Easton Fothergill Wins the 2025 Bass Pro Shop Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour!

Canadians Cory Johnston 5th & Chris Johnston 9th

Easton dominates Classic. (Photo: Grant Moxley/BASS)

By Andrew Canulette

BASS Press Release 

FORT WORTH, Texas — Nineteen months ago, Easton Fothergill was lying on a gurney in an Alabama hospital, awaiting surgery to remove an infected abscess from his brain. Sunday afternoon, in front of thousands of fans at Dickies Arena, Fothergill stood tall as champion of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under ArmourFothergill, a 22-year-old native of Grand Rapids, Minn., finished the three-day event on Lake Ray Roberts with a total of 15 bass for 76 pounds, 15 ounces. It was the biggest winning weight in the 55-year history of the most prestigious fishing tournament in the world and was exactly 8 1/2 pounds more than the nearest competitor in the field of 56 anglers. Fothergill is also the second-youngest champion in Bassmaster Classic history (only Stanley Mitchell who won the 1981 Classic at 21 was younger.) 

For most anglers, the Ray Scott Trophy and a $300,000 check are the biggest prizes to accompany a Classic victory. But for Fothergill, just being able to compete in the Classic was the ultimate prize. He said every feeling was heightened given his very real brush with mortality less than two years ago.

“It’s indescribable, the trajectory of my life since that first bad moment,” Fothergill said. “Everything has come true that I’ve ever wanted. It’s pretty crazy.”

Easton Fothergill Wins the 2025 Bass Pro Shop Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour!

 

Congratulations to Easton Fothergill on winning the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour with a three-day total of 76 pounds, 15 ounces!

2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour Day 2: Easton Fothergill Take Big Lead!

Canadians Cory Johnston 2nd, Chris Johnston 9th,  Jeff Gustafson 29th & Cooper Gallant 41st

Easton Fothergill takes over the lead at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour with a two-day total weight of 54 pounds, 5 ounces. (Photo: Grant Moxley/BASS)

By Andrew Canulette

BASS Press Release 

FORT WORTH, Texas — All it took was 53 magical minutes on Lake Ray Roberts for Easton Fothergill to take complete control of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

The 22-year-old native of Grand Rapids, Minn., entered Day 2 of the Classic in third place, less than two pounds out of the lead. He had high hopes for Saturday morning, but it didn’t start out exactly as he planned, with only one bass in his livewell at 10 a.m.

Then, what he called “the 180” started — and what a turnaround it was. 

Between 10:28 a.m. and 11:31 a.m., Fothergill caught three hogs that added a whopping 19-10 to his total. He finished the day with a limit of five bass weighing 29-6, giving him a two-day total of 54-5, exactly 8 1/2 pounds more than his nearest competitor.

No lead is too big, but the Classic compass clearly points to the young ace from the North Star State. And barring a complete collapse on Championship Sunday, coupled with one of his closest competitors yanking a huge sack of bass, Fothergill is a day away from winning the Ray Scott Bassmaster Classic Trophy and the $300,000 prize that goes with it.

2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour Day 1: Trey McKinney Score 26lbs and Lead.

Canadians Cory Johnston 2nd,  Jeff Gustafson 26th,  Chris Johnston 29th & Cooper Gallant 53rd

By Andrew Canulette

BASS Press Release 

FORT WORTH, Texas — When Trey McKinney hopped onto the stage at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, the infectious beat of “Church Clap” by Christian hip-hop artist KB filled Dickies Arena.

Though conventional wisdom says don’t ever change what’s working, McKinney’s hype song might as well be “The Kids are Alright” by The Who, because things are, indeed, quite alright for the whiz kid from Carbondale, Ill.

McKinney, who celebrated his 20th birthday only last month, holds the Day 1 lead in the world’s most-celebrated fishing tournament. His limit of five bass totaled 26-9 and gave him a 1-pound cushion over Canada’s Cory Johnston, who’s in second with 25-9.

Rounding out the Top 5 in the 56-angler field are, third, Minnesota’s Easton Fothergill, 24-15; fourth, Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat, 23-7; and fifth, Texas pro Lee Livesay (who many pundits consider the favorite here,) with 23-0. The entire field will fish again Saturday, and the Top 25 anglers will make Sunday’s cut, with the winner pocketing $300,000 cash.

McKinney’s performance in B.A.S.S. events has belied his youth from the start. At 18, he finished second in the Bassmaster Opens EQ standings and became the youngest angler ever to qualify for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. He took the Elites by storm, too, winning Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and finishing second in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.

2025 Classic Release: Zman's Baby JackHammer

New Baby JackHammer for 2025

Today, Z-Man and Evergreen celebrate their power-packed third bladed jig collaboration, codename Baby Jack™. Cultivated to combat the toughest bass fisheries in America, Japan and beyond, the JackHammer Baby Jack wields numerous tournament-grade accoutrements, leading with a cultivated, downsized stainless steel ChatterBlade®. Sharing the JackHammer’s acclaimed instant-start vibration, the Baby Jack leans on its direct blade-to-jighead connection to deflect cover, produce relentless blade/jighead collisions and generate vibrant ChatterBait music—albeit on a slightly higher vibrational frequency.

“Japanese fisheries are notoriously tough, and the Baby Jack has been tested in Japan with impressive results,” states Evergreen’s Morizo, perhaps the preeminent bladed jig practitioner across the Pacific. “That was the driving force behind the Baby: tough conditions and heavily pressured playing fields where just a few more big bites can make all the difference.”

Downsized Blade Schematics

For Hite and Morizo, tricking tough bass meant, foremost, building a bait with a wider range of retrieve speeds, from super slow roll to speed demon. To achieve perfection, both bladed jig artists vetted numerous blade sizes before punching out a thumbnail-sized hexagon, mere clicks smaller than original.

“On the ChatterBait performance spectrum, the Baby Jack moves with a tighter vibration and a more restrained flash than the original JackHammer, but still noticeably stronger than the StealthBlade™,” notes Morizo. “Similar to the original, the Baby Jack hunts freely, too, especially when you give the lure little pops with the rod.

Additionally, Morizo says the smaller blade and its reduced water resistance enable faster retrieves in the same water column. “When the water’s warmer or you just need to cover more territory or to trigger a quick reaction under tougher conditions, the Baby Jack is the ultimate adjustment that will entice extra bites.”

Hite adds: “Even with the smaller blade, the Baby Jack still has a good thump to it. You can really feel it and read what’s happening. You know right away if it’s fouled a blade of grass, and you can rip free. Or when a bass quietly inhales the lure and swims toward you . . . the blade goes dead and signals a rapid-fire hookset. Those are key details that made the JackHammer into an all-time great—and the Baby Jack is all that and a little more.

2025 Classic Release Great Lakes Finesse Introduces Ned Bug

GLS Newest Bait!

The effectiveness of the Ned rig has made it immensely popular over the past decade or so, enough so that bass have gotten used to seeing tiny stand-up worms. Great Lakes Finesse is upping the ante on this technique with a different profile of bait that is ideal for the Ned rig technique.

 

The GLF team quickly figured out the proper profile, which is craw-like and ribbed and has slender appendages that provide just the right amount of movement. However, they spent nearly two years refining every detail and getting critical confirmation from the fish that the Ned Bug was perfect.

 

A vital feature that grew out of the testing stage is a slit in the head, which allows the bait to bend back, exposing much more of the hook for solid hooksets and a high fish landing percentage, even with a small No. 1 or 1/O hook.

 

The Ned Bug’s design and the neutral buoyancy cause it to stand at a natural 45-degree angle instead of sticking straight up. A matte finish and ribs that break up the color enhance the natural appearance. The ribs also hold any added scent, which can be important with slow presentations. The tail design fits snugly to a jig but hides the head.

 

Although designed primarily to be paired with the new GLF Ned Head, the Ned Bug also fits well on the Stealth Ball Jig Head and Stealth Football Jig makes an outstanding compact trailer for a finesse jig.

 

The GLF 2.3-inch Ned Bug is available in 10 colors: Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Red, Green Pumpkin Purple, Frosted Shad, Matte Black, Black Blue, Green Pumpkin Orange, Green Pumpkin Watermelon, Motor Oil and Brown Pumpkin Special.

 

MSRP: $6.99

Mitchell Robinson Wins 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki Marine on Lake Hartwell

The entire Robinson family got paid this week, but Mitchell came out on top. Photo by Rob Matsuura. Angler: Mitchell Robinson.

By Jody White MLF Invitationals Press Release

ANDERSON, S.C. – The final day of Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki Marine on Lake Hartwell turned out to be a classic. Big spotted bass and largemouth hit the scales left and right, and the event went down the wire, as all the leaders struggled to put it away. 

Going out with the lead, Dustin Smith weighed an even 13 pounds on the final day for a 53-11 total, which was not quite enough to hold off young Mitchell Robinson. Starting the day in second, Robinson never caught more than 20 pounds any day of the week, but he managed to scrape up 17-5 on Day 3 for a 53-13 total to earn his first win above the high school level. For the win, Robinson takes home the trophy plus $115,000, which is a lot of money to win at 19 years old. 

Through two events, Drew Gill has the lead for Fishing Clash Angler of the Year, with rookies Banks Shaw and Dustin Smith in second and third. The next event of the Invitationals season is Stop 3 Presented by Phoenix Boats at Smith Lake. 

Honed LiveScope approach helps Robinson prevail 

In July 2023, Robinson and partner Cody Abbott won the Bassmaster High School National Championship at Lake Hartwell – at the time, it was the culmination of years fishing Hartwell and Keowee, the home lakes for the Robinson family. Robinson and Abbott split $5,000 in scholarship money in that one – not insignificant, but maybe not a huge factor for someone diving headlong into the family plumbing and fishing businesses. 

Top 10 Below

Advanced Jerkbait Fishing with Megabass Pro Nick Cousvis and IBASSIN (PROVEN)

 Jerkbait fishing is one of the best lures ever invented. Learning to fish one is more difficult than you think. Learn from expert angler and Megabass pro Nick Cousvis. He knows his stuff. Nick explains how to adjust the leader length to get greater depth, more action and how to target giant smallmouth bass. Jerkbaits work well on both smallmouth and largemouth. You simply have to know how to fish them.

3 Finesse Smallmouth Presentations with Yamaha Pro Dave Chong and IBASSIN

 

One of the best smallmouth anglers in North American, Dave Chong knows how to catch them. Here are his 3 best finesse presentations that will work anywhere you are after smallmouth in lakes, rivers or reservoirs. Listen as he tell IBASSIN.com viewers which 3 finesse presentations he relays on when after smallmouth.