What kind of a lead is too much to overcome in Texas?
During the 2017 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Conroe, Jordan Lee was an afterthought heading into Day Three, not just nearly 14 pounds behind leader Brent Ehrler, but also behind 13 other anglers. Lots of dominoes had to fall in the right direction for him to win, but a final day catch of 29-6 carries a lot of toppling power.
Making such a leap is not just a matter of the leader stumbling. Ehrler had a limit on the last day. They weighed 11 pounds. That’s normally enough to seal the deal, but in Texas no lead is ever truly safe. The Californian didn’t lose the Classic – Lee won it.
At the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, as we head toward closing time, Easton Fothergill’s lead over everyone in the field is nearly in double digits. He will have to stumble, and someone else will have to separate himself from the pack if Fothergill is going to leave town without the trophy.
For all of the talk about a youth movement, there are some heavily-seasoned hammers on the young Minnesotan’s tail. If he dares to look in the rearview mirror, he’ll see the hungry maws of Cory Johnston, Hunter Shryock, Lee Livesay and John Cox – big string slingers and closers lying in wait.
Here’s what I saw, considered, viewed and perhaps hallucinated on moving day – the time when anglers head toward the top or head toward the Expo:
Kyle Patrick (43rd, 19-3) on Easton Fothergill – “He’s the modern era Aaron Martens.”
Jeff Gustafson (29th, 26-3) on Easton Fothergill – “I’ve known him since he was a little kid. I’ve taken a lot of beatings from his dad.”
Thar she blows — Today’s southwest winds are shifting to north-northeast. They’ll consistently rock the lake at 15 to 25 mph tomorrow, with substantially higher gusts possible.
The Record Chase – As I noted yesterday, Kevin VanDam set the Classic weight record for the five-fish limit era with 69-11 at the Louisiana Delta in 2011. That’s an average of just under 23-4 per day. Obviously, Easton Fothergill is on track to eclipse that. He could substantially underperform what he’s done the past two days and still become the record-holder. If he matches his two-day average of just over 27-2, he’ll beat KVD by nearly 12 pounds. No one else is quite on track to do it, but a 30 pound bag would put 2nd through 7th over that number.
Thirty for Thirty – For now, Paul Mueller’s five-fish Classic single day weight record of 32-3 (Lake Guntersville, Day Two, 2014) is still safe as the only 30-pound Classic catch. However, today Fothergill tied the second place mark, previously held solely by Luke Clausen, who weighed in 29-6 on the first day of his 2006 victory on the Kissimmee Chain.
Twenty Twenty Vision – Yesterday we had 11 bags of 20 pounds or more, led by Trey McKinney’s 26-9. Today the field added 10 more. Four anglers had 20+ both days. Fothergill and John Cox (5th, 44-8) were the only two to top 22 both days.
Making the Cut – Twenty fifth place after Day One was Justin Hamner with 14-14. Twice that would have been 29-12. The actual cut weight fell about a pound short of that. Connor Jacob slid into 25th place with 28-15.
Mission Impossible – Taku Ito said that his magical carbonated elixir will make him look like Leonardo DiCaprio and make Dave Mercer look like Brad Pitt. Even on a day when Taku blanked – an occurrence that’s rarer than Halley’s Comet – he still brought humor, humility and theatrics to the stage. The sport needs more Takus.
Multispecies Capture Award – Gussy’s unlucky duck “Cobb.”
Spawning Season – As far as I know, today we witnessed the first Bassmaster Classic onstage gender reveal, as it was determined that Matt and Kolleen Robertson will be welcoming a boy into the world later this year. Next we need a naming contest sponsored by Ugly Stik, Operation On ‘Em Jr.
Patrick Walters (11th, 35-14) – “I lost the biggest bass I’ve ever hooked today.” Nevertheless, he nearly doubled his Day One weight of 12-13 with 23-1 and vaulted up from 32nd place to 11th.
Truly a World Champion – We started with seven international anglers in the field – four from Canada, two from Japan and one from Australia. We still have two Canadians in the top nine (both named Johnston) and Kyoya Fujita representing Japan in 20th.
Double Digit Disappointment – Through two days, we still haven’t seen the expected (or hoped-for) parade of double-digit bass, not even a single one. Yesterday’s big fish was John Garrett’s 8-12 and today’s was Brandon Lester’s 8-6. Even if we accept the premise that 24 of the 25 remaining anglers are effectively competing for second place in this Classic, someone who brings a true Texas gigantor across the stage could make a meaningful and memorable mark nonetheless. Teen-class fish swim in these waters and you’re always just one cast away from the “consolation prize” of a lifetime.
Double Dippers – Of the four past Forrest Wood Cup winners in the field – Greg Hackney, Scott Martin, John Cox and Justin Atkins – Cox has the best chance to achieve both titles this week. He’s in 5th, but still about 10 pounds back. Martin and Hackney are in 12th and 18th, both with much taller hills to climb.
Jacob Powroznik (40th, 21-4) – “Billy Bob’s, here I come.”
The Stars at Night are Big and Bright – Of the three Texans in the field, two will continue to fish tomorrow – Ben Milliken and Lee Livesay. Chris Zaldain, who resides in Ft. Worth and may have spent more time on Ray Roberts than anyone else in the field, caught only two fish today and fell from 13th to 28th. “I ran every big fish spot on this lake I have,” he said. “Zero regrets.”
Skol – If Fothergill wins, he will be the first Bassmaster Classic champ from Minnesota. Our last northern Classic champ was Jeff Gustafson in 2023, but the last one from within the lower 48 states was some guy named VanDam in 2011. Fothergill wouldn’t be the first Bassmaster titleholder from Vikings country, though – Seth Feider won the Elite Series AOY title in 2021. Feider fished six consecutive Classics from 2018 through 2023, finishing a personal best 4th at Guntersville in 2020.
Pulling Away – Fothergill entered the day 1-10 out of the lead and closed the day with a lead of 8-08. The largest margin of Classic victory in the Elite Series era was 10-11, achieved by Kevin VanDam (over Aaron Martens) in the 2011 Classic on the Louisiana Delta – the same one where he set the weight record, as noted above. The largest margin of victory of all time came in 1984, when Rick Clunn dominated at the Arkansas River and beat runner-up Greg South by 25-8. That was during the seven fish limit era.
Pink Chatterbait Notes – The character of Pinky Tuscadero debuted on Happy Days not only long before Ronnie Moore was born, but nearly a full decade before Lee Livesay arrived, too. Sit on it, Potsie.
Young and Restless – Fothergill will turn 23 on May 31st, which means that if he wins this week, he won’t be the youngest Classic champ in history. That honor belongs to Stanley Mitchell, who won in 1981 at the age of 21. Fothergill will also be older than Trey McKinney was at the time of McKinney’s first Elite win – just a touch over 19 years old. He would, however, be younger than the second youngest Elite winner. When Jay Przekurat won at the St. Lawrence River in 2022 he was 23 years and 26 days old.
Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific – Tyler Rivet promised Dave Mercer that he’d get a mohawk if he caught 25 plus today, and he fulfilled the first half of the deal with a 25-13 bag. Added to his 11-7 from Day One, he moved from 35th to 8th. “We’re going to try to do some Jordan Lee stuff,” he said about his plans for Sunday. I assume that meant mounting a comeback, and did not have anything to do with haircare.
Win Some, Lose Some – Mercer also flexed his betting muscles with Ben Milliken, promising to eat a pickled quail egg if the angler weighed in over 25 pounds today. Milliken brough 26-11 to the scales, moved up from 43rd to 13th, and forced the Canadian emcee to cash in immediately.
Ice Road Electrification — Asked when he started dreaming of winning the Classic, Cory Johnston was blunt: “It’s been a long time, ever since Canada got the internet, basically.”
Not War Eagle, Nor Roll Tide – Fothergill may hail from Minnesota, but he attended college at the University of Montevallo, one of the storied small school dynasties in college fishing. The program also churned out former Elite pro Clent Davis, who won the Forrest Wood Cup, but Fothergill would become the school’s first angler to win the Classic. Of course, two-time Classic champ Jordan Lee fished for Auburn, and last year’s champion Justin Hamner worked on the campus of the University of Alabama. Montevallo’s teams are called the Falcons and their mascot is Freddie the Falcon.
Famous Fothergills – English physician and medical writer John Fothergill, who was also a friend of Benjamin Frankin. British science fiction actor Miles Fothergill. Film producer Alastair Fothergill, winner of three Primetime Emmys. Major League Baseball player Fatty Fothergill, who retired with a .325 lifetime batting average. Alas, I could not find a Sheena Easton song that would be appropriate for young Easton Fothergill’s victory lap tomorrow, should he be able to seal the deal.
