Alex Redwine wants a Classic wedding.
A week after the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season finale, Redwine, 26, is set to marry Christina Howison. A great wedding gift to himself and his bride-to-be would be qualifying for his third consecutive Bass Pros Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
“I’ve missed the first two, but I’ve made the last two and I don’t want to miss any more,” Redwine said.
Redwine currently sits as the first man out in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings at 45th with 374 points. He needs good showings in the final two Elites to gain the estimated 484 points to make the Classic.
“That’ll be the lowest Classic line that it’s been in the last few years. Normally, it’s like 505 or 510,” said Redwine, privy because he’s finished just inside the bubble the past two seasons. “I need an average of like 55 points per event. I’ll have to either do decent in both or mediocre in one and really good in the other.”
After finishing in the 70s in his first two years on the Elites, Redwine made his first Classic after the 2024 season despite a late-season slip to 40th with 509 points. Last year, he climbed in the final events to 39th with 529 points.
Redwine is grateful the Elites begin their decisive Northern Swing at Lake Champlain, Aug. 13-16, before closing the season at the St. Lawrence River, Aug. 27-30.
“I’d rather be at one of these places than anywhere else,” said Redwine, who grew up Blue Ash, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. “My hope is that I survive Champlain to where I don’t have much pressure going into the St. Lawrence.
“I hate fishing with pressure. I feel like it’s every fisherman’s worst nightmare, having a weight on their shoulders. I just hope that St. Lawrence doesn’t turn into a high-pressured event to make that Classic.”
At Lake Champlain in 2023, Redwine scored his first Elite Top 10, and he was 43rd the last time there in 2024. The huge fishery will be different this time as the “old forward looker” is not allowed.
“That’s kind of an unknown,” he said. “I’ve fished a few tournaments at Champlain now, but every time I’ve utilized forward-facing sonar. There’s tons of fish in that lake, but at the same time, that lake is ginormous and it can very easily be overwhelming to break down.”
Redwine is unsure exactly what approach he’ll take, but he might gather some thoughts from road roommates. He and Jay Przekurat have run together the past few years, and they now have 2025 Classic champ Easton Fothergill and Wesley Gore sharing quarters as well as ideas.
“I feel like there’s going to be some guys who are going to try the roaming, nomadic smallmouth at Champlain,” he said. “I feel like there’s definitely going to be people who do good doing that.
“I don’t think I’m going to go that route. I think I’m just going to rely on my instincts and fish structure, whether that’s rockpiles or docks or grass and stuff like that. I think I’m just going to have to grind it out.”
Redwine wasn’t able to include Champlain on a recent scouting mission to New York, especially not with important tasks in preparing for his Sept. 6 wedding.
“I just got back to the house,” he said. “I had to do some errands for the fiance. I had to get her some new brake pads. Tomorrow is her bridal shower. We got some family coming in and stuff. We’re busy planning everything.”
At the St. Lawrence, Redwine worked to re-familiarize himself with the lake as the Elites launch from nearby Clayton, N.Y.
“I spent a handful of days up on Lake Ontario, the days that I could get out — it was pretty windy up there,” he said. “You never know how many days you’ll be able to practice efficiently, so I wanted to get out there and just kind of get a lay of the land again.”
“I’ve held my own there in tournaments, but I’ve also bombed there. I just wanted to put myself to work, so if I didn’t make the Classic it wasn’t because I didn’t work hard enough.”
Redwine posted finishes in the 20s his first two times there, but in 2024 he made a tactical error that nearly cost him his first Classic. He was well-situated in the points at 25th and tried to lay up.
“My boat at the time had 1,200 hours on the motor,” he said. “I thought if I break down and zero, there’s a chance I could miss the Classic. So I decided to stay close, and heck, I pretty much was in last place.”
With 11 pounds, 1 ounce, Redwine started in 98th place. On Day 2, he ran 200 miles and caught 21 pounds to finish 92nd. He lost 15 AOY places but still made his first Classic by 19 points.
Even if he does well at Champlain and feels comfortable heading to the St. Lawrence — he’ll celebrate his 27th birthday there on Day 1 — it’s doubtful Redwine would try to lay up again.
“I look at points but I try not to let it affect how I fish, if that makes sense,” he said. “I’m going into every tournament trying to catch them as best as I can, and these last two events are going to be no different. I’m not going to fish differently because of the position in points I’m in.”
In his fifth Elite season, Redwine said he also has to consider requalifying for the Elites.
“I’ve definitely been flirting with the edge,” Redwine said. “I feel like I need like a really good year in regards to requalification. The way the averages work for requalification, I’m one 70th place in AOY away from getting relegated.
“I think after this year I do get to drop my worst year, which will help me a lot. But I need an outlier year, something in the teens or 20s, to boost my career average, give myself more cushion for longevity on the Elite Series.”
As he attempts to get more solid footing in his career, Redwine is making sure to take care of everything on the home front. Most of his prep work for the wedding needs to be handled before he spends most of August at the two Elites, with the Buffalo Open in between.
“We’re in the middle of figuring everything out just because after St. Lawrence, I’ll only be back in town for like a week until we get married,” he said. “I’m just making sure everything’s planned and we got it all lined up because I’ll be gone so long.”
Howison is finishing up nursing school so they have yet to plan a honeymoon.
“Her schedule’s pretty strenuous,” Redwine said. “She can’t miss classes or clinicals, so we’re aiming for a honeymoon around the week of Thanksgiving. A bit delayed, and we don’t have something specific in mind, maybe some sort of all-inclusive.”
An even nicer resort could be in their future if Redwine can gift himself a third Classic qualification.
