The recent Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville is one I’ll remember on several levels. I experienced the good, the bad and some truly fun stuff.
As for the bad, I didn’t do well in the tournament. I failed to make it to the third day and can’t tell you where I finished. I don’t care to even look at the standings right now.
What makes my poor showing especially painful is the amount of effort I invested prior to our sport’s biggest event. I fished my first Classic in Knoxville in 2023 and landed near the bottom of the standings.
When B.A.S.S. announced that the Classic would return to Knoxville in 2026, I decided to work my butt off to do better. I spent a lot of time in Knoxville pre-fishing and left no stone unturned.
I caught some big ones on the Classic’s practice days, but they didn’t show up when it mattered. I have no excuses. It just wasn’t my time.
The fun stuff
Many of my friends and most of my immediate family members came to the Classic to support me. They had a great time in Knoxville and watching me on stage. The venues were within walking distance.
Monster Energy, one of my sponsors, rented a houseboat large enough to accommodate 300 people. What a cool addition to the Classic. Monster does a fantastic job of putting on events like this.
On Friday and Saturday night, competitors, their family members and industry folks were invited to board the houseboat to mingle and enjoy free beverages.
Luke Wessman, a renowned tattoo artist, was there to craft free tattoos. He has done this at many of the Monster events I’ve been to. A few days prior to the houseboat festival, our family floated the idea of us each getting an identical tattoo.
None of us had ever been tattooed. My dad’s initial response was “screw that.” But he eventually came around and decided to go for it. And, no, the free drinks on the houseboat had nothing to do with his change of heart.
However, the drinks did ease the sting while we were being tattooed. We chose to have the tattoo on the underside of our arm close to the elbow. It’s a cursive G that turns into a hook.
It’s a night I’ll never forget. I never thought we would do something like that.
The good
Knoxville is one of the coolest places to hold a Classic because the fans really show out. Despite not doing well, it was exciting to be fishing in the tournament. It fired me up to be back on that stage next year.
We did a lot of behind-the-scenes videos, including the weigh-in and the Monster houseboat party that I’ll be posting on my YouTube The Chase videos under “Cooper Gallant Fishing.” They’ll give you an idea of what Classic weekend is like as a whole.
After the Classic
I had little time to stew after the Classic. I went straight to South Carolina and put in a full day on my computer, working on videos. I also put in another day prepping for a shoot later in the week at Lake Guntersville.
The plan there is to film sponsor and lifestyle videos. I’ll be posting them on YouTube over the next month and a half. When I’m done shooting videos, I’ll get my tackle and boat ready for the Elite tournament on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway the following week.
That tournament and the next one on the Arkansas River will be grinders. It will be tough to get bit, and I’ll have to stay mentally sharp. A lot of the guys hate the grinders, but I love them.
Spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits and flipping should play on the Tombigbee, and there might be a frog bite going on. The same baits and tackle should play at the Arkansas River for the most part.
I’m 13th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings going into those tournaments. I hope to have two good finishes and pull myself up into the Top 10.
