Fothergill sets Bassmaster record on Lake Ray Roberts
The Dallas-Fort Worth Area became the center of the sport fishing world last weekend, hosting the 55th Annual Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour on March 21-23.
56 fishermen from around the world came together on Lake Ray Roberts to find out who was the top angler, with 22-year-old Easton Fothergill of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, taking home the crown with a record-breaking performance.
'I never thought it would be possible until the first day of the tournament,' Fothergill said. 'I thought we may be onto something here after Day 1, but I knew that lake was very tricky. I had to make key adjustments, [and] I caught them in different parts of the lake every single day. … This is crazy, and it means the world to me to have my family here with me.'
The event started with an opening ceremony held at the Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine, where the media and fans were able to meet and take photos with the elite series anglers before they hit the water.
Local angler Chris Zaldain of Boyd said he was excited to have an opportunity to compete on the big stage in his own backyard.
'This is bass fishing's biggest event, and every single March we go to a new lake and a new host city, and I always envy the guys who are staying in their own bed, who have their whole family there, and who know the lake very well,' he said. 'This week, it's my turn. … Mother Nature gave the guys who aren't from here two days to figure out what I've learned in 10 years, so I'm really looking forward to this one.'
The weather was also on a lot of the other anglers' minds, and Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama, shared how safety was one of the top priorities, with 20-40 mph winds present on Day 1.
'We want to beat everybody, but the biggest thing this week is just really just the safety part of it,' he said. 'I've never really said that in any other tournament, but this week, it definitely needs to be said.'
Day 1 started with the anglers taking off on Lake Ray Roberts at the crack of dawn, finding their favorite spots and using every trick in the book to catch as many largemouth bass as the lake had to offer.
YouTube sensation Ben Milliken of Omaha, Nebraska, shared how he was prepared for just about anything Lake Ray Roberts could throw at him.
'I have about 25 rods on my deck at all times,' he said. 'I love to throw all different types of baits, but pre-spawn in Texas always screams to me a couple of baits— a jerk bait, a spinning jerk bait and a shad color. Sixth Sense makes one called the Provoke and it's my favorite jerk bait I've ever used. That's going to be huge for me, and then a bladed jig is another one that's going to be huge for me.'
The first day concluded with the tournament's youngest ever competitor, 20-year-old Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois, at the top of the leader board with a five-fish bag weighing 26-pounds, 9-ounces.
'I just wanted to say I've fished a classic and never thought I'd be leading the first day,' he said. 'It's honestly a rush of a feeling. Sometimes, all that can make you fish for the worst, but if we get out there and have a decent start on Day 2, it'll be alright.'
The classic heated up on Saturday, with the anglers pulling out all the stops as they returned to the water for the second round.
'I had a little sneak hole that I thought for sure nobody would find that I was going to save for the third day, but [after Day 1] I was, like, 'Oh my God, let's go get that hole,'' said local favorite Lee Livesay of Longview.
The move paid off, with Livesay jumping into the top spot early that morning.
The pace of the tournament continued to pick up, and Livesay's lead was short-lived after Fothergill moved into first midway through the day.
Fothergill arrived at Dickies Arena that evening with a five-fish bag that weighed a tournament high of 29-pounds, 6-ounces, giving him a commanding 8 1/2-pound lead going into the final day of competition.
With the race for the Bassmaster crown coming down to the wire and the field being cut to 25 anglers, Championship Sunday certainly lived up to the title of classic.
Livesay tied Fothergill at 58-pounds, 5-ounces early Sunday, and the two continued to go backand- forth until Livesay lost momentum later that morning.
That's when Day 1 leader McKinney found his mojo again, climbing from sixth place to third after bringing in a 7-pound, 11-pound fish that put him 1 pound behind Livesay and Fothergill.
Fothergill and McKinney would go on to pull away from Livesay, who would finish third, with Fothergill sealing his first Bassmaster Classic title with the Mercury Big Bass of the Day.
Fothergill said he lost four lures within 10 minutes trying to bring in the winning 8-pounder.
'I just broke them off rather than spook that fish,' he said. 'The funny thing was she swam out and wasn’t even interested in the bait, but then she turned back and just ignited on it.'
Fothergill, who survived emergency brain surgery less than two years ago, finished with a total of 76-pounds 15-ounces, breaking Kevin VanDam's record of 69-pounds, 11-ounces set in 2011, en route to becoming the second youngest champion in the classic's 55-year history.
'It's indescribable, the trajectory of my life since that [surgery],' he said. 'Everything has come true that I've ever wanted. … The biggest thing I want to say is for all the kids out there. I'm living proof that it is possible to achieve your dreams.'
