Long before the tournament began, Easton Fothergill knew the 2026 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River was not going to be a normal derby. Fothergill entered the event in 40th place in the angler of the year standings, right on the bubble to qualify for his 4th consecutive Bassmaster Classic.
Easton knew he needed to perform; there was just one major problem.
When official practice began on the massive St. Lawrence River fishery, Fothergill was in a hospital bed in Watertown, New York. He was a long way from home and even farther from feeling healthy enough to fish.
Fothergill spent almost his entire practice in the hospital with a severe case of rhabdomyolysis. His focus shifted from finding giant smallmouth to simply getting healthy enough to compete. Yet somehow, the 24-year-old bass fishing phenom ended his week with a top ten finish, a spot in the 2027 Classic, and an extra $4,000 check from Toyota Bonus Bucks.
After ending the Lake Champlain Elite with a disappointing 95th place finish, Fothergill elected to spend the next week on Champlain figuring out where he went wrong.
The analytically minded young pro went back through areas he fished during the event, this time able to use his forward-facing sonar to learn more about his target areas and the schools of bass using them. Champlain was a no-FFS tournament for the Elite field and Fothergill wisely wanted to use all the tools available to him to improve following the event.
“It was really informative going back through areas using Livescope after the tournament concluded on Champlain,” Fothergill explained. “I did the same thing on Santee Cooper, which was another no FFS event, after that tournament ended earlier this year. I basically fished a lake with no FFS for a week, and then immediately fished the same lake and areas with the technology. It was mind blowing, and I felt like I learned more in these exercises than if I was just scoping the whole time.”
Fothergill’s determination to get better in all aspects of his craft is commendable, but it was during this extra effort that he set himself up for a dramatic season finale.
According to the young pro, he didn’t do a good job with his nutrition or hydrating during his solo time on Lake Champlain. His dehydration eventually got so bad that he was forced to lean on a slew of Elite Series peers and their families like Carl Jocumsen, Justin Atkins, Stephen Browning, and Bassmaster photographer Chase Sansom to get him off the water and some much needed help.
“I was dangerously dehydrated,” Fothergill said. “I was puking and, it may sound dramatic, but I couldn’t even walk really. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew it was serious enough that my body was shutting down.”
The silver lining is that the same youth that led to poor hydration and nutritional choices over the course of a few days at Lake Champlain, allowed Fothergill to bounce back quickly and completely in an upstate New York hospital.
Easton, who was still battling lingering symptoms, was able to spend about half a day of practice bouncing in the waves of Lake Ontario and the 1,000 Islands area. Fothergill entered the tournament with considerably less information than his fellow competitors, but he steadily climbed the leaderboard as the tournament played out.
Fothergill weighed just under 24-pounds on day one, nearly 26-pounds on day two, and rocketed into 6th place at the end of the third day of competition with a 28-pound limit that included a 7-pound, 15-ounce smallmouth behemoth; the biggest smallie the Minnesota native had ever caught.
Easton ultimately finished the event in 10th place, secured his berth in the 2027 Classic and concluded another successful season competing at the highest level of bass fishing. His goal was accomplished and his health scare the weekend prior would have been a distant memory if not for the appreciation Easton felt for so many of his peers who helped him out of a tough spot.
“So many people dropped what they were doing to help me,” Fothergill said. “Even though the tournament ended up having lots of high points, that’s what I will remember most about this event. The help I received that I could have never asked for. It was super moving and made me realize just how lucky I am to have so many great people around me. From my family to my girlfriend, to our B.A.S.S. fishing family… it’s really special.”
Fothergill earned a little extra icing on top of his season-ending cake when he learned he was the highest finishing Toyota Bonus Bucks angler in the field, adding a $4,000 payday to his bottom line. Easton’s 2023 Tundra finished the season with over 140,000 miles on it and a lot of stories to tell, as this was the truck he purchased after his year as the Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket Champion.
Fothergill plans to trade in his Tundra for a newer model this offseason, but this particular tow vehicle has been a staple in the young pro’s career.
“That truck has been really good to me,” Fothergill said with a smile. “I won two Bassmaster Opens while practically living out of that thing in 2023. Then I bought it and shortly thereafter won the 2024 Classic. I’ve won a lot of Bonus Bucks because of that thing, too. I am going to miss it but am looking forward to making memories with my new one.”
Toyota Bonus Bucks is completely free to register for, and the program pays out on over 600 bass and walleye tournaments for anglers of all levels. Sign up today or learn more at: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/.
