bassmaster classic

Sooch’s 56 shots of 56th Classic

The Tennessee River was more productive, but connections are king at bass fishing’s biggest celebration.

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Captions by
Mike Suchan
Twenty! Although fewer than many, I notched my 20th championship at the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. In the first few, it was all about the fishing, who competed and who won. It’s much more now, especially connecting with anglers who might compete another 20 years, or some we may never see cross the big stage again.
A late-arriving flight Tuesday, thus missing the angler meeting and gifting suit activities, meant the first official act of covering the event came early Wednesday at takeoff for the final practice. Defending champ Easton Fothergill, whose journey to his first Classic was detailed in this post, was consulted on his plan as he stood with girlfriend Elizabeth Proffitt. Last year, Fothergill’s plan worked to perfection. In winning at Lake Ray Roberts, he set the overall Classic weight record, tied for second-best daily bag, and became the second youngest to win. He had a shot to repeat this time, including leading after Day 1, but he ended up fourth.
Bryan Schmitt was the highest finisher among those returning from the last Knoxville Classic in 2023. Runner-up to Jeff Gustafson, he had a simple goal, and quote of the day. “The game plan this time is to do one place better,” he said. After two fish on Day 1, he zeroed and wound up last. Ouch.
College qualifiers always make for good stories, and Tripp Berlinsky represented the purple and gold of the University of North Alabama well. The personable 20-year-old was among the three anglers who could have eclipsed Stanley Mitchall (21) as youngest winner. And he looked like he was having fun throughout the week.   
At 20, Fisher Anaya was the youngest angler in the field of 58 and perhaps the hottest. Anaya was coming off an Elite title at Lake Martin after joining the top circuit as Elite Qualifier Angler of the Year. He then won the Team Classic Fish-Off’s berth to get to Knoxville. Bassmaster TV’s Davy Hite rides out to spend the day with Anaya, who stood second after the first day before finishing 13th.
Another hot angler was Laker Howell, a legacy hopeful navigating his own way. His father, Randy Howell, won the 2014 Classic on Lake Guntersville, and the 24-year-old followed his footsteps quite well. Double qualifying with two Opens wins last year, Laker had high hopes, but three fish over two days left him 55th.
Seemingly concentrated solely on the task at hand, Dylan Nutt heads out for his final practice. The 22-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., qualified from the B.A.S.S. Nation. He was the third and final qualifier from National Championship at La Crosse, making the Classic by 4 ounces. He possessed focus and knowledge after scouting more than a month on the fishery.
Later that day, it was Night of Champions, where the anglers, wives, dates and plus ones gussy up for a banquet. Trey McKinney and his mother, Kim, pose for a shot before heading on the bus to The Mill & Mine. Champions in every B.A.S.S. circuit were acknowledged, and two-time AOY Chris Johnston gave another concise and humorous speech.
In the full light of day, Berlinsky’s purple-dyed mustache was more readily evident. He was genuinely ecstatic to experience everything Classic.
First-time qualifier Dillon Falardeau, who guides down river at Lake Chickamauga, also was thrilled to partake in Classic festivities with wife, Brittany. Falardeau, a 31-year-old Opens winner, had great hopes as he caught a 25-pound bag on his first day of pre-practice. Of course, they were all gone Classic week. After a stingy first day, Falardeau busted a monster bag to make the cut, making his Classic much more enjoyable.
The 11 anglers who caught more than 100 pounds in the 2025 Elites were also awarded Century Club belts. The author poses with Wesley Gore (left), who we photographed last year with a belt, and Paul Marks, an Elite champ at Lake Hartwell. Both were among the Top 10 who topped 100 pounds on Lake Fork.
Gathering for photos after the ceremony was The Surge Squad. From left are Paul Marks and Cate Cuccinello, Emil Wagner, Andrew Loberg and Kennedi Howle, and Tucker Smith with Morgan McKinney. We shared a few laughs, and Loberg, known as Bergazoid, got his crew to start calling me Soochazoid.
Borrowing some belts, Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer and B.A.S.S. manager of digital technology Chad Manering mug for cameras.
Day 1 on the Bassmaster LIVE set outside the Knoxville Convention Center was chilly, and the TV crew of Tommy Sanders, Davy Hite and Mark Zona bundled up. The fingers and toes did get cold in the 30-degree temps, but like the fishing, things warmed up.
The crew watched fans line up to enter the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by TNT Fireworks. Inside, Elite pro Cody Huff explains some fishing tactics to fans at the Bass Pro Shops tank. Of course, he would have rather been competing.
Rick Clunn holds court while signing autographs for some young fans. The Expo was absolutely mobbed with fans hobnobbing and scouring for deals. The Expo set a record for most exhibitors in a Classic. Talk was some had such good deals they sold out of merchandise.
The weigh-ins were over at the Food City Center, where Caleb Hudson shows off his catch in his first Classic. We hung out with Hudson and his father, Jeremey, on Classic Night. Hudson won on Lake Okeechobee to qualify and is among the young guns making noise in the tournament world.
Some young fans couldn’t stop knocking together the inflatable Mercury thundersticks. B.A.S.S. made a concerted effort to condense the weigh-in length this year to the pleasure of many.
About to enter the arena, JT Thompkins was proud to show off his best bass, a 5-plus that helped the third-year Elite from Myrtle City, S.C., weigh 18-15 on Day 1.
Opens qualifier Chris Miller, 38, was grinning each time I saw him during his first Classic Week. Despite just two fish on Day 1, Miller regales in speaking with one of the 416 credentialed media members from five countries — a Classic record.
Matt Dowd, another digital wizard for B.A.S.S., sits behind stage with three computers running. Dowd oversees tournaments and the angler database, offering information like angler ages (which we’ve been using plenty of late) and facts like 758 anglers have now competed in Classics. A dive into those numbers includes 61 anglers with 10 or more appearances and 413 with one qualification.
The weigh-in stage was on the other side of the curtain shrouding Dowd. Here, Thompkins shows off his fish on stage.
Bassmaster LIVE got Mossed. Randy Moss, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, joined the set for a segment, where friend Mark Zona asked him to announce a fish catch. Moss fished the Pro-Am with Hunter Shryock.
Another big-name guest was Steve Harvey, also a huge fan of bass fishing. Also asked to announce a catch, Harvey had folks laughing with his exclamations.
Here’s a look from up high on how B.A.S.S. transformed the Food City Center. A Bass Pro Shop mini-blimp circles the arena and dropped some gift cards. Loberg was on stage showing his Day 2 move from 39th to inside the cut.
Down inside the media center, Carter Nutt, twin brother to Dylan, and Bryce Dimauro of North Alabama celebrate their College Classic win on Watts Bar Lake.
Outside, youth fishing teams from the area volunteer to make the competitors’ boat shine for their drive across the arena floor.
The fringe benefit of their rubdowns is rubbing elbows with  competitors and getting autographs and swag. Cory Johnston signs a jersey.
Kyle Welcher shows off a kicker that helped him weigh 18-4 on Day 2 and move inside the cut from 32nd. He wound up 11th but was glad not to spend Sunday working the Expo. This healthy bass helped show the growth of the fishery. In the 2019 and 2023 Classics here, limits were at a premium and the average fish weighed 2-4. This time, the average weigh was right at 3 pounds.
Dakota Ebare held the limelight on Day 2 for his monster catch of 7-2. It helped the Texas pro to one of six 20-pound bags on the day and a Top 10 finish. Just days later, Ebare announced wife, Shelby, gave birth to Bowen Cade Ebare. “He weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces, which is so wild that it’s exactly what the meanmouth weighed when I weighed the fish on the boat!” he wrote.
As College Classic qualifier, Berlinsky rode in style with a North Alabama adorned rig. And he fished pretty well, too. He finished 17th to become the fifth of 15 from college qualifiers to advance to Championship Sunday.
Seth Feider, back for his seventh Classic after missing the past two years, tosses hats to the splash zone crowd.
Drew Cook brought in the Mercury Big Bass of the 2026 Classic. His 7-5 bolstered a 22-8 limit that put him second going into the final day.
The biggest day, however, came from Dylan Nutt. He shows off two 6-pound bass that came late in the day. Each culled about 2 pounds, giving him the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the 2026 Classic at 26-11. Nutt went into Championship Sunday with a 3-15 lead on Cook, 5-10 on Fothergill and 7-15 on Thompkins.
Justin Atkins, who posted 22-10 on Day 2 to move to fifth, goes through TV interviews with JM Associates. Cameraman Ben Oliver had a fancy setup of lighting and a sliding camera while JM’s J.P. Bodiak presented a list of questions to Atkins.
The LIVE camera crew from Knoxville, who experienced cold, wind and afternoon heat, share a laugh during a break in Championship Sunday’s coverage. With FOX carrying broadcasts, 2026 was the most-matched Bassmaster Classic with 6.5 million viewers.
Inside the Expo, the Bass Pro Shops booth had a flurry of activity. Johnny Morris’ company has been a stalwart supporter of B.A.S.S. and its mission.
Gary Clouse, who runs Phoenix Boats, watches over his monster booth. The former Elite pro continues his support of B.A.S.S. circuits by sponsoring bonuses for big bass, a favorite topic of this scribe.
There were plenty of activities for kids at the Expo, including a hunting game. Notice how little sister wears a foam flag hat from TNT Fireworks.
Must be a theme. Lee Livesay, who finished just outside the cut, greets fans at the Expo on Sunday while his daughter finds a unique way to wear her hat. Lee wondered out loud if it was wise to bring her to the Expo.
The B.A.S.S. booth was hopping with shoppers looking for the latest offerings in apparel.
At Toyota’s booth, Elite pro Matt Arey provides comments for a live stream of the competition. It was Arey’s first missed Classic since starting with the Elites in 2019.
Bass Pro Shops had its fingerprints on numerous aspects at the Classic, including a monster bass bouncy house that allowed parents to allow their kids to let off some steam.
There was a good crowd at Food City Center for the final weigh-in. The fans came out in force to Knoxville, with more than 160,000 attending the venues.
The Super Six is announced with fanfare. Dylan Nutt came out seeming to know he would end up winning.
The anglers chose seating sections for their families, and Jennifer Cook leads the cheering for Drew Cook, who ended up finishing seventh.
The Classic brings together the world. Traveling from Japan, Yui Aoki’s wife, Shiho, and his parents, Hiromi and Yuji, cheer him on. Aoki, an Opens winner, finished third in his first Classic. We ran into Aoki and Shiho later that night as they checked out of the hotel, and despite a language barrier we figured out how to transfer photos, which they appreciated to help document the occasion.
While each competitor felt some glory, this Classic was dominated by Dylan Nutt. He weighed 20-13 on Championship Sunday to win with 66-13, the fourth highest winning total in the Classic’s five-fish era.
B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson watches from below as Nutt hoists the 56th Classic trophy. Nutt became just the second B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier to win a Classic. Fry cook Bryan Kerchal famously won in 1994 but died six months later in a plane crash.
Nutt flashes a winning smile as the second consecutive 22-year-old to win the Classic. Fothergill was 22 years, 9 months old when he won in 2025. Nutt won at 22 years, 3 months to become the second youngest after Stanley Mitchell won at 21 years old in 1981.
The family was invited on stage, and a tearful Carter rushed to embrace his twin while younger brother, Garrett, and mother, Emily, display pure joy. Dad, Michael, shows off his new Classic champion hat.
Expect this name to show up a lot this year and many to follow. Dylan Nutt is expected to be a force in the bass fishing world as the 45th person to ever win a Classic.
The Nutt family hops in Dylan’s boat for a victory ride across the arena — Carter was just starting to recover from his emotional ride.
In the decompression room before media interviews, the Nutt family and Dylan’s girlfriend, Braleigh Jackson, pose for a photo session with Seigo Saito.
The excitement and joy ramp up when the Nutt boys’ high school coaches enter the room.
Carter (left) and Dylan Nutt have identical plans for long careers in bass fishing, and there’s no reason to doubt it. The victory qualifies Dylan for the 2027 Elite season, and he’ll be at the 2027 Lake Hartwell Classic attempting to defend his title.

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