Much has been written and spoken about the health crisis that nearly derailed Easton Fothergill’s fishing career. Fairly so — a brain abscess is no small matter.
But neither is the subsequent inspiration, and more so, appreciation that helped Fothergill deliver astounding results.
How astounding? Two St. Croix Bassmaster Opens wins — Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula (June) and Minnesota’s Leech Lake (August) — and a resulting Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series Angler of the Year title.
Notwithstanding Fothergill’s soft spoken humility, the enormity of his achievements has not escaped him.
“To win one tournament with that field is super hard to do, let alone two events,” Fothergill said. “To be honest, it just felt like a movie. To compete against that caliber of anglers and get two wins, so much has to go your way.”
“It just has to be your time. It was a super cool experience, for sure.”
A winning state of mind
Hailing from Grand Rapids, Minn., Fothergill brought a tailwind of momentum into the Opens EQ season by winning the 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s a little over a month after undergoing emergency surgery.
Noting that his medical crisis offered clarity on his life’s course, the former University of Montevallo standout said his competitive career took on a deeper meaning.
“I don’t know if ‘motivation’ is the right word, but it made me appreciate everything that much more,” Fothergill said. “It made me realize how lucky I was, which in turn, made me super calm and made me appreciate everything in the Opens this year.”
“I think that’s what helped me keep my head in the right place as I faced all the adversity this year. I would think about how lucky I was just to be there and that brought peace to my mind and allowed me to make good decisions.”
Looking back, looking ahead
Reflecting on his statement-making season, Fothergill shared a handful of observations.
Seen a lot: With his wins coming at two very different fisheries, Fothergill termed his mental game the common chord. For this, he credits the diversity his college fishing years provided.
“During the four years I was at University of Montevallo, I took pride in making sure I have no holes in my game, because I knew that I’d be put outside my comfort zone more times than not,” Fothergill said. “I felt like I had to be comfortable in any situation that was thrown at me.”
“For example, at Eufaula, it’s super dirty water, and being from Minnesota, I’d never seen that before going to college. Now, I’ve spent a lot of time on dirty water and I really know how to attack it. At Eufaula, I was able to mix some LiveScope fishing with some shallow-water bank fishing and that’s what got me to the win.”
That moment: While he felt more confident on his Minnesota home waters, Fothergill said the Oklahoma win surprised him.
“Winning did not cross my mind a single time at Eufaula, even after catching a nearly 9-pound fish (Day 3), because I went into that event only concerned about EQ points,” Fothergill said. “Even after practice, I was hesitant because I wasn’t getting many bites.”
“When I got that 8 3/4-pounder into the boat, all that crossed my mind was, ‘I got more EQ points.’ I only had one fish in the box when I caught that giant. Out there, a fish like that is worth a limit, so that put me ahead of the game in just one hook set.”
No surprise, Fothergill went into Leech Lake focused on leveraging his deep well of local knowledge. A Day 1 weather postponement, no doubt, rattled a few game plans, but Fothergill stayed the course and cemented his “one to watch” status.
The route, he said, was no cakewalk.
“On the final day, the fish were roaming in pairs, so I’d catch one and throw it in the well and get back to the front deck, because I wanted to get back in there,” Fothergill said. “I knew I was catching some good fish in the morning, but I didn’t know how good they were.”
“I didn’t end up catching my fifth fish until noon, and when I went back and weighed them, my limit was 5 pounds more than I thought it was. I thought I had 17 pounds or so, and when I weighed them, I had almost 23 pounds. That’s when I realized, ‘I’m one bite away, and I can really slam the door on this thing.’”
The power of belief: “After that first win on a place I really didn’t feel comfortable on, that really gave me a lot of confidence that I was versatile enough to compete at that level,” Fothergill said of his Eufaula surprise. “With that, I gained the confidence that I’m doing the right thing. I just have to keep the same mindset going through the rest of the season and things will go my way.”
In good company: Calling 2024 the best season he could have ever dreamt of, Fothergill said the final EQ standings held a deeply meaningful storyline.
“In second place, Cody Meyer is one of my biggest mentors and one of the guys I most look up to,” he said. “For me and him to go neck-and-neck in AOY at the last event was an experience I’ll never forget.”
“My dream was to make the top nine and make it to the Elites, so to win AOY was just a dream come true. Literally, everything went my way that season in order for that to happen. It was a miracle season, and I can’t believe how it unfolded.”
Expectations
Clearly, the reigning EQ AOY will carry significant momentum into his rookie Elite season, but Fothergill’s resolved to keep himself grounded. The only expectation he’ll have will be his requisite workload.
“I’ve thought about the ‘impostor syndrome’ I might have,” Fothergill admits. “Going into the Opens this year, I had that mindset of, ‘Do I belong here?’ I might go through that same mental process at the first (2025) Elite event at the St. Johns River.”
“I might feel like the underdog, but I’ll have to block that out and just do my own thing. I’m fully expecting to have to go through that whole process again, just like the first Opens tournament of the year.”
As for the unavoidable hype that rightfully follows a previous season’s AOY, Fothergill said he’ll harness the positive encouragement, eliminate ego’s distraction and focus on the building process.
“It was like going into Leech Lake — that being my home lake, there was a lot of hype about how I was supposed to do well,” he said. “But that’s just something I’ll have to block out and realize I have a job to do.”
“You still have to put in the work.”
Elite level double
Along with the young up-and-comer, 2024 also saw a seasoned veteran score that elusive double dip. A constant threat nationwide, Canadian superstar Cory Johnston won the season’s fourth Elite event at the St. Johns River and then closed out the Elite schedule with a win at the St. Lawrence River.
Johnston had endured several close finishes — including a pair of seconds at the St. Lawrence the previous two years — so lifting a blue trophy early in the year got the monkey off his back. Ending the season with win No. 2 on waters near and dear to his heart put that monkey back in its cage.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Johnston said of his double dip. “But for it to all happen at once in one season is awesome.”
When he knew: Also finding his wins on very different fisheries, Johnston said the St. Johns had him feeling confident after Day 2, but it took a third day at the St. Lawrence to spark his optimism.
“It was a huge gamble for me, on Day 3 at the St. Lawrence,” Johnston said. “It was really windy, and I wasn’t sure if I could get out there to my fish (on Lake Ontario), or if they’d be gone. It wasn’t until after I caught ‘em on Day 3 that I thought I could win.”
Relief, but no respite: Does Johnston believe a win early in the season helped drive to closing out with a second trophy? Not really.
“Every time I go out on the water, my goal is to win; same thing since I started,” he firmly stated. “You go out, do your best and try to find fish.”
So, how about 2025?
“You go out to try and win every event, so I’m not going to do anything differently (next year),” Johnston said. “I’ll do it the same way I’ve done it for the last six years.”
