While most kids dream about winning Game 7 of the World Series or scoring in overtime to win the Stanley Cup (a big one in Canada), my dream was always to win the Bassmaster Classic. As a kid, I had moments when I pretended to be Rick Clunn, Guido Hibdon or Denny Brauer, catching a big bass in the final minutes to win the tournament. Later, as I was making my way as a professional bass angler and eventually to the Bassmaster Elite Series, I never thought that I couldn’t win the Classic. It was just one of those things that you never think is going to happen to you. Then, three days of fishing changed my life in 2023, when I left Knoxville, Tenn., with the Ray Scott Bassmaster Classic Trophy.
Knoxville is a special place to me because it is where both of my professional wins took place. The first was an Elite Series win in 2021 that came after I found an area full of smallmouth late in practice, then caught limits of them for four days straight. I really didn’t know what I had found heading into that tournament. It was one of the worst practices that I had ever had, and then I caught a few smallmouth using a jighead-minnow technique that I had caught thousands of them on around home but had never really experienced much success with down South. Look at where we’re at now with the jighead and minnow!
The 2021 win was special, but it was during COVID-19, so none of my friends or family from home could attend because of closed borders. I think what made the Classic win feel like so much more in 2023 was that I had so many friends and family attend.
Knoxville is just a phenomenal city for a Classic. It’s not too big, and it felt like everyone there was really supportive of the event. It’s so convenient because the takeoff, weigh-in and Expo are all within walking distance of each other. None of the other five Classics that I’ve fished have had that. The celebration on Sunday after the tournament was incredible and went late into the night.
I could say that weekend in Knoxville really completed my career because a lot of good opportunities came from it. People would honk when they passed me on the interstate, with their thumbs up. There were invitations for appearances, writing jobs and more guide trips around home. Some of my sponsorship opportunities got better. Almost three years later, I still have moments where I can’t believe it actually happened.
After the tournament I received hundreds of messages from people, mostly from friends that I had met along my journey through the fishing industry, but one really stuck with me. Rick Clunn sent me a video message congratulating me but also reminding me not to get complacent or take my foot off the gas.
That message is resonating with me these days as I look back on a really tough 2025 Elite Series season. For the first time, I missed qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic. It’s a heartbreaker because the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing is back in Knoxville this year, and I’ll be on the sidelines, hanging out at the Expo. I don’t think I intentionally got complacent or didn’t put all I had into competing in 2025, but maybe I had just a little bit too much on my plate? I made mistakes and maybe just didn’t have the same hunger to succeed that I have had in the past. Around home in the fall, I spent as much time as I could in the boat, fishing a variety of water bodies and just working on my game. I feel like that’s the best thing that I can do to get better and get results back on track. I’m excited for a good season in 2026.
Soon, somebody is going to win the 2026 Classic, and it’s going to be a life-changer for that angler. The whole week is so fun to be a part of. It’s the one week of the year when the anglers kind of get the rock star treatment, but the weekend will turn into a pressure cooker for the anglers that are in the mix heading into the final day. They’re not going to get a lot of sleep, and they have to juggle a lot of outside noise. I can remember feeling relieved on Sunday when I got out on the water and actually got to fish.
The best advice I have for the winner is to try to enjoy every moment, especially the Champion’s Toast that will happen on Sunday evening back at the host hotel. Those few hours spent getting to visit and take photos with everybody was probably my favorite part of the whole weekend. It’s a good celebration with your friends, family, anglers and the Bassmaster team. Take it all in and enjoy it!
If you have never been to a Bassmaster Classic, Knoxville is the place you want to attend to take in this awesome experience. You can watch the morning takeoff, visit the massive Expo and then enjoy the weigh-in without any big drives. The city has great places to eat and just a fun atmosphere. You will have a good time! I hope to see you there.
Fishing On The Tennessee River
In the two events that I have fished on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville, I have only weighed in smallmouth bass. While largemouth bass are more plentiful, I feel like smallmouth are an important ingredient to winning on that body of water. Both times I fished there, I felt like I was fortunate to find schools of smallmouth that were untouched. While I expect that a lot more anglers are going to be looking for smallmouth than there were in the past events, my expectation is that somebody is going to find a sneaky area and catch good limits three days in a row to win. That’s what I would be looking for if I was fishing.
Originally appeared in Bassmaster Magazine 2026.
