Knoxville, TN – It seems we have a new era in bass fishing.
For as long as I can remember, it was damn near impossible for a hometown boy to win a Classic on his home lake. With 4 of the past 6 winners doing just that, it’s becoming the norm.
Tennessee native Ott DeFoe owned day one, lost the top spot on day two, and came back on Sunday to take the top spot back from Jacob Wheeler. He brought in a 5 bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 14 ounces pushing his 3-day total to 49 pounds, 3 ounces.
Wheeler’s 3-day bag would measure in a full five pounds behind, with 45 pounds, 5 ounces.
DeFoe switched his approach after a rough second round. He kept at it with a bladed jig, but instead of attacking shallow docks, he moved to the outside wall of a marina.
“If I would have had a good Day 2,” DeFoe said. “I might have been totally committed to what I was doing. It was working. Why would I not stay with it?”
But the fact that it didn’t work forced him to make adjustments. After conferring with Keith Poche, an Alabama angler who didn’t make the cut, he decided to make the move to the marina.
It was a move worth $300,000 dollars, and the most prestigious title in all of bass fishing.