provided by John Phillips
Drew Benton from Blakeley, Georgia, is fishing his third Bassmasters Classic. He is the newest member of the Mossy Oak Fishing Team.
The Bassmasters Classic is the only event with the potential to change your angling career and your life in a matter of days. If an angler is able to put together the best three days of bass fishing he’s ever had in his life and wins the 2020 Lake Guntersville Classic, then winning it will definitely reward you possibly more than your wildest dreams.
If I don’t win it, I’d have to pick my roommate, Drew Cook to win. He was Rookie of the Year in 2019, and he’s had two big wins on Lake Guntersville. He knows the lake really well, and he fishes strong before, during, and just after the spawn.
The Bassmaster Classic is that one event that every bass fisherman on Planet Earth wants to fish in - whether he’s fishing local tournaments or is a hardcore, full-time angler. The Classic is the pinnacle of the sport of bass fishing. Once an angler wins the event and has his name put on that trophy, he has made bass fishing history. In years past, the Classic paid $500,000 to the winner. Today a win only pays $300,000. I hated to see the money roll back for the champion, however the prestige of winning the Classic and the many opportunities an angler has if he wins the Classic, make that win still a career and a life-changing event.
Some people have said the 2020 Classic will be different because only a few of the big-name anglers will be competing this year. I’ve looked up to guys like Kevin VanDam and Mike Iaconelli for years, but there were other names etched on that trophy before those anglers even started fishing tournaments. Their names are preserved forever, too.
