Just Classic: Bassmaster finale has a tight Top 10
The 54th Bassmaster Classic promises a fight to the finish on windy Grand Lake
I’m a little worried about the kid, I have to admit.
It’s 0-dark-thirty, and I couldn’t sleep. I hear the wind howling.
I know he probably hasn’t slept much, if at all, since Thursday.
When I saw Justin Hamner last night in the media room, down in the basement of Tulsa’s BOK Center, his smile was bright, and his face flushed from a breezy day on the lake. But that boy’s eyes were beet red where they oughta be white, and as he stood to speak with a line of reporters, he couldn’t stretch enough to get that soreness out of his back and shoulders.
Anyone who’s loved a marathon day of fishing would recognize the aches and soreness that come from an adrenaline-fueled marathon performance. I have to imagine that Classic soreness is adrenaline-pumped marathon times 54.
He has a semi-comfortable lead over a rookie, Wisconsin angler Adam Rasmussen, heading into today’s finale of the 54th Bassmaster Classic. He’s pounded lunkers and posted 20-pound bags the first two days, but this show ain’t over—far from it.
Sumner has 42-6, and Rasmussen has 36-15, a difference of 5 pounds 7 ounces.
Everyone said from the start that it would take 59 to 60 pounds to win this year’s Super Bowl of Bass Fishing on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. Sumner still needs 18 pounds today to reach that, and we’ve seen a whole bunch of veteran sticks with 10- to 13-pound bags this week.
My mind immediately went to the 2016 Classic. That year, I was deeply invested in covering locals Jason Christie of Park Hill and Edwin Evers of Tallala.
Christie had a comfortable lead that Sunday. He was the Cherokee in the lead on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, where he cut his teeth on competition fishing. Back in 2013, he hit the lake for his first Classic and was in contention. He made the Top 10. It seemed he was a shoo-in this time around, and, man, it was pretty cool.
Christie launched Sunday in the lead with 37-09, and Evers was in third place with 31-14, a difference of 5 pounds 12 ounces.
Sounds familiar, eh?
Christie told reporters in 2016 that he was not in competition with anyone but the lake. Whoever beat Grand Lake would take the win. That’s how it goes.
When Evers posted a weight of 29-3, the capacity crowd at the BOK exploded. It was one of those roars you feel more than you hear. A “wha—ooh—holy—sh—t!” came out of my mouth, and I involuntarily tossed my notebook straight up in the air.
Meanwhile, Christie found only four bass that day and posted 12-9.
Evers won with 60-7. Christie took second place with 50-2. Grand Lake erased Christie’s lead with 10 pounds to spare.
Christie started today’s finale in 12th place. He has 31-3 and is just a little over 10 pounds out of first place. He humbly said that in that position—regarding the horse race side of the competition—he’s shooting to land as high in the Top 5 as he can.
Ten pounds.
Gotta wonder about the kid today.
“He ain’t no kid. He’s been around this game for a while. Don’t be fooled.”
That’s what Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk said.
True enough. Sumner is 33. He’s fished plenty of derbies. His resume has 41 BASS pro tournaments dating back to 2014 (most in the past four years). He’s finished in the money 31 times but has yet to lift a trophy. Starting with the biggest one of all really would be something.
He qualified for the 2022 Classic through the Bassmaster Opens and competed in the Elite Series to qualify for a spot in the big show this year. This year, he’s made enough money to leave his lawn care business parked in the shop.
But on the scale of things, he’s a little younger than my eldest daughter, and he's in his second full year as a pro and his second Classic in a row. Yeah, he’s a kid.
He’s got some big sticks on his tail, and while he’s hit big fish, and plenty of them, his first two days, I’ve heard plenty of experienced hands remark that they’re catching lots of fish too. Almost every one of the 56 competitors caught five fish on both days. They’ve just been smaller.
I know that sounds dumb. Catch bigger fish, and you win the derby.
Duh.
I’ll let “the prodigy,” Palaniuk, explain. He posted 13 pounds 7 ounces on Friday but upped it to 17 on Saturday to land in 13th, smack in the middle of the 25-man Sunday pack, right there with Christie. He has a shot; any one of them does.
“It’s crazy. You’re just always tested in this sport, just constantly, and that’s how life is; you’re just tested and tested and tested, and you push through. Like yesterday, I kept pushin’ and pushin’ and then all the sudden I realized I had to go check in and I believed it was going to happen. And I went out there believing it was going to happen today. I fished the exact same water. I threw the exact same Megabass D2 crankbait I had tied on, and I just caught bigger fish. It’s that simple.”
And that’s how Grand Lake can be sometimes. I lost count of how many guys this weekend said they had a great time catching loads of fish, but those 4, 5, and 6-pounders are just hard to find.
I hope the kid hits another 20-plus pound bag and sweeps the tourney; I really do. I asked him if he was worried about any ghosts of Edwin Evers out on the lake Sunday. He said that never crossed his mind.
“No negative thoughts, no negative questions,” he said.
He’s just going to catch as many fish as he can. He’s competing against the lake—a 30mph-wind-whipped Grand Lake.
My advice: Head to downtown Tulsa and watch big things happen today.
The weather is going to be crappy. The wind is crazy today, and it’s supposed to rain during the weigh-in. But the rain should tail off as the event comes to an end. You might as well enjoy the outdoors indoors while it rains. The Expo opens in the Cox Business Center at 11 a.m., and the BOK arena opens around 3:15, but the official weigh-in doesn’t start until 5 p.m.-ish.
Here’s a rundown of the Top 10 guys chasing Hamner today.
Kelly Bostian/KJBOutdoors photos
Adam Rasmussen, 36-15, down 5-7. This is the 39-year-old Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin angler’s first Classic appearance. He qualified through the Bassmaster Opens, where he’s completed two full seasons. He has 27 pro tournaments under his belt and has finished in the money eight times.
Cody Huff, 36-4, down 6-2. This is a third Classic appearance for the 27-year-old Ava, Missouri pro. He qualified for the 2020 Classic through the Bassmaster College Series, fished the Opens, and started in the Elites in 2022. He has 36 pro tournaments to his credit and finished in the money 23 times.
Brandon Card, 34-4, down 8-2. This is the seventh Classic for the 37-year-old Salisbury, North Carolina pro. He was the first Bassmaster College Series angler to qualify for the Elite Series and won the 2012 Elite Series Rookie of the Year. He fished his first Classic in 2013 in Tulsa. He has 134 tourneys on his resume and finished in the money 87 times.
Hank Cherry, 33-11, down 8-11. This is the eighth Classic for the 50-year-old Lincolnton, North Carolina pro. He posted back-to-back Classic wins in 2020 and 2021. He finished third in Tulsa in 2013, his first Classic appearance. He has 127 tourneys on his resume and finished in the money 86 times.
Cooper Gallant, 33-3, down 9-1. This is a second Classic appearance for the 27-year-old Canadian from Bowmanville, Ontario. He qualified to fish the 2023 Classic through the Opens Series. He finished 52nd at Classic in Knoxville last year. He fished the Elite Series in 2023. He has 25 total tournaments to his credit and fished in the money 20 times.
Lee Livesay, 33-1, down 9-3. This is the fourth Classic appearance for the 38-year-old Lake Fork bass guide from Longview, Texas. He has fished every Classic since 2020. He joined the Elite Series in 2019. He has 68 tournaments on his resume, with four wins, and finished in the money 58 times.
Jay Przekurat, 32-7, down 9-15. This is a second Classic appearance for the 24-year-old Stevens Point, Wisconsin pro. He started in the Bass Opens Series in 2019 and qualified for his first Classic as an Elite Series Angler in 2022. He took 7th place at Knoxville last year. He has a total of 35 tournaments on his resume, with three wins, and finished in the money 28 times.
Taku Ito, 32-3, down, 10-1. This is the fourth Classic appearance for the Chiba, Japan pro, just shy of his 28th birthday, March 29. Ito has been a pro for nine years. He joined the Elite Series in 2020 and qualified for the Classic yearly. He has 46 Bassmaster tourneys on his resume, with one win, and has finished in the money 40 times.
Matt Robertson, 31-11, down 10-9. This is the 37-year-old Kuttawa, Kentucky, pro's fifth Classic appearance. A pro for two years, he has the distinction of qualifying for the Classic three different ways: through the Team Championship, the Opens, and the Elite Series standings. He entered the Elite Series in 2021. He has 49 Bassmaster tournaments on his resume, with one win, and has finished in the money 35 times.