Having just returned from Fort Worth, I am reflecting on an interesting week of fishing. It’s the pinnacle of the year for bass anglers. The weigh-ins each day were held at the new Dickie’s Arena and the Bassmaster Classic Expo was held nearby at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Over 150,000 people were estimated to be in attendance.
I was proud to be in the Media Center press room to get first access to the anglers after they weighed in their fish.
Just like Oklahoma, it was colder at the start of the week and terribly windy with gusts 45 mph and up.
Faced with adverse weather conditions, 56 of the world's top bass fishermen converged on Lake Ray Roberts near Sanger Texas last week to compete in the 55th annual Bassmaster Classic.
Dubbed as the Super Bowl of bass fishing, anglers from as far away as Japan and Australia competed for a first-place purse of $300,000 plus a plethora of endorsement deals.
High winds coupled with low lake levels made it tough on many fishermen but ,true to form, this group of anglers rose to the occasion.
With the aid of forward facing sonar, old school tactics, some last day adjustments and an eight pound behemoth in the last hour of competition, Easton Fothergill, 22, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota managed to solve the puzzle.
Across the three-day competition, Fothergill’s catches weighed in at 76 pounds, 15 ounces, the highest total in the history of the Classic breaking the previous record held by all-time great Kevin VanDam.
Fothergill’s record-setting weight was eight and one-half pounds over second-place finisher, 21-year-old Trey McKinney of Carbondale Illinois, who weighed in a respectable three-day total of 15 bass for 68-7 and took home $50,000 for his efforts.
Third place went to Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas with a nice three-day total of 15 bass weighing 66-10, which netted him $41,000.
The big fish honors went to John Garrett, who weighed an 8-12 lunker that he caught on Day one. It earned the title of Mercury Big Bass and won Garrett from Tennessee $2,500.
To add a little icing on the cake Fothergill became the second youngest Bassmaster Classic winner behind only Stanley Mitchell, who won at age 21 back in 1981.
Muskogee native Blake Capps, competing in first Classic, was the only Oklahoman in the field.
“Things didn’t go my way,” said Capps. “ The fish were scattered and I just couldn’t figure things out," he said. “Just to have this experience is something I’ve dreamed about and worked toward my entire life.”
Having known Capps since he was a toddler, I have no doubt the young man with the million-dollar smile and easy-going personality will go far in this sport. With Capps, you get the real deal. He represents all that’s right in the world of fishing leaving no doubt he will be a great ambassador both on the water and off.
Capps will continue touring with the Bassmaster Elite Series circuit next month when they visit the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Reach John Kilgore at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com.
