bassmaster classic

Sooch’s full deck of Classic snapshots

See 52 shots from 55th Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

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Photography by
Mike Suchan
Captions by
Mike Suchan
It was back to Fort Worth for the 55th Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, where the cowboy culture was prominent. This was the 19th Classic this author has covered, and it’s always a pleasure to report on the happenings at the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing.
After several days of practice on a windy Lake Ray Roberts, the 56 anglers meet at the downtown Omni hotel for the angler meeting. Photographer Andy Crawford asks the expected winning weight, and Wes Logan was among those predicting more than 70 pounds, which would break the Classic record.
Jeremiah Kindy, who we met during his qualifying victory in the 2024 Lake Ouachita Open, was all smiles. The 47-year-old from Benton, Ark., was thrilled to fulfill a lifelong dream of fishing his first championship, and he had plans of making some noise in the competition.
Alex Redwine, a 25-year-old from Blue Ash, Ohio, was among the 18 first-time qualifiers. Despite his lofty expectations, Redwine never found the big fish but caught two limits to take 39th. This photo was shot just outside the gifting suite, with each angler given a literal wagon full of merchandise from sponsors.
Longtime B.A.S.S. content producer Craig Lamb finds a quiet spot in the hotel to send in video interviews. Keeping his nose to the grindstone is in part why Lamb was recently honored as a 2025 inductee to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. Congrats again, Craig.
B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson addresses the anglers, apologizing for not wearing his custom-made boots with B.A.S.S. logo  because his suit pants wouldn’t go over them. He vowed to get a new suit. 
After the meeting, Japanese pro Kyoya Fujita checks into his room. Soon after, Maine’s Tyler Williams came to the front desk seeking help to locate his wagon of SWAG, which he tucked under a stairway while attending the meeting. A hotel worker secured it, and it was returned to Williams two hours later.
Cavender’s Boot City in the Fort Worth stockyards was site of the Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire. Fans lined up in the huge western wear store to meet anglers participating, including (from left) Beau Browning, Matty Wong, Tristan McCormick and Stephen Browning.
The winner of last year’s Pro-Am, HoodEntertainmentFishing, draws laughs from Brandon Palaniuk, Ben Cleveland of the NFL and Joey Cifuentes.
On Wednesday, the Classic participants were invited to the Night of Champions to celebrate the 2024 Bassmaster winners from every level. Tyler Campbell was among them as the Team Champion representative to the Classic. The 23-year-old from Martin, Ga., said it was his first time ever wearing a cowboy hat.
The same can’t be said for Texan Lee Livesay, who poses with his wife, Taren. Livesay was among the pre-tournament favorites, living 2 1/2 hours from Ray Roberts and posting great success there. In practice, Livesay landed a 12-plus pounder, but Taren hadn’t heard about it until the gathering. So much for spousal privilege.
The highest returning finisher from the 2021 Classic on Ray Roberts was Matt Arey, posing with his wife, Emily. The 43-year-old from Shelby, N.C., who was runner-up to Hank Cherry last time, finished 39th, but was still happy to fish his sixth Classic.
Florida’s Bobby Bakewell brought his father, Bob, founder of Bakewell’s Custom Jigs. His father led him into the fishing world and famously made a poster of his son holding an 8-2 from Lake Toho and had it signed by most of the big names in B.A.S.S.
Bringing dad was a thing for the young guns. Campbell brought father, Jason, who couldn’t have been prouder of his boy. Both enjoyed the dinner, honoring the winners, and Chris Johnston’s Angler of the Year speech.
During Classic night, first-time qualifier Wesley Gore was among the 13 Elite Series pros presented Century Club belts for topping 100 pounds in 2024. Gore weighed 115-9 in finishing seventh at the Lake Fork event, where each of the Top 10 earned belts.
After Thursday’s Media Day, the crew settled in to the stage in front of the Fort Worth Convention Center for Friday’s first LIVE show. It was a bit chilly and still windy, putting the Bassmaster LIVE crew to the test.
At the Pro-Am meet and greet, the author said he recognized comedian Lavell Crawford but couldn’t place him. “Breaking Bad,” was all he said to elicit a “Huell!” Crawford was tickled to team with Elite rookie Emil Wagner and win Wednesday’s Pro-Am on Eagle Mountain Lake. He showed up Thursday for some fun on LIVE.
The weigh-ins were held at Dickies Arena, a state-of-the-art facility. Greg Hackney, another pre-tournament favorite, shows off his catch on the monster big screen above the stage.
Jeremiah Kindy’s family and friends cheer him on as he weighed in. Kindy made the cut and took 23rd, and he won an event this past weekend on his home waters.
Lee Livesay shows off his 23-pound Day 1 to the delight of the Texas crowd.  
Trey McKinney, who had a LIVE camera each day, caught the biggest bass on Day 1 and led with 26-9. Last year on a somewhat similar fishery of Lake Fork, McKinney nearly set the all-time weight record, winning with 130-15 to become the youngest Elite champion at 19 years, one week. He turned 20 on Feb. 25 and threatened to become the youngest Classic champ, currently held by Stanley Mitchell when he won at 21 in 1981.
There were a lot of boots and hats in the GSM Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Here, redfish pro Mike Frenette found these Cavender boots a match for his jersey, but they were a bit large.
Attendees pass a Texas star made of cowboy hats as they head upstairs to more exhibits, one with a block-long line for its giveaway of combo rod/reel sets.
Throughout the week, old friends checked in, like Santa Jim, who’s pretty much a regular at the Classic. Others who made sure to stop by were superfan John Holtz and his family; Shaun Boyle, who was met on the shores of Ray Roberts during a 2016 event; and Nick Dulleck, the IGFA spotted bass world record holder, and his family.
Never shoot into the sun, unless you’re trying to create a silhouette shot like this angler waiting his turn to enter Dickies Arena. The temperatures rose into the 80s for the final two days of competition.
Youth from local fishing teams volunteer to wipe down boats before they drive up to the stage. Australian angler Carl Jocumsen enjoys not having to do it himself.
All nice and shiny for the bright lights and big screens around Dickies. A good contingent from Down Under made the long journey to watch Jocumsen. He didn’t disappoint with his 11th-place finish, his best in three championships.
A wall of light heralds Jacob Powroznik’s entrance into the arena. As always, the Classic weigh-ins are quite the production.
A crew from Texas Parks & Wildlife take great care with the bass. They empty the anglers’ bags into mobile tanks to release back into Ray Roberts.
Backstage, Hunter Shryock is interviewed by Bassmaster’s Andrew Hayes. Shryock made a run at the title – he had some of the most excited reactions to his big fish catches – but ended fourth, his best finish in five Classics.
Easton Fothergill put some distance between himself and the field when he tied for the second-best Classic day ever on Day 2. His 29-6 gave him a 54-5 for an 8-8 lead on second place.
Bassmaster had several video feeds running during the Classic. On Day 3, Fort Worth’s Chris Zaldain provided a breakdown to Dave Mercer and Kyle Jessie as Kevin VanDam waits his turn alongside Steve Bowman.
At the Phoenix Boats booth and beyond, Gerald Swindle had a long line to meet him and get a signed hat. Swindle is such a draw, some folks were left in line as he had obligations at a number of sponsor booths. Learning of their disappointment, Swindle posted a video apologizing to fans.
Jimmy Houston was among the legends working the expo, making almost every fan he met smile.
At the TNT Fireworks booth, visitors got a chance to lasso the bull. Fisher Jones, 12, of Bokoshe, Okla., gives it a shot. The name Jones didn’t throw up any alerts, but the town did. Fisher is the son of Chris Jones, who finished third in the 2021 Ray Roberts Classic.
Being Texas, you could even get a good shine on your boots at the expo.
Last year’s Classic runner-up, Adam Rasmussen, was working the show for the Rapala CrushCity booth. He’s fishing the Opens this year in hopes of qualifying for the Elite Series and another Classic.
Deion Sanders surprised and thrilled the LIVE crew with his impromptu visit. The NFL Hall of Famer is still making headlines as coach at the University of Colorado. A bass fishing fan, Sanders loved the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing and seeing all the products. Watching a nice fish catch, he asked B.A.S.S. to “take that fish to my lake.”
Tyler Rivet knows better now not to bet with emcee Dave Mercer, who made him agree to get a mohawk if he caught 25 pounds on Day 2. He did, so with his beard clippers he gave himself this ‘do. He actually did a pretty good job.
The Championship Sunday crowd gives it up for Brandon Lester, who took the hot seat before the Super Six was announced.
After the Super Six was brought on stage, Fothergill, as leader, was the last to head backstage before each came back out to weigh.
Florida’s John Cox rides back in. After 22 pounds each of the first two days, Cox weighed his smallest bag to finish sixth. It was his second-best in seven Classics.
Livesay waves his arms to get the Texas crowd riled up. The Lake Fork guide was one of only three anglers who topped 20 pounds each day. His 66-10 total was 10 pounds back of the lead but saw him finish third, his best in five Classics where he’s never been lower than 15th.
Hunter Shyrock also had more than 20 pounds each day, his 65-14 total giving him his best Classic finish at fourth.
Trey McKinney had Day 3’s top bag of 26-1 and sat in the hot seat through much of the Super Six.
The Fothergill fans were out in full force. Fothergill’s late 8-pounder made the outcome pretty much a foregone conclusion.
With 22-10, Fothergill totaled 76-15 to win the 55th Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Fothergill not only broke Kevin VanDam’s 69-11 five-fish record from 2011 on the Louisiana Delta, but he also bested Rick Clunn’s all-time mark of 75-9 from Arkansas River in 1984, when the limit was seven bass.
Fothergill became just the 44th angler and second youngest to hoist the Ray Scott Trophy.
Fothergill made it rain. The confetti might as well have been dollar bills. He earned $300,000 for the win, added a $1,000 big bass bonus and $7,000 for the CrushCity Monster Bag. He also added $20,000 from the Yamaha Power Pay program and $10,000 in Toyota Bonus Bucks.
Fothergill is an introspective, intelligent and respectful young man. He speaks humbly and softly, but carries big sticks. He’s had a remarkable run and many believe it’s indicative of what’s to come.
Joined by his family, Fothergill takes his victory lap around Dickies Arena. After the nightmare of Easton requiring surgery for a brain abscess, the Fothergills share the realization of the biggest stage’s biggest dream.

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