KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Hooking bass was mostly out of the question Wednesday. The mission was to find more answers.
The 58 anglers blasted off for the final practice for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. Under light fog, the field left Volunteer Landing with high hopes of further unlocking the Tennessee River, Fort Loudoun and Tellico.
“There’s a couple things I have to accomplish today,” defending champion Easton Fothergill said. “Right now I have some shallow largemouth and also some deep smallmouth schools going. I just want to add some ammo, find a couple more schools.”
The anglers will have to account how a storm system bringing cold temperatures late Wednesday might affect fishing. Fothergill, of Grand Rapids, Minn., said he doesn’t believe the past week of temperatures near 80 will have bass spawning.
“With the cold front coming in,” he said, “I don’t think they’ll slide up to spawn, for one. And two, I think they’re going to wait for the water to come up out of winter pool to spawn.
“I still think they’ll stay put, but I just don’t know if this cold will make them bite like crazy or lock them down even more. I’m just going to have tons of baits out, just have lots of options. Hopefully today I can make sure they’re still there and then locate a couple more areas.”
Bryan Schmitt, who was second in the 2023 Classic here, has a simple goal this week.
“The gameplan this time is to do one place better,” he said.
During the three-day practice period Friday through Sunday, Schmitt, the third oldest in the field at 45, said the fishing was better than last time.
“You get this kind of warm weather in March, I don’t care where you’re at, it’s going to be good,” he said. “It’s easier to get bit and better size. I venture to say a lot of people are seeing the same things.”
Upwards of an inch of rain could fall in the region late Wednesday, and the anglers will take off to temperatures close to freezing on Friday’s first day of competition. The front won’t rise water much, but it might have water moving.
“They’re not going to let it stay up. They’re going to pull it right out of here,” Schmitt said. “It’s going to generate current and make some deals transpire for a half a day. My goal is to have a lot of options to check if it’s happening here or there. That’s the deal.
“It’s going to be strategic this week. If I’m fortunate enough, burn an area, burn an area, burn an area. That’s what I’m feeling I’ll have to do to maximize what I have, but I’m not sure how it’s going to play out.”
The presence of bigger largemouth has created a buzz this week. The biggest bass in the two previous Classics weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces. Alex Redwine of Blue Ash, Ohio, landed a 10.47 lunker before off limits.
“I checked the same place where I caught the big boy and it wasn’t there,” he said. “That was New Years Eve, the last day before cutoff for pre-practice. My first ever double-digit bass, my biggest bass ever. Apparently, this place has big fish — not sure how many.
“If someone catches one, it changes their week, quite possibly changes their life.”
First-time qualifier Dillon Falardeau of Hixson, Tenn., said he caught several big largemouth in practice, enough to total 25-8 on his first day of a week pre-fishing.
“I was like what in the world?” he said. “They’re not doing that anymore. I went straight over there and never saw a fish.”
He equated landing game-changing largemouth to finding a needle in a haystack.
“I don’t think there’s enough to get a whole limit of them,” he said “If I can catch two of them a day … that’s my gameplan, bring in a mixed bag and see what happens.”
Wisconsin’s Pat Schlapper said the overall quality of the largemouth is better and that the weights will be a lot higher than past Classics here. While he’s not one to take much heed in dock talk, he said he’s heard a number of younger anglers caught consistent bags over 20 pounds, with some approaching 30.
“It has me a little frazzled,” he said.
Tripp Berlinsky is the College Series representative. The 20-year-old from Saint Cloud, Fla., is one of three anglers fishing this week who could become the youngest Classic champ.
“That’d be pretty cool,” Berlinsky said. “This is absolutely unreal. I’m so stoked to be here.
“Somebody is bound to catch 23 a day. That’s what I’m setting my sights on. Go hunting for a couple 6s, that’s the gameplan.”
Chris Miller, 38, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, was the first to qualify for this Classic after winning the Sam Rayburn Open in February 2025.
“This is surreal, I think that’s a good word for it,” he said. “I’m just treating it like another club derby. It’s pretty amazing how much you guys lay out the red carpet. This is a dream come true just to be here.
“But we don’t want to stop there. We want to make the best of the opportunity. Hopefully we can make the right adjustments and stay on top of them.”
Miller said he’s found patterns for both smallmouth and largemouth, but said the front should change things up.
“There’s going to be some fish moving,” he said. “Those who can make the right adjustments, that’s going to be key to winning this thing.”
Falardeau, who guides on Chickamauga, agreed strategy will be critical this week, but it’s still “just fishing.”
“The biggest thing is not overthinking it,” he said. “It’s hard for me to say being my first Classic, but just keep it really simple. Once they make that move, no matter the temperature, wind, they’re going to stay. So just staying confident in your pattern.”
Schmitt said the presence of bigger largemouth should make for a tight leaderboard and enthralling event.
“It’s going to change the event. I’ve heard rumors this week of guys already catching some,” he said. “That also keeps you in it the whole event. You could be a little low the third day, then you roll into one or two of them. This is going to be cool.”