IN THE BEGINNING:
Dave put himself into official bass tournament training at the ripe old age of 12, soon after being given his first original floating Rapala. After graduating from Fort LeBoeuf High School, he entered the Bassmasters of Crawford County club at the age of 17 and won the AOY in his first season against some of the best anglers in the region at that time. He would go on to win that award 4 times in a row, earning a traveling trophy, named “Miss Awesome”. At last count, Dave, along with various partners throughout the next 15 years, won more than 160 tournaments, including several state and regional titles. In 2000, Dave attended his first professional bass tournament weigh-in at the Potomac River in Maryland, where he got to meet some of his longtime heros. In 2002, Dave won his first major “semi-pro” event on the Mississippi River in Minnesota. He started his professional career in 2003 and won his first FLW Tour tournament the following year on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee. The rest as they say…is history!
FAMILY:
Together with his wife, Anne, they have tried to raise their two kids, Mitchell and Macy in the same fashion. For 15 years on the FLW Tour, the Lefebres homeschooled their children and traveled the country together in a 38 ft fifth-wheel camper, basically living most of each year on the road. But just few years ago, that lifestyle all changed. Now Dave’s kids are in public school and he travels solo, coming home to Erie, Pennsylvania between events. When home, Dave enjoys going to Macy’s basketball games, watching Mitchell play drums in the marching band, kicking his dog, Isabella, out of his side of the bed, filming TV shows around his hometown, and fishing whenever he gets the chance.
IN THE GAME:
Yes, Dave is in a video game, allowing thousands of kids from all over the world to continually beat him on the virtual water. He’s much better in real life! Buy it!
IN THE BUGGY:
Dave is not an Amish man, but he played one on TV…kind of? After being challenged by a fan, Dave found an Amish family willing to tow his $80K bass boat to the lake. This entire experience was filmed for an episode of Dave’s TV show, called Erie Extreme. You can watch that episode, called “Horsing Around”, and many more here.
IN THE MONEY:
Dave has been blessed throughout his career so far, giving all the glory to God. He has won tournaments and AOYs at every level of the sport thanks to the help and support of his family and industry-leading sponsors. Dave’s stats are impressive, his times in the money, top 10 finishes, tournament victories and championship appearances put him among the all-time leaders in professional tournament fishing. Dave Lefebre’s career earnings now approach $3 million and counting.
ON THE COVER:
Gracing magazine covers has been a Lefebre family affair for many years. Dave has appeared on dozens of magazine covers and has been featured in thousands of articles in more than 200 different publications throughout his fishing career. Though bass pay the bills, Dave also talks everything from crappie, musky and walleye to ice fishing and kayak fishing.
IN THE OFFICE:
Dave’s Ranger Z520L bass boat is his office. It offers the most comfortable boat seat on the market, the best Lowrance computers in the business and the biggest windows on Earth. It’s the perfect place to get some work done.
ON THE SHOW: erieEXTREME
Erie Extreme is not your “typical” fishing show! It is a reality-based TV show which follows professional fisherman, Dave Lefebre, and a few friends, as they rediscover their own backyard and surrounding region. It’s about the places, the culture, and the people with a little bit of outdoor exploration and humor mixed in!
Erie Extreme is safe for the whole family. So enjoy our channel, COMMENT, like us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram…and please spread the word if you like what you see!
ON THE TOUR:
Dave has competed as a full time professional tournament angler since 2003, when he entered the national scene as a rookie on both the Bassmaster and FLW Tours. Being forced to chose leagues the following season, Dave went on to compete on the FLW Tour, where he did so at the highest level for 13 seasons. In 2016, he got the invite to be a part of Major League Fishing and also moved over the Bassmaster Elite Series that same season. In the fall of 2018, Dave was invited to fish on the all new Major League Fishing and Bass Pro Tours along with 80 of the best anglers in the world. This marks a new era in Pro Bass fishing! The Bass Pro Tour and Major League Fishing can be seen on The Discovery Channel, CBS, CBS Sports, The Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman’s Channel.
ON THE ICE:
To say Dave is addicted to ice-fishing would be a huge understatement. In fact, Dave says he fishes professional tournaments in order to support his ice-fishing habit. During the tour offseason, Dave can be found hiking across several different local lakes and bays in search of crappies, perch, or bluegills and walleyes. He’s turned his passion for the hard water into a small business of its own, hosting and attending various ice-fishing media events, assisting writers and photographers, and helping to promote a few ice sponsors each winter too.
IN THE YAK:
This new hobby (addiction) came about from a fan of Dave’s TV show, Erie Extreme, who challenged Dave to catch some fish without the luxury of a fancy bass boat and all the space age gadgets. The following week, Dave was presented the opportunity to help test out a new prototype kayak called a Bonafide, and again, made a TV show from the experience. To make a long story short, Dave has been hooked on kayak fishing ever since. He now owns his own Bonafide SS127 and tries to get out in it every chance he gets. Dave filmed his latest kayak adventure where he entered a KBF regional tournament on Lake Erie, which he won $10,000. Could there be more kayak tournaments in Dave’s future?
