New Bassmaster Classic Champion reveals winning combination

Easton Fothergill – the second youngest Bassmaster Classic Champion in history with the captor of the heaviest ever winning limit – paid tribute to the Humminbird and Minn Kota gear that propelled him to victory.

The 22-year-old from Minnesota, dominated the three-day event at Lake Ray Roberts, Texas, to claim the $300,000 first prize with a tournament best-ever 76lb 15oz, a record held previously by Classic legend Kevin VanDam.

“I stayed patient, trusted my instincts and leaned on my Humminbird and Minn Kota gear to put myself in the right position each day,” he told the media after his incredible success in only his second Classic.

Fothergill used the Humminbird Lakemaster Premium mapping on his Humminbird APEX fish finders to identify key staging areas where the bass were setting up to spawn. “I relied heavily on my Lakemaster mapping all week.”

Fothergill targeted bass ready to spawn and using his Minn Kota Ultrex Quest trolling motor, covered the water, locating and targeting specific bass suspended in standing timber. Once he found the right ones, he locked in with Spot-Lock or Minn Kota Raptors in the shallow water, allowing him to stay put and make repeated casts without spooking the fish.

“The mornings were slow, but I knew if I kept moving and searching with my Ultrex, I would eventually find an area holding fish. That trolling motor is so quiet and powerful I truly believe that it made a big difference in getting those extra bites throughout the week.

“Winning the Bassmaster Classic this early in my career is something I could only have dreamt of. I have looked up to all the guys in this field my entire life and just being out there competing against them was just surreal.

“To go on and win the biggest event in bass fishing is indescribable. I stayed patient, trusted my instincts and leaned on my Humminbird and Minn Kota to put myself in the right position each day.”