Qualifying for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods is no easy task, but it’s easy to get mesmerized by the giants of the sport who have double-digit classic streaks or are often make it to the Super Six on Championship Sunday. A Classic berth shouldn’t be taken lightly because anglers these days don’t know when they will make it back to the Super Bowl of bass fishing.
This year’s crop of Elite Series Classic first timers is a lonely party of two, but for two different reasons: Houston feels right for them. It’s been a long time coming for Bradley Roy, who is fishing in his eighth season on the Elites. He started out as a teenager who had qualified to fish against the best of the best; something he dreamed about for a while. Now, Roy qualified for his first Classic after a consistent 2016 season.
He and Drew Benton have two different routes, but one landing destination. Benton was among the 2016 crop of rookies, but don’t box him in as a “rookie” because Benton was a touring professional for a few years before appearing on the Elite Series stage. The 28-year old may be young, but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on his calm, cool demeanor. The 2016 Rookie of the Year capped his season with three Top 12’s and a trip to the eight-angler Classic Bracket Challenge.
Benton’s former pastime is the sport of baseball, something he played in college, so it is fitting that his first Bassmaster Classic weigh-in will be held in a baseball stadium. That is a first for a Bassmaster Classic and something Benton is excited to experience.
Roy comes from a fishing family and has tremendous support throughout his career. Seeing his father Anthony at the final practice launch shows the admiration a father has for his son. The support has helped for sure, but the family presence at the Classic is vital to success it seems. Roy knows when he rolls through weigh-in and holds up his fish that there will be cheers from loved ones who know exactly what he has endured to get to the biggest stage of all. With the big stage comes nerves. For most first-year Classic anglers, they haven’t been around the heavy hitters on the Elite Series, but for Roy they have been his coworkers and competitors for nearly a quarter of his life.
“I don’t feel as nervous as I think I probably should,” Roy said. “It’s kind of a relief feeling, but also one of excitement. Being around these anglers daily makes the bright Classic lights seem a little less bright and not pointed directly on me.”
Roy took time to come to Conroe before the off-limits period and caught some giant fish, including his personal best, which he tallied to be at least 10 pounds. While at Conroe he practiced with a different mindset and perspective for the late March slugfest.
“I got a big boost of confidence when I caught some giants on Conroe during pre-practice,” Roy said. “I knew they lived there, but to catch a couple, see what they lived on was big. I really tried to prepare like it was a normal Elite Series event, but with 52 boats instead of 110.”
Meanwhile, Benton was pitted against the best anglers in the world and started his Elite career on the right foot as he landed a Top 12 at the St. Johns River to start 2016. After a pretty successful first half to his season, the thought of a Classic qualification began to creep in after he notched another Top 12 at Cayuga Lake in upstate New York.
“This is the one tournament that every bass fisherman ever wants to be a part of,” Benton said. “I wasn’t so sure it would happen this soon since it was my first year on the Elites, but having a few years under my belt helped prepare me.”
The former Florida State catcher will roll through Minute Maid Park, but won’t be rounding the bases in cleats. Rather he’ll take a ride around the ballpark in his Toyota Tundra/Phoenix rig.
“There was a point in my life where I wanted to pursue professional baseball, but when it came time to choose which direction at the proverbial fork in the road, I gave it up and went with fishing,” Benton said. “It’s really ironic that my first Classic is in a major-league ballpark because baseball was such a big part of my life before fishing. As long as I enjoy it and take it all in, I think I’ll be just fine in Houston.”
Roy and Benton have taken two different routes to get to Houston for their first career Classic, but neither will overlook how big this is for their careers. The two anglers in their mid-20’s look to prove that they are the future of the sport and that this won’t be the last Classic they will compete in.