As a senior at University of Montevallo, Minnesotan Easton Fothergill won the 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket. He commented that this accomplishment “changed my life for sure.”
His prizes included a berth to the 2024 Bassmaster Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, the use of a Nitro Z20 bass boat and a Toyota Tundra for the Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifier series and paid entry fees to these events.
The 21-year-old is taking full advantage of his opportunity to qualify for the Elite Series. With five tournaments remaining in the season, Fothergill holds third place in the overall Elite Qualifier standings. He showed well at the Grand Lake Classic finishing in 16th place.
“The Classic was a very special experience for me,” Fothergill said. “When they pulled the curtain back on Championship Sunday, it was a feeling I’ve never experienced before. You don’t realize how many fans go to the Classic until you’re standing on that stage.”
His father Gordon put a fishing rod in his hands when he was 3 years old. In a sense, Fothergill never let go. Fishing has since been an innate part of his existence.
“My dad was a hardcore walleye angler while I was growing up,” Fothergill said. “We fished a lot of walleye tournaments together.”
His first tournament took place at 4 years of age. Called The Fisheraman, it was an annual multispecies tournament near home on 259-acre Trout Lake. There were divisions for walleye, pike, perch and bass. Fothergill won the walleye division.
“My dad hooked the walleye and let me reel it in,” Fothergill said.
In the following years, the duo entered a handful of open bass tournaments as well. It didn’t take many of these outings for Fothergill to realize he much preferred casting for bass to fishing for walleye.
He started taking bass tournaments seriously in eighth grade when he and his father initiated the Thunderhawks bass club at Grand Rapids High School. The team consisted of 25 youngsters who loved to fish. Given that Minnesota high school tournaments typically draw 200 boats, the competition was intense.
These events gave Fothergill an opportunity to sample different Minnesota waters, including Mille Lacs, Minnetonka and Pokegama.
“What I learned in high school was that having an open mind is more important than techniques when you go to different bodies of water,” Fothergill said.
He qualified for high school championships that took him to Pickwick Lake once and Kentucky Lake twice. The most mind-opening thing he found about fishing in the South was the difference in water clarity.
Although Pickwick is generally regarded as a clear lake, it appeared muddy to Fothergill. The water clarity in the Minnesota lakes he fishes is typically 15 to 20 feet. Despite the difference in water clarity, he felt right at home looking for bass in southern waters.
“Our lakes are so diverse in Minnesota that no matter where I fish around the country I can find something I’m familiar with,” Fothergill said.
In 2020 he was named as one of the Bassmaster High School All-Americans. This, along with his high school tournament accomplishments, earned him a scholarship from the University of Montevallo to become a member of their bass fishing team. His team partner in college was Nick Dumke, the same angler he fished with in high school.
Fothergill’s comfort zone is fishing offshore, which is where he learned to catch walleye and bass while growing up. Competing in 20 collegiate tournaments a year took him from Florida to New York and to fisheries like the Coosa River, which is where he learned to home in on this shallow-water game.
Forward-facing sonar has become a staple part his offshore fishing success. He stated this sonar technology has had a greater impact on walleye fishing than bass fishing.
“Bass fishing has always been about casting to isolated targets,” Fothergill said. “With forward-facing sonar, walleye anglers don’t have to troll for miles anymore to find walleye roaming in open basins. They can see the walleye and make super accurate casts to them.”
Fothergill’s bachelors in marketing and business will be beneficial whether he pursues a career as a professional bass angler or another occupation.
His sponsors include Lew’s, Strike King, Simms, Nitro Boats, Tundra Trucks and Humminbird Electronics.
