Having fished two Bassmaster Classics, including his victory at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour on Lake Ray Roberts, Easton Fothergill knows well the time-honored adage: You can’t win the Classic on Day 1, but you can lose it on Day 1.
Suffice to say, that often stated truth applies to any multi-day competition, like, say, the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter at Port Aransas.
Prime example: Fothergill and his partner, Texas redfish pro Clark Jordan Jr., who lead the event with a Day-1 limit of 17-2 and carried a lead of 2-2 into today’s second round.
By The Numbers
Another relevant angling adage: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
True, but Fothergill and Jordan have bolted into action both days of the event and such early successes do wonders for a team’s confidence and clarity.
Day 1 saw this team boat their first keeper at 7:26 a.m. and complete their limit at 8:32. They were first in the field to notch both marks.
Today, Fothergill and Jordan again met those goals before any of their competitors. Their first keeper came at 7:35 and they added their second at 7:44. Having filled their Day 1 limit at 8:32, Fothergill and Jordan are a little ahead of schedule.
With a limit in the boat, decisions become more intentional than reactionary. You make moves when you decide the time is right, rather than yielding the floor to voices between your ears.
As of 8:30, Fothergill and Jordan held a 5-pound lead over their closest competitors, Tony Vercillo and Darren Frost, who placed third on Day 1.
Numerical Advantage
Setting the Day 1 lead is good, backing it up with early Day-2 productivity is even better. This, of course, could change by the second day’s conclusion, but should Fothergill and Jordan maintain the top spot by a healthy margin, they’ll carry a significant advantage into Sunday’s final round.
That’s always a good thing, but with a major cold front heading south, the event’s final day will see strong winds greatly limiting fishable areas. Everyone will experience some level of challenge, but outpacing the field the first two days would put the leaders in an enviable position.
As multiple teams demonstrated on Day 1, chunky high-slot reds roam tournament waters. For those in contention, one 8-plus pounder will go a long way; two will change this tournament’s outcome.
Competitive fishing offers no guarantees. Several teams remain within striking distance and it’s possible that Easton Fothergill and Clark Jordan will watch one of those teams lift the trophy at the Championship Sunday weigh in.
So far, the leaders are doing their best to make sure that does not happen.
