For the first time, the brothers were joined on the water last year by a new generation: Josh’s son Zach. “We didn’t grow up fishing and learned a lot through trial and failure,” said Jeff. “I really enjoy the time with my nephew and helping to guide him along the way. He is already way better than we are.”
As a family, they come together to support the families of St. Jude. “When the families share their stories during the banquet, you can’t help but get choked up,” said Jared. “At that moment, no one cares about who wins the tournament. It’s all about the St. Jude family.”
While the family of four are together on the water, they are surrounded by a family of 80 other boats and 160 anglers, all with a shared mission. “We have gotten to know the other anglers over the years, and really, now we are a large family raising money for St. Jude,” said Josh. “When you think about it, it's all of our families and communities that come together to build this network and make last year a record-setting year.”
In its 25th year, the Dick Hiley St. Jude Bass Classic Tournament Weekend raised over $1 million. “It’s huge to share with our supporters that they helped us raise $1 million,” said Jared. “Asking for donations can feel hard, but when we ask for St. Jude, it gets easier and easier. People want to help where they can, especially when they hear about the mission of St. Jude.”
As the brothers prepare to hit the Mississippi River again this spring, their friendly banter has already begun. “We have finished in the top ten a couple of times and have never bombed out of the tournament,” laughed Josh. “But this year, I’m not giving my brother our fishing spot.”
