Florida pro John Cox has won just about everywhere in the country and he's well-known for fishing multiple professional tournament trails as he crisscrosses the country on his way to the next event. But one thing he hasn't won yet is the Bassmaster Classic and this year's event on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville will give him another shot at one of the biggest titles in bass fishing.
The last time he visited the fishery, he had a great tournament, finishing 3rd with the help of a crankbait. That's his plan again this time and he has the skills and confidence to take home the title.
Prepping for the BASSMASTER Classic
In preparation for the event, John Cox was on another section of the Tennessee River, fishing a National Professional Fishing League event on Pickwick. It serves as a tune-up for him as the event ends just before practice starts for the Bassmaster Classic.
While the Tennessee River near Knoxville and Tellico and Fort Loudon Lakes are completely different than Pickwick, Cox sees an advantage to fishing in the region to get a feel of what the fish are doing.
"It's still the Tennessee River, and I like the Knoxville area because it seems like it has bits and pieces of all the different lakes on the chain," he said. "It's a massive place with tons of variety. The last time I was there, I caught almost every fish on a crankbait, which should be a factor again this time, and I'm testing that out here on Pickwick."
He also likes the fact that the venue has both largemouth and smallmouth bass and each can be the winning species. "I didn't catch a lot of smallmouth last time we were there, but they tend to be in many of the same places," he said. "That's what's cool about this place, they mix in together and both will be caught during the tournament."
Cox the cranker
Most associate John Cox with his shallow-water approach with soft plastics, jigs, and vibrating jigs, but he fishes everything. He does things his way and always seems to find a good shallow bite. But, he also mixes cranking into his arsenal, including winning a Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas with the help of a Berkley Frittside.
That bait and several others are a major part of his game plan for the 2023 Bassmaster Classic. The Frittside comes in several sizes and diving depths, but the 5 is his go-to as it has the perfect depth for his shallow cranking needs.
"I use all of the different versions of the Frittside 5, from the original to the Junior and Biggun' sizes," said Cox. "Each has a little different profile and action that's better for different situations. I mix it up, but the Biggun' is excellent when the water is a little dirtier or windy; it has a bigger profile to match larger shad, too. The Junior size is best when it's tough or when they are eating small baitfish."
In addition to the Frittside, he plans to put the Berkley Money Badger and a soon-to-be-released crankbait into the rotation.
"I really like Money Badger profile; it's more of a crawfish crankbait that you can fish extremely fast and deflect off of cover," he said. "The design came from a walleye trolling lure and no matter how fast you crank it, it won't blow out. It's great for banging into rocks or grinding the bottom and getting that reaction bite, where the Frittside is more of a finesse crankbait with a nice, tight action."
The other bait he'll be using is a new one that will be released at ICAST. It has a shad profile and blends between the Frittside and Money Badger in terms of action. While he isn't at liberty to say too much, he's been impressed. "It's a really cool crankbait with great action," he said.
A backup to cranking
Cox said he can almost guarantee that cranking will be how he'll fish the Classic, but he'll also mix in a bladed jig and spinnerbait.
"I've been saying all along that a crankbait will be the way to win, but I've been wrong many times," he said. "I could also see the Berkley Slobberknocker or the Berkley Power Blade spinnerbaits being a big factor. Those two should be a bigger player as the water warms up. The area was in a nice warming trend that would get those fish all moving shallow, but the cold lately might have knocked them back a little. That's going to be the biggest factor here."
John Cox is a fan-favorite for his laid-back personality and willingness to fish any tournament, anywhere. He also has the skills to win anywhere he launches and should be a popular pick to win the Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville. No matter how it turns out, he'll have plenty of fun but has an excellent chance of being the winner when the event concludes.
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