What’s the greatest moment in Bassmaster tournament history? The opinions run wide and deep in a debate that spans over five decades. The winning bass slips from the hands of a potential world champion. The greatest bass angler of all time wins not once, but twice to break his own record for agelessness. More than once, Classic winners face seemingly insurmountable odds to bounce back from potential defeat. You name it, it’s happened over the decades at Bassmaster tournaments.
What better way to settle the score than let the fans decide?
You can cast your vote from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 and before you do, watch Dave Mercer’s Oh-Fish-Ally Unofficial podcast. The Bassmaster Elite Series emcee will run through the choices, and you can also watch video clips of all 20 moments when the poll opens for votes.
Rankings for the Top 20 greatest all-time tournaments will be revealed Nov. 4 on Bassmaster.com. Here’s a preview of the choices.
1967 All American Bass Tournament (Beaver Lake) — Ray Scott conducts a tournament to rally support for his idea of creating a professional circuit, with 106 anglers from 13 states paying the $100 entry fee. In 1968, B.A.S.S. is officially incorporated and the current tournament trail is born.
1971 Classic (Lake Mead) — Bobby Murray wins first world championship at mystery lake. View Clip
1984 Classic (Arkansas River) —Rick Clunn sets record weight, delivers patriotic speech with two future presidents on stage. View Clip
1988 B.A.S.S. MegaBucks (Harris Chain) — Larry Nixon wins first of four MegaBucks, with fan-favorite 10-pound bass jump appearing in opening of The Bassmasters TV show. View Clip
1989 Classic (James River) — Hank Parker wins second Classic when Jim Bitter drops potential winning fish. View Clip
1990 Classic (James River) — Rick Clunn wins fourth Classic, climbing from 10th on final day. View Clip
1994 Classic (High Rock Lake) — Bryan Kerchal, a fry cook from Connecticut, becomes only B.A.SS.. Nation winner. View Clip
2001 Florida Top 150 (Lake Toho) — Dean Rojas sets single-day record of 45-2, becomes first 20-bass Century Club member with winning weight of 108-12. View Clip
Need help making your selections? Watch the clips!
We’ve raided the video vault for some pivotal moments.
2006 Elite (Lake Amistad) — Ish Monroe wins first Bassmaster Elite with 104-8. View Clip
2008 Elite (Lake Falcon) — Paul Elias sets Elite Series winning weight record of 132-8; 12 finalist earn Century Belts. View Clip
2011 Classic (Louisiana Delta) — Kevin VanDam wins fourth Classic, overcomes fog delay, sets Classic weight record. View Clip
2014 Classic (Lake Guntersville) — Randy Howell achieves remarkable comeback from 11th place on final day to win Classic. View Clip
2015 Elite (Chesapeake Bay) — Aaron Martens waits out tide, catches winning 7-5 largemouth to seal win. View Clip
2016 Elite (St. Johns River) — At the age of 69, Rick Clunn becomes oldest Elite winner after rebounding from 31st place; reciting “never accept that your greatest moments are in your past” in his victory speech. View Clip
2019 Elite (St. Johns River) — Clunn breaks his own record for agelessness by winning again at age 72, rallying from 8th place with a final day catch weighing 34-14. View Clip
2020 Elite (Lake Fork) — Patrick Walters runs away with the win with 104-12, sets largest winning margin at 29-5. View Clip
2022 Elite (St. Lawrence River) — Jay Przekurat makes history with a four-day limit of all smallmouth weighing over 100 pounds, also creating a new category in the Bassmaster Century Club. View Clip
2024 Elite (Lake Fork) — Trey McKinney, 19, leads the lunker parade with a winning weight of 130-15 (just 1-9 short of record), Top 10 earn Century Club belts. View Clip
2025 Classic (Lake Ray Roberts) — At age 22, Easton Fothergill wins with 75-15 to shatter heaviest winning weight record previously held by Kevin VanDam. View Clip
2025 Elite (Pasquotank River) — Kyle Welcher burns less than a tank of fuel on the massive playing field to win with 118-12, breaks record for winning margin by 45-7 over second place. View Clip