THE ROOTS
My roots are where I come from, how I've grown, where I'm planted today, and where I'm growing in the future. It all started in the town of St. Joseph, Missouri. I spent the first 18 years of my life there. I come from a divorced family. My parents split apart when I was three. I am proud of them as they stayed civil for my sake, and I would say I have the best two parents a child could ask for. We didn't have much money growing up, and I saw many times where both of my parents struggled to make ends meet. Looking back, not much of that really matters to me. My parents both raised me to chase my dreams and passions in life. My Dad would always tell me, "The sky is the limit for you, son." What made me who I am today all started with my parents. They put so much time and energy into raising me, and I am so thankful for both of them. I can only hope my children have as good of parents.
My love for fishing started at the age of three as well. It's a passion that God instilled in me at a young age. I can remember being 4 years old, asking Dad if we could go fishing at the start of winter when it was snowing! I ended up catching a 4lber on my own, and have been hooked on the species of bass ever since (pictured right). As I grew throughout the years, I played about every sport you can think of. I became an avid outdoorsman, wanting to be outside every chance I had. Dad and I were always out at the lake fishing. We did not have a boat, so we either fished from the bank or we float-tubed (which is where you kick around the lake in flippers in a tube, and the fish pull you around when you hook a big one). It did not matter what time of year it was, I wanted to go fishing. I enjoy fishing for all species, and am an avid anything and everything angler! God changed my life when I was a Sophomore in high school. I went on a youth conference trip with my church to Colorado (mainly for the white water rafting), and I told myself that if God was real I was going to be open to believing and following Him on this trip. During the first night of the conference, God spoke right to me through the message being spoken by the pastor. The bible verse Galations 5:19-21 were the verses that hit home. I was shown all the sin in my life that I had been committing, and I felt God pour his love over me. From that point on I began chasing after the Lord, and He has cleaned me up along the way. Looking back, I can see God's hand on my entire life, paving the way to where I am now. I have always prayed that if fishing isn't something the Lord wants me to pursue, that he would close the door. Doors continue to be opened that only He could open. After high school, I chose to go to Northwest Missouri State University. I went there because the business professor, Brett Ware, owned his own lure company called Tightlines UV. I had always been told I needed a management and marketing degree to be a professional bass fisherman. So that's what I did. I double majored in Business Management and Marketing. In college I worked at Tightlines UV, along with three other jobs, was president of the Northwest Fishing Team, and was president of Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU). I traveled all across the nation fishing collegiate tournaments. One of my biggest feats was leading the 200 boat FLW Collegiate Open on Kentucky Lake in 2015. My partner Adam Almohtadi and I weighed a sack of 25.2lbs in a March tournament (pictured right). We ended up in 4th place in this tournament, but qualified for college nationals. After college I began fishing the professional FLW Costa Series open tournaments. I cashed a check at my first tournament on Lake Dardanelle, and qualified to fish the entry fee paid FLW Costa Championship... I ended up getting married to the woman of my dreams while that was going on, so I know I made the right choice! I have been fishing the FLW Costa Series, followed by the MLF Toyota series since 2017, and am currently fishing the same division. I am awaiting the pro circuit invite to fish professionally full time. In January of 2018, I started my YouTube channel, Fishing With Nordbye. It is because of my YouTube channel that you are even reading this on my website right now. I set a goal in 2018 to put up 150 videos, and gain 5,000 subscribers. By the end of the year, I was at 6,500 subscribers and had uploaded 162 videos! In 2023, my channel is continuing to grow at a faster pace than ever. I am over 50,000 subscribers, and I can't thank you all enough for supporting my channel, checking out my website, and reading about my roots! My roots grow deeper every day, as the Lord continues to do a work in me. I pray that I am an encouragement and an inspiration to you and others. I love you all! Be blessed! God is good! In 2023 we also made the dream come true as God opened the doors! We are fishing the Major League Fishing Tackle Warehouse Invitationals pro circuit! I am excited to see where the Lord leads us on this journey, and we will be filming it all for you along the way! Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you" |
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