Fantasy Fishing: All-in on a "new" fishery

Written by

Pete Robbins

The Bassmaster Classic is headed back to the Tennessee River out of Knoxville for the third time, but those of you who are thinking it’ll be the same old, same old are in for a surprise. While the basic contours remain what they were when Ott DeFoe won in 2019 and when Gussy won in 2023, the fishery itself – and some of the rules by which they’ll play – are significantly different.

First, there’s the smallmouth factor. In previous Knoxville Classics, they had to be 18 inches, which meant that few targeted them and those who did – like the Great Canadian Snow Leopard – had to throw back some fish nearing 4 pounds. Now, it’s 15 inches, which means more anglers may target them, but too many and they may end up splitting the pie into too many pieces.

Second, there’s the largemouth factor. Recent springtime tournaments have consistently produced 7- and 8-poundrers, and there are 10s, too. Expect the big fish record for this Classic venue to be shattered – and one or two giants can push an also ran to angling immortality.

Ott won with 49 pounds, 3 ounces. Gussy produced 42-7. Everyone I’ve talked to who’s in the know suggests that it’ll take at least 18 pounds a day to win this time. That likely means different areas, different techniques, and possibly different types of anglers in the hunt. There’s also the FFS factor – love it or hate it, it plays a role in every tournament where it’s allowed, and could be a difference maker, even between two anglers on the same bite in the same area.

The Classic is often the hardest tournament to pick in Fantasy Fishing because even though the field is reduced, there are different incentives. No one is “chasing a check” – or, if they are, they shouldn’t be there in the first place. Everyone I’m picking is someone who knows how to win when it matters, who won’t be fazed by the lights, and can bring in big bags when everyone else is hitting singles. Here are my picks:

BUCKET A: THE KID

BIG HITTER: Why am I picking Trey McKinney to win it all? Because the kid always seems to be in the hunt, no matter where they’re fishing, with or without FFS. If you just wrote him in in ink in every tournament, you’d get disappointed with one dud a year, but the rest of the time you’d be sitting pretty. There’s no doubt he’s done his homework, and he was the runner-up in last year’s Classic. Ride this horse until it tells you it can’t run any more.

DON’T SLEEP ON: Jay Przekurat has the same type of track record as McKinney, just over a longer period of time and with a little less fanfare. He’s a true technician, always in the Top 10 in AOY and one title away from becoming one of the sport’s true superstars – while still just in his mid-20s. Unlike McKinney, he’s fished a Knoxville Classic, and came in 7th.

BUCKET B: THE BAIT WIZARD

BIG HITTER: Knoxville is one of two Classic venues that’s produced a non-American winner, and you shouldn’t be surprised if it’s the first one to have two of them. The field is stocked with Canadians and Japanese pros, but Kyoya Fujita may be the least understood of all – and you know with some certainty that there’s a special dice or urchin style bait he’s been holding back for just such an occasion. He’s been just OK in two Classic appearance, but this one sets up better for him that Tulsa or Ft. Worth.

DON’T SLEEP ON: Whereas Fujita, McKinney and Przekurat represent the new guard of angling, a win from 45 year old Bryan Schmitt – the runner-up in Knoxville last time – would be a victory for the old guard. He can certainly use FFS to supplement his game, but it’s his knowledge of current that will matter most if he’s in position to win.

BUCKET C: THE RIVER RAT

BIG HITTER: Coosa River expert Wes Logan had a middling appearance in Knoxville in 2021, and hasn’t fished a Classic there, but he’s a threat any time the Elites visit a river and he knows how to close the deal. This one is just a hunch, but he wins enough and threatens to win enough that it seems like a good low player percentage bet.

DON’T SLEEP ON: Logan’s friend and pseudo-mentor Bill Lowen, like Schmitt (above) would mark a victory for the old guard if he were to win. Expect him to look for some out-of-the-way backwater full of giants looking to spawn. If he has someplace like that all to himself, he could gain his first Classic trophy in 12 attempts.

BUCKET D: NUTTIN BUT NET

BIG HITTER: Knoxville angler Dylan Nutt made it through the B.A.S.S. Nation to get here, and while his angling resume may seem shorter than those held by the rest of the field, the University of North Alabama student isn’t short on confidence, experience or savvy. Besides, I’m sure Mercer is already thinking of creative and PG-rated ways to announce Nutt’s possible victory.

DON’T SLEEP ON: If you can’t bring yourself to pick a Nation qualifier, think about Andrew Loberg, the one member of the Surge Squad who has yet to win at B.A.S.S. and therefore is undervalued. The sophomore Elite is remarkably versatile and is a low-percentage pick. I’m not sure if the housemates share information, but they do share attitude and that may matter almost as much.

BUCKET E: THE HEIR APPARENT

BIG HITTER: Randy Howell is not in this derby trying to earn his second Classic title, but Laker Howell will be there to represent his family. While he somehow fell short of making the Elites through the EQs, he hardly struggled – with both an Open win and an EQ win in 2025. In a winner-take-all event like the Classic, that’s what you want, someone who shows up on the final day.

DON’T SLEEP ON: If you can’t bring yourself to pick a non-Elite twenty-something, consider Casey Scanlon, a former Elite with two B.A.S.S. wins, one of them last year.