Alex Redwine is living out his childhood dreams this week at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour this week at Lake Ray Roberts.
After four years as a Progressive Elite Series pro, the Blue Ash, Ohio native finally qualified for the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing with a 40th-place finish in the 2023 Angler of the Year race. While his 10-pound, 11-ounce, 40th-place limit wasn’t what he was hoping to catch on Day 1, he is trying to enjoy every minute of his first Classic.
“I want to have one. I want to enjoy it and not take anything for granted,” he said. “Since I’ve arrived in Texas this week, I’ve realized I’m living 12-year-old Alex’s dream. Being able to be here and put my name in the record books (is really cool). There are hundreds of thousands of outdoorsmen who want to fish this tournament, and I get to do that.”
Redwine’s dream of eventually making it to the Classic began as an early teenager. His father tournament fished, giving Redwine a good base level to start with. From there, he competed with the Cincinnati Youth Bass Club as well as several high school series in the area.
“I always wanted to qualify for the Elites and the Classic,” Redwine said. “I never thought it could actually happen, but I believed in myself and the stars aligned. It is one of those things that is just surreal.”
Along with figuring out the smaller lakes in the area, Redwine built his smallmouth prowess which helped him when it came time to enter the Bassmaster Opens in 2021.
As an Elite angler, the southern fisheries in the early months of the year have been his weakness. He can’t necessarily explain it. It may have something to do with the prespawn not starting until April in his part of the country. But during his first two years, Redwine often found himself playing catch up.
His strong showings on smallmouth fisheries has also saved his Elite Series career.
“I’ve had to start fresh and learn these lakes I have no experience on. I’ve had a hard time relating what I’ve fished in Ohio to different parts of the country,” he explained. “I’ve never made a Top 50 cut in the first two events. It has been a mental challenge to start the year in a hole. I always have to claw myself out, whether it is in regards to requalifying or qualifying for hte Classic. It is always an uphill battle.”
Something about the 2024 season was different though. Although he started slow in Texas the first two events, Redwine found success in Florida with a 36th at Harris Chain and an 11th at the St. Johns River in April. He then notched a Top 10 at Wheeler Lake and a 29th at Smith Lake, setting himself up for a Classic berth.
An uncharacteristic 92nd at the St. Lawrence River had Redwine sweating a little, but all things worked out for a trip to Fort Worth.
“I’ve been on the sidelines the last few years and I feel like that has ignited a fire in me. I gotta be here. I don’t want to miss out on the Classic,” Redwine said. “Last year, I felt really solid. I had two solid events in Florida and Alabama. The only thing I can put together is, the events we had were later than normal. The fishing was a little tougher and I was able to settle in a little.”
His Classic qualifying season has given Redwine a needed confidence boost for the 2025 season and moving into the future.
“Making the Top 40 to fish the Classic gave me a lot of confidence and makes me feel like I belong here,” he said. “My first few years were a little troubling. Not the AOY finishes I was looking for. But now I feel like I can hang with these guys and compete with them. But you have to work for it.”
