Sooch’s 2022 Classic photos

Follow Bassmaster LIVE's Mike Suchan for a look at the 2022 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell.

Posted on
Photography by
Mike Suchan
Captions by
Mike Suchan
I’m Mike Suchan, author of the Daily Limit on Bassmaster.com and a part of the Bassmaster LIVE team. Take a look at some of the things I documented at the record-setting 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. Thanks to Kevin Witherspoon for surprising me with this shot.
Greenville, S.C., was host town to the Classic Expo and weigh-ins, as well as most all the anglers and B.A.S.S. staff. This was the Classic’s fourth visit to the city of 70,000, which boasts a vibrant downtown. It’s grown a lot since the first Classic in 2008, with attractive new housing and tons more eateries and things to do along Main Street.
Down in Anderson, S.C., this Classic’s other host town less than 40 miles away, sits renovated Green Pond Landing and Event Center, which was opened in time for the 2015 Classic on Hartwell. Green Pond is the jewel of Hartwell, with accommodations for holding tournaments of any size. Here, Bassmaster TV’s Davy Hite stays warm while waiting to go out for the final practice day with local favorite Brandon Cobb.
Cobb (top left) is all smiles before the final practice. Before the event, there were questions as to where and how the winning fish might be caught during the competition, with (clockwise from top right) Taku Ito, John Cox, Steve Kennedy and Chris Zaldain offering various thoughts.
The latest additions to Green Pond include this dock, which is directly below an amphitheater that could seat between 1,300 and 1,500. The final few anglers launch to take their last shot at figuring out Hartwell.
Mike Smith, father of B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier Taylor Smith, smiles before hopping on the bus back to Greenville. The Smiths drove 2,500 miles from Washington, leaving early to dodge a snowstorm, for Taylor’s second Classic qualification. Taylor did his family proud by finishing eighth.
Falls Park on the Reedy gives Greenville its own outdoor jewel. The large park has gardens, waterfalls and walking trails, including Liberty Bridge. It’s a busy place, with folks exercising, relaxing and walking their dogs — tons of dog owners use the pathways. (There are doggie bag dispensers … the other kind.)
Wednesday is also Night of Champions, where B.A.S.S. recognizes its champions of the previous year. Here, Elite pros Caleb Sumrall, Lee Livesay and Cory Johnston share a laugh with host Ronnie Moore on the Bassmaster red carpet webcast.
Hank and Jaclyn Cherry don their familiar cherry red for what is also commonly called “Classic Night.” Hank was chasing an unprecedented three-peat after winning the past two Classics. As in past Classics, he said he wanted to be finished with all the questions — especially on three in a row — and just fish.
Bo Hollen and Ari Clark are the dapper pair of West Virginia anglers who won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship. Dad Dustin Hollen serves as captain of the Mon Valley Bassmaster team.
The over/under on Seth Feider’s speech as Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year was 5 minutes. Pretty sure the under won, but the festivities went on into the night, with Omnia’s Pete Przepiora, Straycasts host Pat Renwick and Elite Matt Robertson flanking the champ.
Before Media Day, crews were still preparing for the Bassmaster Classic Expo presented by Marathon at Greenville Convention Center. The final signage was going up in the Minn Kota Humminbird booth. Hey, hurry up, the show starts tomorrow.
Here’s a VIP if there was one, Visit Anderson’s executive director Neil Paul, who had a hand in just about every aspect of planning and running this Classic. His presence was so large, he was given credentials to match.
Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., works on tackle in his boat as Media Day swirls all around him in a parking lot at the Greenville Expo Center. He got some media love, especially after finishing sixth in the Classic.
Thursday night was the Classic Kick-Off Party at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive minor league baseball team. There were long lines to enter the family event, with a band, angler meet-and-greets, product booths, giveaways, food and fireworks. It got the Classic off to a good start.
Kids being kids, Carson Curry, 8, of Tifton, Ga., joined a bunch of youth using the slope along the left-field line as a slide. One Greenville policeman working the event estimated the biggest crowd at one time was 3,200, with a total attendance of around 5,000.
Here’s the Bassmaster LIVE set, where the Sooch helped out the TV crew. Notice how many people it takes to put on the show. There’s also a dozen or so cameramen out on the water and another dozen or so in the production trucks.  
Members of the Travelers Rest bass team wipe down Joey Nania’s boats outside the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, site of the Classic weigh-ins. Youth teams regularly volunteer their time to make the boats look good, but they also rub elbows and get autographs.
After a pretty good first day, Stetson Blaylock is interviewed by Justin Martin of Duck Commander fame. Martin was doing work for Academy Sports + Outdoors, the title sponsor of the Classic.
A crew from the South Carolina DNR place bass in their tank that will return the fish to Lake Hartwell. Several fish caught deep required fizzing, but officials said only a tiny percentage didn’t make it back.
Bassmaster LIVE’s Ronnie Moore had his parents come to the Classic, and they were seen everywhere around the Expo. No, he wasn’t embarrassed one bit.
The stars come out at the Classic Expo, and there were lines. Guess who Zach Vinson of Gaffney, S.C., and son, Tucker, 5, are in line to see? Notice the hat?
Sure the Gaffneys lined up to see legendary Bill Dance. Dance had a line of fans as far you could see down the convention floor as he signed autographs and engaged fans young and old.
On a walk to see how long Dance’s line was, two-time Classic champ Hank Parker was working the same queue, forming a super legends of the sport mega-line. Here, Parker poses with Dale Brooks of Dearing, Ga., his son Chris and grandkids Mallory, 11, and Bradley, 8.
Over at the Yamaha booth, pro staff anglers Clark Wendlandt, Skylar Hamilton, Ron Ryals and Keith Combs sign T-shirts for fans.
Mike Iaconelli, who returned to the Elite Series this season and desperately wants to get back in a Classic, had them lined up at the Power-Pole booth. Here he poses with Kyle and Joni Martin and daughter Natalie, 4, of Hephzibah, Ga.
Academy Sports + Outdoors handed out thousands of 5-gallon buckets daily at the Expo, and they were usually filled with goodies before the owner exited. Giveaways were everywhere, and deals on tackle were abundant, like two $150 rods for $100.
In a corner of the B.A.S.S booth was a set for visitors to play Bassmaster Fishing 2022. Tom Clarke, the game’s brand manager from London, England (left), and an assistant help Evan Ford, 7, of Charlotte, N.C., and Colton Theriault, 10, of Hilton Head, S.C., try their hand.
Lines encircled the huge Academy Sports + Outdoors booth, with a variety of games to win free items. Gibson Hill, 4, of Greenville pulled out this Igloo water bottle after picking a door number at the Mystery Tackle Box.
Walking between Expo rooms, the Sooch was curious of what this gentleman was doing, sitting in the chaos of a heavy traffic path. He is Pleasant Morris, who said he’s known as PQ, or “Pretty Quick.” His job is to count the folks passing on his clicker. He was up past 7,000 in the early afternoon. The 2018 Classic set the attendance record but was passed twice since. With 154,932 attending the venues, the 2022 Classic regained the top spot for the Upcountry.
The Berkley tank is always a draw, where pro anglers offered presentations on bass fishing.
Not many could resist getting their photo taken with the Classic trophy, drawing many inside the B.A.S.S. booth. Trever Clark, 12, of Jonesville, S.C., likes the look.
The lines are still crazy at Academy.
The lighting scheme before the weigh-ins at Bon Secours Wellness Arena shows support for Ukraine, under attack from Russia.
Check out how many fans are documenting Gerald Swindle’s entrance to the Classic. After a good first day, Swindle fell on Day 2 and finished 24th in his 19th championships.
Joey Nania, who qualified through the Opens, conducts an interview with Dan O’Sullivan, managing editor of AdvancedAngler.com. The Classic draws around 250 credentialed media members each year.
The Sooch is always on the lookout for wild mustaches and beards, and Levi Warner fit the bill. He and wife Katie of Hilbert, Wis., near Green Bay were gracious enough to pose in the Splashwell near the stage. The B.A.S.S. Nation angler, who often fishes the Wolf River, said he takes pride in those handle bars. Eat your heart out, Seth Feider.
Day 1 leader Bryan New, who busted the day’s only 20-pound bag, fell off the pace with two 13-pound days and finished ninth. Like so many others, his dream will have to wait another year.
Roland Martin, the Great American Fisherman, was out and about, hoping son Scott, qualifying for his first Classic, could win the title that eluded him in his illustrious career. The nine-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year visits here with 2019 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Scott Canterbury.
When the Expo opened on Sunday, the final stacks of Academy Sports + Outdoors buckets were handed out. Hey, there’s another one of those counters. The Expo was shoulder-to-shoulder much of the three days, even needing the adjacent airport tarmac for overflow parking. Many visitors rode the free buses from the Expo to the weigh-ins and back.
Huk Performance Clothing, who provided clothes for the LIVE crew as presenting sponsor, had a busy booth.
42
 
The funniest story at this Classic involved Johnny Morris. The founder of Bass Pro Shops snuck under the belt barrier onto the Bassmaster LIVE set to say a quick hello to Mark Zona. Laurie Swan, the stage manager hired locally, had no idea who Morris was and ran to shoo him off. Morris turned tail like a kid getting ran off a private pond. The way he hopped to turn tail looked akin to something from Red Skelton. Zona, Ronnie Moore and I were hollering “No,” trying to let Morris go wherever he wanted. Soon it was all smiles, and Morris was invited for a segment on LIVE. Afterward, he was gracious, and funny, in posing for this shot — it was his idea to look like he was being handcuffed and taken away.
Afterward, Morris chats with the Chase Anderson, chairman and CEO of B.A.S.S.; his grandfather, Charles Anderson; and his uncle Terry Anderson, power players in Anderson Media.
Here’s a power player at Bon Secours, a Swamp Dog in honor of the facility’s minor league hockey Swamp Rabbits. Jason Mott of Sparta, Tenn., was among those partaking in the fully loaded hog dog. Mott, attending his second Classic, works at Stan Sloan’s Zorro Baits and has a hand in making Aggravator spinnerbaits, the lure that won the first Classic in 1971. With a bottled soft drink, Mott’s $13 bill is a good example how a Classic can generate more than $20 million for a region. Yeah, that’s a lot of hot dogs, but a lot more hotel rooms, restaurant meals, groceries, gas, etc.
The singing artist, Joe Everson, performed at the Classic stage on Championship Sunday. He painted a bald eagle — upside down, mind you — while singing “God Bless America.” From Greenville, Everson has more than 225 million social media views of his national anthem performances. He donated this painting for the fall auction of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, which promptly had Classic champ Jason Christie autograph it at the Champion’s Toast.
The Championship Sunday crowd fills a good portion of the 15,000-seat Bon Secours Arena. The light show and crowning of the champion is a spectacle to behold.
Stetson Blaylock, who finished second in the Hartwell Elite in 2019, had the Rapala Monster Bag of the event on Day 3, his 20 pounds, 9 ounces earning a $7,000 bonus. Blaylock came in with the lead on BassTrakk and led for real until the final two anglers. Kyle Welcher and Jason Christie began the day tied, and Welcher’s 17-5 put him 6 ounces up on Blaylock.
Christie was last to weigh, and his 17-9 gave him his first Classic title. Christie was super jubilant, screaming and flailing his hat about before walking to the side of the stage, bending over at the waist and taking a moment to gather himself.
Christie was probably as emotional as any champ, possibly because what’s he’s been through. He had twice led Classics heading into the final day but never won, including 2018 on Hartwell when he came in one fish short of a limit and lost by 18 ounces.
With 54-0, Christie finished 5 ounces ahead of Welcher. Winning in his eighth Classic, Christie now has seven tournament victories in B.A.S.S., which stands second among active anglers to Rick Clunn.
Shana Ramsey says the champ deserves a celebratory kiss.