A Connecticut hamburger cook works by night and fishes by day, joins a bass club and comes from nowhere to win bass fishing’s most prized title. That would be the most unlikely storyline ever for winning a Bassmasters Classic. Yet it happened in 1994 and has not happened since then.
The odds were stacked against Bryan Kerchal to make that fantasy storyline reality. Perhaps that’s why the odds were heavily in his favor to garner the most votes in the GOAT Bassmaster Tournaments Fan Poll.
Fans voted to determine the rankings from a selection of 20 epic tournaments spanning five decades of Bassmaster competition, and Kerchal’s 1994 Classic win took the top spot. View Clip
Kerchal’s epic journey began in 1993 when the Housatonic Valley Bassmasters member won the Connecticut state berth in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. He then advanced to the Classic at the age of 22. Kerchal finished in last place.
Kerchal was soon back on track to return to the Classic after winning the state championship, advancing to the national championship and earning the divisional spot in the 1994 Classic.
Kerchal would stun the bass fishing world by winning the Classic as the only amateur bass club angler to win the sport’s world championship, doing so by a margin of 4 ounces. His winning weight of 36 pounds, 7 ounces, surpassed the 36-3 caught by veteran Tommy Biffle. Other seasoned pros in contention were Denny Brauer, Guido Hibdon and Rick Clunn, making the victory even more monumental. Kerchal’s win became known as ‘The Dream,’ an inspiring true story of someone who didn’t fit the quintessential mold of a world championship bass angler.
Tragedy struck just four months later. On Dec. 13, 1994, Kerchal, 23, was killed in a commuter plane crash while returning home from a sponsor engagement. Today, Kerchal’s memory lives on in dreams and reality. The Bryan Kerchal Trophy is awarded to the national championship winner. And his story continues to inspire all.
Here are the second- through fifth-place greatest moments as voted by the fans.
2. 2014 Classic, Lake Guntersville — Randy Howell achieves remarkable comeback from 11th place on final day to win Classic. View Clip
3. 2008 Bassmaster Elite, Lake Falcon — Paul Elias sets Elite Series winning weight record of 132-8; 12 finalist earn Century Club belts. View Clip
4. 2011 Classic, Louisiana Delta — Kevin VanDam wins fourth Classic, overcomes fog delay, sets Classic weight record. View Clip
5. 1984 Classic, Arkansas River — Rick Clunn sets record weight, delivers patriotic speech with two future presidents on stage. View Clip
Other top finishers:
6. 2019 Elite, St. Johns River — Clunn breaks his own record for agelessness by winning again at age 72, rallying from eighth place with a final day catch weighing 34-14.
7. 1971 Classic, Lake Mead — Bobby Murray wins first world championship at a mystery lake. View Clip
8. 1989 Classic, James River — Hank Parker wins second Classic when Jim Bitter drops potential winning fish. View Clip
9. 1988 B.A.S.S. MegaBucks — Larry Nixon wins first of four MegaBucks, with fan-favorite 10-pound bass jump appearing in opening of The Bassmasters TV show. View Clip
10. 2016 Elite, St. Johns River — At the age of 69, Clunn becomes oldest Elite winner after rebounding from 31st place; reciting “never accept that your greatest moments are in your past” in his victory speech. View Clip
