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Hank Cherry Jr. topped the 50th annual Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday afternoon.
The 46-year-old entered Championship Sunday atop the leaderboard with 45 pounds, 13 ounces to his name. Cherry had suffered an arm injury during Friday's opening round of action, according to Carolina Sportsman's Brian Cope, after falling in his boat. While Cherry said he will probably get his arm checked by a doctor, it did not inhibit him in the Classic.
Cherry earned his first career Bassmaster Classic championship in his fifth appearance. The closest he came previously was as a third-place finish at the 2013 event.
It was not a foregone conclusion that Cherry would parlay his two-day lead into a title, however, as there were four lead changes Sunday. Ultimately, the North Carolina native's 19 pounds, eight ounces on Day 3 secured the trophy.
Bassmaster Classic Top 10 Anglers
1. Hank Cherry Jr. (65 pounds-5 ounces)
2. Todd Auten (58-10)
3. Stetson Blaylock (58-1)
4. Seth Feider (54-0)
5. Micah Frazier (54-0)
6. John Crews Jr. (53-13)
7. Brandon Lester (53-9)
8. Lee Livesay (52-12)
9. Brandon Card (50-4)
10. Matt Herren (49-5)
Full results available at Bassmaster.com with payout information courtesy of the tournament's live stream.
Seth Feider and Lee Livesay tied for Day 3's best weigh-in at 21 pounds, 13 ounces across five fish. It was Stetson Blaylock and John Crews Jr. who appeared to be giving Cherry the most trouble while the anglers were still out on the water, though, as Crews reeled in the day's heaviest bass at six pounds even:
This was Blaylock's first time qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic and Crews' 12th. Both will have to wait at least another year to contend because Cherry would not be denied:
Brandon Lester was in second place, four pounds and 13 ounces behind Cherry through Saturday's action, but posted just 12 pounds, nine ounces on Sunday to slide down to seventh place.
Cherry won $300,000 for claiming first place, per the Bassmaster official live stream, while Todd Auten banked $50,000 for second and Blaylock collected $40,000 for third. There is a payout from the tournament's $1 million purse for every angler through 53rd place.
The first day of the 2020 Bassmaster Classic was a big one for Hank Cherry Jr., who hauled in five fish for a total weight of 29 pounds, three ounces to take a commanding lead over the field.
John Crews Jr. and Clent Davis are tied for second place after matching 21-pound, eight-ounce days.
Here is how the leaderboard looks after Day 1:
1. Hank Cherry Jr. (29 pounds-3 ounces)
T-2. John Crews Jr. (21-8)
T-2. Clent Davis (21-8)
4. Brandon Lester (20-15)
T-5. Todd Auten (20-0)
T-5. Micah Frazier (20-0)
7. Skylar Hamilton (19-11)
8. Matt Herren (18-12)
9. David Mullins (18-8)
10. Hunter Shyrock (18-6)
Cherry, who nearly won the 2013 Classic during his Rookie of the Year season, averaged nearly six pounds per bass in a consistent overall day. His top fish came out at seven pounds and two ounces.
Todd Auten had the largest bass of the day, bringing in a seven-pound, nine-ouncer during the early morning hours.
The 2020 Bassmaster Classic looks destined to crown a first-time winner due in part to the split between the Bass Pro Tour and Elite Series. Defending champion Ott DeFoe did not qualify for the 2020 Classic because he chose to fish on the Pro Tour rather than the Elite Series. He released a statement (h/t Wired2Fish) in January confirming he would not be participating.
Anglers looking up on the field will have to act fast. Only the top 25 competitors compete in the third and final day of the event.
If Day 1 is any indication, it appears they're all out for second place.
The latest edition of the Bassmaster Classic gets underway on Friday, with 53 of the finest anglers around competing for their share of the $1 million prize pot.
This year's competition will be staged at Lake Guntersville at BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama, over the course of three action-packed days.
Ott DeFoe was the winner in 2019, with his three-day total registering 49 pounds and three ounces. However, he will not be back to be defend his crown this year, nor will other big names like two-time winner Jordan Lee and four-time champion Kevin VanDam.
Date: Friday, March 6 - Sunday, March 8
TV Info: ESPN 3
Live Stream: ESPN app, Bassmaster.com
Prize Money: $1,000,000 (overall), $300,000 (winner)
Prize money details courtesy of AL.com.
Preview
The Bassmaster Twitter account provided a look at what's to be expected over the course of the weekend:
With a number of big names missing due to their commitment to different tours, the field is wide open in Birmingham this year.
As a result, anglers with local knowledge of Lake Guntersville may have an advantage over the rest of the field. One of those is Scott Canterbury, who resides around 60 miles from the setting for this weekend's showdown, per Travis Smola of Wide Open Spaces.
In his rookie season on the tour in 2019, he was named the Bassmaster Angler of the Year, with six top-10 finishes registered. Victory here would cement his position as one of the best anglers in the world at the moment.
Seth Feider is one of the most prestigious competitors in the field, with three B.A.S.S. titles to his name already. In 2019 he was a winner three times too.
Brandon Lester is another who will be vying for success and speaking to Bassmaster (h/t Smola), Lester outlined what he thinks will be important to secure victory this year in regards to conditions.
"You have the pre-spawn leading into the spawn, and there could even be a few fish spawning during that tournament," he said. "I've seen it happen on Guntersville that early before. It all depends on what kind of weather we have."
Meteorologist James Spann showed the expected conditions at the lake on Wednesday:
According to Weather.com, there's a mainly sunny forecast for the weekend, with temperatures potentially reaching a high of 62 degrees on Sunday.
