By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan

Jared Lintner always dreamed of playing in the NBA, yet little did he know that a girl named Keri Ped and a date with fate would set his Elite Series dream in motion more than 10 years ago.

Jared’s parents, Dan and Susan Lintner, ran Lintner and Sons, a milk distribution company on the West Coast. On alternating years, Jared’s family would travel to Minnesota to run the family-owned fishing resort while his uncles would return to California to run the milk business. While in Minnesota, Lintner fished off the dock and from rental boats catching crappies, walleye and bass.

Upon returning to California, basketball consumed him 365 days a year from the time he was 10 years old through his junior year of college. By his second year of college, bass fishing started to occupy more of his time and energy. Lintner met up with Rich Zeilenga, now chief operating officer of online fishing retailer Tackle Warehouse, and progressed into fishing tournaments with the Gold Coast Bass Club from Lintner’s 14-foot aluminum boat rigged with an ice chest and aerators.

“I learned by taking my lumps and I’m still winning my money back from those days,” Lintner said.

Fishing Over Hoops

The veteran naysayers only made him work harder. Lintner decided that he’d pursue fishing instead of basketball as the latter experience typically resulted in a much shorter career. Still living at his parents’ house, he’d use their VCR to record fishing shows featuring Bill Dance, Orlando Wilson, and The Bassmasters with Bob Cobb. It was through those shows that he’d learn to emulate his shallow-water hero, Denny Brauer. He also credits locals Paul Bales and Mark Hinson for putting him on the right path with all things bass fishing.

Aware that some anglers started their competitive pursuits much earlier than him, Lintner had to work hard to close the gap.

“From basketball to delivering milk, I’ve always had a real high work ethic that I got from my dad,” he said. “I worked until the job was done. Working at 3 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., if I had the flu, or a twisted ankle from basketball, or I fished all day and I was tired from driving back and didn’t want to work, there were no excuses. That’s what I had to do He taught me you don’t get anything for free, so you better work as hard as you possibly can to gain success and that's how I’ve always done things.”

After dabbling in the West Coast Pro-Ams with some success, the scene went stale for him so he decided to test his mettle when the B.A.S.S. Western Opens came to the California Delta, Clear Lake and Lake Shasta in 2005. He finished 7th at the Delta, won at Clear Lake and took 3rd at Shasta. An Elite Series invitation was forthcoming.

Fate Intervenes

Keri Ped and Lintner were born a day apart in early September 1973 in hospitals across the street from each other in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Their Social Security numbers are nearly identical. Years later, they sat next to each other in first and third grade at Ocean View Elementary School and met up again at Arroyo Grande High School when they eventually dated.

Fast forward to late 2005 when Jared and Keri, now married and with daughter Allese already in tow and son JC on the way. Every bit of Lintner’s tournament winnings or extra money went toward a new boat, tackle and a new couch. His winnings from the Opens helped finance a down payment on their current home.

In order to secure an Elite Series spot for the 2006 season, Lintner needed to put up an $8,000 deposit. The day it was due, Lintner was unaware that B.A.S.S. had called the house seeking to know Jared’s intentions. Keri took the call. Lintner arrived home after a rough day at work, his frustration compounded by not paying the deposit to pursue his dream.

Despite numerous chats, Keri misunderstood and thought Jared decided to fish the tour. As Jared grumbled, “There goes that, I never signed up for the Elites,” Keri was quick to counter, “I put the deposit in. You’re fishing.”

Lintner was blown away, and panicked.

“Do you understand you just paid a non-refundable deposit of $8,000, even if I don’t fish,” Jared recalled. “That’s a lot of money!”

Keri wouldn’t have it any other way. Despite receiving numerous basketball scholarship offers when he was in high school, Lintner elected to stay closer to home with his future wife and attended Cuesta College. Keri didn’t take a chance with the $8,000 deposit. She saw it as a surefire win.

“It was the opportunity and knowing his personality, he was going to be upset when he got home that day if he didn’t do it and I didn’t want him to have any regrets,” she said. “I knew he was good at it.”

Once the initial shock wore off, Lintner started calling his sponsors, some of whom hadn’t quite wrapped their head around the level of support that he would need. The concept of boat wraps and high entry fees was foreign to bass fishing. While he was able to work out some agreements, he had to bear the brunt of the risk from the onset.

“The day before I left for the first Elite, I was delivering milk,” he said. “My mindset was the first time we can’t make the next payment and have to go bury ourselves in credit card debt, we’re out.”

He was going to have fun because each tournament could be his last. He cashed eight checks in 11 tourneys and qualified for the Bassmaster Classic in his first year and is one of 50 anglers from the inaugural Elite Series season still on the trail today.

All About Support

When he first told his dad that they’d put a deposit down for the Elites, his family’s support was immediate. His dad re-worked the delivery schedules as his uncles, brother, and brother-in-law all pitched in, freeing up Lintner to chase his dream.

“I couldn’t have done this without my parents’ support through the business side of things,” Lintner recalled.

Lintner’s forged strong relationships with his sponsors. Skeeter Boats has supported him since his second year.

“I’ve tried to stay loyal to those companies that work best with me,” he said. “The loyalty and support that I’ve given them is reciprocal. I was with Tackle Warehouse before it was Tackle Warehouse. Sponsors are a big part of your mental game. It’s taken me several years to understand that sponsors aren’t absolutely performance based. It’s how you deal with success and the not being successful.”

Entering his 10th year with the Elites, Lintner is well aware that he’ll have good days and bad days, but resiliency is key. Despite placing in the money for 70 percent of the tourneys he’s fished with B.A.S.S., the road isn’t always his friend and doubt can creep in.

“It’s hard being on the other side of the country, you’re fishing and living your dream, and you get your butt kicked, you’ve got nothing to show for it except a $2,800 expense for the week,” he said. “You feel like you aren’t contributing to your family. I’m not even feeding them, I’m spending their money. I’ve learned to get those demons out of my head.”

Coming off a 7th-place finish in the Angler of the Year standings in 2014, he’s at a point now where he’s more confident in his decision-making and able to trust his instincts on the water.

“I want to win and that’s driving me insane,” he added. “I’m a big advocate of when it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I want to win for my family, for my sponsors I’ve been with forever. It would mean a lot to me.”