Grand Rapids native Easton Fothergill’s historic finish at 2025 Bassmaster Classic
Easton Fothergill hoists trophy Courtesy: Grant Moxley/ B.A.S.S.
22-year-old Easton Fothergill of Grand Rapids, Minnesota ran away with the win at the 2025 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas.
Across the three-day competition, his catches weighed in at 76 lbs and 15 ounces, the highest mark in the history of the competition. His record-setting weight was 8.5 pounds more than the 2nd place finisher. Fothergill also became the second youngest Bassmaster Classic winner, behind only Stanley Mitchell, who won at 21 years old in 1981.
Fothergill’s young career has been anything but conventional. Less than two years ago, he underwent surgery to remove abscesses from his brain. Shortly after brain surgery, he won the 2023 Bassmaster College Bracket, then followed up with two Bassmaster Open wins in 2024. He didn’t start 2025 off on the right foot, finishing 93rd and 101st in two events in Florida, but was able to reset before the Classic.
Fothergill took home upwards of $300,000 in winnings from the Classic and has established himself as a young force in the bass fishing world.