BASSTrakk shows Ott DeFoe in second place and while it’s early in the game, and the season, being there comes with a tinge of irony.
The 2019 Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods is on the very opposite end of this very Tennessee River. That side of the river is DeFoe’s home water. In fact, I was at his home outside Knoxville for a Toyota Bonus Bucks photo shoot the day prior to the Classic announcement. DeFoe lives on the Holston River, which marks the beginning of the Tennessee River just outside of Knoxville.
As we stood on his back porch, overlooking the river, DeFoe expressed excitement about the chance to compete in a Classic on the very waters where he learned to fish. That all comes with the mental burden of first qualifying for the Classic.
“This announcement came after just one Elite Series tournament,’ he told me. “That makes the season for me and the other guys from around here much longer than normal.”
DeFoe is off to a good start in the right direction. The Toyota Angler of the Year standings show him in 15th place. A strong finish on familiar water, putting him solidly on the top side of the AOY standings, will be beneficial for the unknowns ahead on the schedule. The types of fisheries coming up are the reason. Next up is the tidal Sabine River and then the Midwest turn to the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and then the big unknown, Lake Oahe in South Dakota. The good news for DeFoe is his win on the Mississippi River in 2016.
None of the above has gone through DeFoe’s mind. It shouldn’t. But a good finish here will certainly make the drive back home easier when he looks out his back porch.