Western Pros at the Classic
This year’s Bassmaster Classic was held in Knoxville, Tenn. and by many accounts, it was one of the best.
The crowds were massive at the takeoffs, expo, and weigh-in. It was also a pretty exciting finish as local pro Ott DeFoe took home the title on a body of water he has fished since he was a kid. Besides the feel-good story, there were some bright spots for anglers with western roots. In total, 14 of the 52-angler field either lives in a western state or is originally from one.
Here’s how they all fared:
5th - Mark Daniels Jr. - 41-12
Even though he now lives in Alabama, MDJ is as California as they come. The likable pro was in 2nd going into the final day but slipped to 5th when the last fish was weighed. He caught his fish on both lipless and diving crankbaits and made a great run at the title.
9th - Dean Rojas - 35 – 6
Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Arizona has a storied career with Bassmaster and has still yet to win the most significant event in bass fishing. He turned in a solid finish with three limits between nine and fourteen pounds here in Tennessee.
10th - Brandon Palaniuk - 34 - 15
Palaniuk has had some very close calls at the Classic and his three fish day one performance hurt him this year. His bags got better each day, but it wasn’t enough.
11th - Roy Hawk - 34 - 4
Hawk has done many things in bass fishing, but this was his first Classic. A dream come true and he had a respectable finish even though his weights dropped each day. The highlight was his day one, where he weighed in nearly 18-pounds.
12th - Chris Zaldain - 34 - 0
Zaldain loves throwing swimbaits, and any big bait fan knows they can quickly make you a hero or a zero. He weighed the biggest bag of the entire tournament on the second day when we weighed in 21-12, but the final day he had just two small keepers. He stuck to his guns and went for the win.
WATCH RELATED: Zaldain's Pre Classic Vid on His Clear Lake Morsels
17th - Justin Lucas - 31 - 9
Lucas, the reigning Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year badly wanted to win this event. He started strong on day one, but slowly dropped back each day and settled in 17th.
18th - Clifford Pirch - 31 – 8
Pirch was another angler who started great with over 16-pounds on the first day. His pattern dried up, and he watched himself slowly slip back down the standings.
21st - Skeet Reese - 27 – 1
Like many anglers in the field, this may be Skeet’s last Classic as he was one of the many pros who made a move to the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. He was emotional on stage knowing that this may be it for the Classic, but he had a decent tournament and was able to fish all three days.
27th - Jared Lintner - 18 - 13
Going into the event, Lintner said the fish were biting, and he was excited about getting started. He only weighed in one on the first day, a solid four pounder and bounced back with a 14-plus pound limit on the second day to come up just short of fishing the final day.
28th - Josh Bertrand - 18 – 13
Bertrand had just four fish on the second day and barely missed the cut to move to the final day. He would surely like another chance at the day but still finished in the middle of the pack.
34th - Brett Hite - 17 – 1
Just four fish each day hurt Hite, and two more keepers may have been enough to push him up in the standings to qualify for the Top-25 that fished the final day.
43rd - Brent Ehrler - 12 - 14
Ehrler said the fishing was going to be tough in both a Classic preview article here on WesternBass.com and again the day before the event. That proved to be true, and he finished in 43rd.
51st - Aaron Martens - 6 - 5
With a huge list of close calls at the Classic, Aaron Martens is one of the best anglers without a Classic win, and that will continue. Unfortunately, he finished near the bottom of the standings in what may have been his last Classic.
52nd - Randy Pierson - 4 – 7
Pierson qualified for the Classic via the Bass Nation and was extremely excited to be fishing against his angling heroes. The 52nd place showing was not the finish he had planned, but he made the Classic, and that is something that not many anglers can say they have done.
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