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A new Bassmaster Classic champion has been crowned.
Alabama native Justin Hamner capped off a dominant weekend Sunday and took home the prize for the first time in his career.
Here's a look at the final top 10 for the weekend.
Final 2024 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Justin Hamner (58 pounds, 6 ounces)
2. Adam Rasmussen (55 pounds, 4 ounces)
3.Cody Huff (50 pounds, 7 ounces)
4. Jay Przekurat (50 pounds, 1 ounce)
5. Lee Livesay (49 pounds, 11 ounces)
6. Cory Johnston (49 pounds, 6 ounces)
7. Kyle Patrick (49 pounds, 4 ounces)
8. Hank Cherry Jr. (49 pounds, 4 ounces)
9. Shane LeHew (48 pounds, 15 ounces)
10. Taku Ito (48 pounds, 5 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com
Hamner caught five fish that weighed in at 15 pounds total, which brought his totals from the weekend to 15 fish and a combined weight of 58 pounds. The field pushed Hamner more, as Adam Rasmussen caught five fish for 18 pounds and eventually pulled to within three pounds of Hamner on the weekend.
Still, the second-year professional Hamner takes home the signature victory, which is the first of his career.
Some anglers, like Cory Johnston, Kyle Patrick and Shane LeHew, found their way into the top 10. Others, like Brandon Card, Cooper Gallant and Matt Robertson, fell out entirely.
The 2024 Bassmaster Classic continued on the waters of Grand Lake O' The Cherokees in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
It was much of the same for Friday's leader Justin Hamner, who reeled in five fish for a total weight of 22 pounds, 6 ounces on Day 1. On Saturday, Hamner brought in five fish for a total weight of 22 pounds, 0 ounces to help him retain the lead heading into the final day.
Adam Rasmussen, who was in third place after Friday, had a big day to propel him into second place on Saturday. Rasmussen reeled in five fish for a total weight of 17 pounds, 10 ounces to bring his two-day total to 36 pounds, 15 ounces.
Here's a look at the top 10 after Day 2:
Saturday's 2024 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Justin Hamner (42 pounds, 6 ounces)
2. Adam Rasmussen (36 pounds, 15 ounces)
3. Cody Huff (36 pounds, 4 ounces)
4. Brandon Card (34 pounds, 4 ounces)
5. Hank Cherry Jr. (33 pounds, 11 ounces)
6. Cooper Gallant (33 pounds, 3 ounces)
7. Lee Livesay (33 pounds, 1 ounce)
8. Jay Przekurat (32 pounds, 7 ounces)
9. Taku Ito (32 pounds, 3 ounces)
10. Matt Robertson (31 pounds, 11 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com
Hamner created some space on Saturday and has a comfortable lead after Day 2, and if he manages to bring in a few decent-sized fish on Sunday, he could walk away with a win in his first-ever Bassmaster Classic.
Both Rasmussen and Huff are within striking distance, but would each need to put together big performances to try and dethrone Hamner on the final day.
Some anglers, like Card, made up for slow days on Friday to get into the top 10. Card reeled in five fish for a total weight of 12 pounds, 14 ounces on Friday, but bounced back with a total weight of 21 pounds, 6 ounces on Saturday. Card likely won't be able to win the tournament given his shaky Day 1 performance, but he could keep his spot in the top 10 if he has a big day on Sunday.
The final day of the tournament will begin Sunday morning, and if the trend continues it will be another exciting day on the water in Tulsa.
The first day of the 2024 Bassmaster Classic began on Friday with an exciting day on Grand Lake O' The Cherokees in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Justin Hamner, who is making his first Bassmaster Classic appearance this weekend, was at the top of the leaderboards after Day 1, bringing in five fish for a total weight of 22 pounds, 6 ounces. Just behind him was Cody Huff, who reeled in five fish for a total weight of 21 pounds, 5 ounces.
Last year's winner of the Bassmaster Classic, Jeff Gustafson, had a decent day but is far from the top of the leaderboard. He brought in five fish for a total weight of 13 pounds, 13 ounces and sitting in 29th place. He'll have some work to do on Saturday, but a big day could propel him near the top.
Here's a look at the top 10 after Day 1:
Friday's 2024 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Justin Hamner (22 pounds, 6 ounces)
2. Cody Huff (21 pounds, 5 ounces)
3. Adam Rasmussen (19 pounds, 5 ounces)
4. Lee Livesay (18 pounds, 15 ounces)
5. Jay Przekurat (18 pounds, 5 ounces)
6. John Cox (16 pounds, 14 ounces)
t7. Hank Cherry Jr. (16 pounds, 8 ounces)
t7. Matt Robertson (16 pounds, 8 ounces)
9. Tyler Williams (16 pounds, 7 ounces)
10. Shane LeHew (16 pounds, 3 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com
Hamner got out to a great start on Friday and is now in a good position heading into Day 2. He's searching for his first win in the Bassmaster Classic, so he'll be looking for a big day on Saturday to preserve his narrow lead.
Huff, who is appearing in his second Bassmaster Classic, is just over a pound away from Hamner and is looking to match his success to take the lead and get his first win at the Classic.
Rasmussen, Livesay and Przekurat are all within striking distance of Hamner, and with a full day of fishing ahead, things could get interesting during Day 2 in Tulsa.
The two men who pleaded guilty to cheating at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail fishing tournament in September were sentenced to 10 days of jail time, a year-and-a-half of probation and a $2,500 fine, per Justin Dennis of WBKN.com.
Jacob Runyan, 43, and Chase Cominsky, 36, each pleaded guilty to felony charges of cheating and misdemeanor charges of illegal animal ownership after tournament directors and prosecutors accused them of making their catches heavier by stuffing them with weights and fish fillets.
They were also charged with both attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools, though that pair of charges were dropped.
Additionally, the $130,000 boat they used at the tournament was forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife and they had their fishing licenses suspended for three years.
"I just wanna apologize to everyone," Cominsky said Thursday, per Dennis. "It's a bad situation and it's something I wish I could say it didn't happen."
Runyan added that it was the "most ignorant decision I've ever made in my life."
The pair were the favorites entering the September tournament after a "curious run of success," as assistant county prosecutor Andrew Rogalski termed it, with Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament overseer Jason Fischer adding that the duo had won nine of the 19 events he ran, with no other duo winning more than two in that time.
Per Dennis, authorities suspected Runyan of Cominsky of also cheating in the past, though evidence backing up those suspicions wasn't uncovered.
"They're forever gonna be branded with the labels of cheaters and thieves," Rogalski said. "After today, they'll be convicted felons. And nobody should feel bad for them, because they deserve this and they earned this."
The old saying goes that if you give a man a fish you'll feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish you'll feed him for a lifetime. The idiom doesn't mention anything about the possibility of the man stuffing the fish to win a tournament.
But that is exactly what the pair of Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky did in September at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament, per Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today, and each pleaded guilty to charges of cheating (a fifth-degree felony) and the unlawful ownership of wild animals (fourth-degree misdemeanor).
Each man agreed to a three-year suspension of their fishing license and Cominsky surrendered the boat used in the tournament, worth $100,000, as part of the plea deal. They are additionally facing six months' probation, with expungement of their convictions on the table if they meet their probationary conditions.
"This plea is the first step in teaching these crooks two basic life lessons," Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said in a statement. "Thou shall not steal, and crime does not pay."
The two men stuffed fish with weights and fish filets to make them heavier, which tournament director Jason Fischer discovered after becoming suspicious of the weight of the fish and cutting them open.
Per Reyes, that revealed "10 weights—eight of which weighed 12 ounces and two of which weighed eight ounces—stuffed inside the walleyes, along with several walleye fillets that had been packed into the fish to boost their weight."
The pair originally pleaded not guilty in October. The tournament's total prize was $28,760.
The 2023 Bassmaster Classic wrapped up Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and there's a new king of the river, as Jeff Gustafson wrapped up a wire-to-wire win for his first title in the competition.
Gustafson was the best angler on the Tennessee River by a wide margin over the last three days, and he finished with a total weight of 42 pounds, seven ounces, which left him with a nearly two-pound advantage over the rest of the field.
Sunday was the slowest day of the competition, with none of the top 25 competitors finishing with a weigh in higher than 12 pounds, seven ounces, which was reeled in by Brandon Cobb.
Defending champion Jason Christie's run ended in disappointment as he finished the competition in 14th place and missed out on the opportunity of going back-to-back.
Here is the final top 10 for 2023.
Final 2023 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Jeff Gustafson (42 pounds, 7 ounces)
2. Bryan Schmitt (40 pounds, 14 ounces)
3. Scott Canterbury (40 pounds, 1 ounce)
4. Drew Benton (38 pounds, 3 ounces)
5. John Cox (36 pounds, 13 ounces)
6. Brandon Lester (35 pounds, 10 ounces)
7. Jay Przekurat (34 pounds, 9 ounces)
8. Brandon Cobb (34 pounds, 0 ounces)
9. Jacob Powroznik (31 pounds, 12 ounces)
10. Greg Hackney (30 pounds, 14 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com.
Sunday was Gustafson's worst day on the river, weighing in just two fishes for six pounds, 12 ounces. But he put such a gap between himself and everyone else over the first two days that he managed to hold on to the No. 1 spot by a fairly comfortable margin.
The 40-year-old angler had four classic appearances, but this is his first win. He gets the $300,000 cash prize. He's no stranger to good performances on the Tennessee River, however, as he won the 2021 Bassmaster Elite.
Matt Robertson finished with the biggest catch of the tournament, reeling in a bass that weighed in at five pounds, six ounces.
The 2023 Bassmaster Classic continued Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and things heated up as there was a bit of shake-up in the leaderboard after the second day of action on the Tennessee River.
One thing that did not change was the dominant performance of Jeff Gustafson, who held on to the top spot on the leaderboard after reeling in five fish that weighed in at 17 pounds, three ounces, the best mark of the day.
Gustafson's total for the competition is now 35 pounds, 11 ounces, and he has a really nice cushion in the No. 1 spot going into the championship round Sunday. He has a nearly six-pound lead over John Cox, who ended the day in second place with a 29-pound, 15-ounce total.
While Gustafson remained at the top, there was quite a shuffle in the rest of the top 10 compared to where things left off after the first day of the competition.
Most notably, defending champion Jason Christie broke into the top 10 after ending day one in 12th place. He'll need a big championship round if he's going to have any hope of going back-to-back.
Here is the top 10 after the second day in Knoxville.
Saturday's 2023 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Jeff Gustafson (35 pounds, 11 ounces)
2. John Cox (29 punds, 15 ounces)
3. Bryan Schmitt (29 pounds, 13 ounces)
4. Drew Benton (28 pounds, 6 ounces)
5. Scott Canterbury (28 pounds, 0 ounces)
6. Brandon Lester (27 pounds, 9 ounces)
7. Cory Johnston (26 pounds, 9 ounces)
8. Jay Przekurat (25 pounds, 6 ounces)
9. Austin Felix (23 pounds, 10 ounces)
10. Jason Christie (23 pounds, 3 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com
Gustafson kept his foot on the gas Saturday and has proved to be the best angler in the competition so far by a wide margin. It's been one of the most dominant displays seen in a while, as the rest of the field hasn't really come that close to his daily totals.
He seems well on his way for his first Bassmaster Classic title unless something goes very wrong for him Sunday.
One of the better performers of the day was Scott Canterbury, who made an impressive climb up the leaderboard. He broke into the top five after ending the first day of the competition in ninth place.
A couple of four-pound catches helped give him the boost, and he's now well-positioned to potentially have a top-three finish with another good showing Sunday.
The big catch of the day belonged to Luke Palmer, who reeled in a five-pound, 13-ounce beast, the biggest bass of the competition so far.
More than half the field was eliminated Saturday as only the top 25 anglers are able to move on to the championship round, which begins Sunday morning.
The 2023 Bassmaster Classic kicked off Friday in Knoxville, Tennessee on the Tennessee River with some of the best anglers in the world coming together to compete in what has become known as the "Super Bowl of fishing."
Jeff Gustafson took the early lead in the competition after Friday's weigh-in with his five fishes coming in at 18 pounds, eight ounces. He has bit of a cushion between himself and the rest of the field as second-place Brandon Lester is more than a full pound behind him at 17 pounds, seven ounces.
Defending champion Jason Christie didn't exactly have a hot start as he ended the first day in 12th place at 12 pounds, six ounces.
The middle portion of the leaderboard is pretty tight with just four ounces separating fourth place from sixth.
Here is the top 10 after the first day in Knoxville.
Friday's 2023 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Jeff Gustafson (18 pounds, 8 ounces)
2. Brandon Lester (17 pounds, 7 ounces)
3. Bryan Schmitt (16 pounds, 1 ounce)
4. John Cox (14 punds, 4 ounces)
5. Cory Johnston (14 pounds, 2 ounces)
6. Jay Przekurat (14 pounds, 0 ounces)
7. Chris Johnston (13 pounds, 12 ounces)
8. Drew Benton (13 pounds, 5 ounces)
9. Scott Canterbury (12 pounds, 13 ounces)
10. Jacob Powroznik (12 pounds, 9 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com
Gustafson is looking for his first win in the competition and quickly climbed up the leaderboard, taking the top spot early on in the day and managing to hold onto it by a good margin.
Although he didn't have the best first day, Christie stayed in the mix after day one. He's actually in a similar position to the one he was in at this point last year when he went on to win the competition.
After the first day in 2022 he sat in 10th place, but he rode great performances in day two and three all the way to the title. Christie is looking to become just the fifth angler in history to win back-to-back Bassmaster Classics.
Meanwhile, Chris Johnston had the best catch of the day after reeling in a four-pound, 15 ounce fish to give him the biggest bass.
The competition will resume Saturday morning, with the top 25 advancing to the championship round Sunday.
The Bassmaster Classic returns to Knoxville, Tennessee, where a field of 55 anglers will contend in the Tennessee River in the Super Bowl of bass fishing.
The event returns to the river for the first time since 2019 when Ott Defoe took home the $300,000 cash prize with a total weigh-in of 49 pounds and three ounces.
This year's field will include defending champion Jason Christie. He won the 2022 event at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina with a total weight of 54 pounds. Brandon Palaniuk—the 2022 Angler of the Year—will also be gunning for the top prize.
With some rainy conditions during the practice sessions throwing some uncertainty into what patterns will be successful once the tournament starts, there are sure to be some surprises along the way.
Here's a look at all the information you need to catch the tournament.
Bassmaster Classic Live Stream and TV Info
Friday, March 24: 8 a.m. - 3 pm ET on Bassmaster.com
Saturday, March 25: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Bassmaster.com
Sunday, March 26: 8 a.m. to 11 am ET on Bassmaster.com and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 - noon to 3 p.m. ET on Fox
Full TV Coverage Schedule and Live Stream at Bassmaster.com.
Preview
Fifty-five anglers will compete in the three-day tournament, with the highest weight total over the course of the event taking home the prize.
The heaviest weight total in tournament history was 75 pounds and nine ounces by the legendary Rick Clunn in 1984, but Randy Howell's 67 pounds and eight ounces in 2014 is the most over the last 10 years.
Feedback from the practice rounds would seem to indicate there will be no records set this weekend.
Classic hopeful Caleb Kuphall made it sound like big fish would be hard to come by in the river.
"Eighteen pounds would be a miracle," he said, per Pete Robbins of Bassmaster.com. "I'd start laying off some stuff if I had 14 or 15 pounds, just to make sure I'd have enough fish left over for the other two days."
One thing that may help is the warming weather in Tennessee. According to The Weather Channel, the high will be in the 70s all three days of the tournament, with the rain only expected to return on Saturday.
Some anglers are concerned the water is becoming too clear. The conditions can make it easier to scare fish off. Saturday's rain could change that, but it will have to come down pretty hard.
"I would like it to be higher and dingier, but it seems to be clearing up," Brandon Card told Robbins in regard to the clearing water. "Once the run-off from today's rain comes in, it might dingy it up, but it takes a hard rain to do that and I don't think we got enough."
As far as contenders to keep an eye on are concerned, Palaniuk is an obvious name. His resume includes two Angler of the Year awards and plenty of big wins, but a Classic title has eluded him. He finished 10th in 2019 when this event was on the Tennessee River previously.
Jeff Gustafson figures to be dangerous, too. He picked up his first Elite Series win the last time an event was held in Knoxville, racking up over 63 pounds worth of smallmouth bass. He seems set to target them over the largemouth once again.
"If I have a largemouth in my bag, it's going to be no good," he told Robbins.
How many anglers choose to tail his strategy will be a storyline to track. Too much traffic could render his patterns fruitless, but his track record and familiarity with the waters are going to make him a favorite.
If you're looking to pick a hometown guy, then Brandon Lester is the best bet. He isn't from Knoxville but he is a Tennessee native who is optimistic that it's going to be a good weekend of fishing.
"We've had a warm spring so far and we've had some warm rain recently, so I feel like the system is going to be in really good shape for a strong, shallow-water bass tournament," he told reporters heading into the tournament.
The field should be wide open, and it's going to be hard to predict who will take home the prestigious title from this many talented anglers.
