Fothergill looks to defend his title, leads Day 1 of the 2026 Classic

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Published: 14 March 2026

Bassmaster Report

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With one day in the books at the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, the storyline for much of the field is change. Anglers enjoyed warm flip-flop weather during pre-tournament practice days in Knoxville, Tenn. Since then, the weather and water conditions have done the flip-flopping, bringing frost at takeoff, wind and muddy water to the Tennessee River.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is the name atop the Classic standings. Easton Fothergill, the reigning Classic champ from Grand Rapids, Minn., best navigated the shifting conditions to jump into the Day 1 lead with a limit of five smallmouth bass weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces.

Like the weather recently, Fothergill’s day was up and down. He had to adjust, and he had to cover water. In fact, he ran 124 miles throughout Friday’s first day of competition.

Fothergill started the day running far into Tellico Reservoir, which connects to the Tennessee River’s Fort Loudoun Reservoir via a canal near both lakes’ lower ends.

“It’s just where I personally found the most consistent bigger fish,” he said. “I did have some fish in Loudoun, but by the time I made the right adjustment I didn’t have time to check those fish.”

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Where Do Waldron Bass Go? Biologists Plan to Find Out

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Published: 12 March 2026

By Louie Stout

The Waldron Chain of Lakes in Indiana’s Noble County – also known as Duke’s Bridge - has become a hot spot for bass anglers.

Tournament results in recent years show the lake has some quality bass and it’s become a popular early season/late season tourney site.

Anglers must launch in a channel along the north branch of the Elkhart River. With fish being released there after a tournament, many anglers have asked, “are those fish making it back to the lakes and to where they were caught?”

The Indiana DNR plans to find out. Beginning in late April or May, fish managers will begin collecting bass from the lakes, inserting tiny transmitters into their bellies, and releasing them. In addition, receivers will be submerged at strategic locations in the various lakes.

“We’re excited about this project and hope to learn a lot,” said DNR District Biologist Tyler DeLauder. “When a fish carrying a transmitter swims by a receiver, it will record it. We will go out periodically and pull the receivers, download the information, and put the receivers back in the water. This should begin to tell the story on what those fish are doing after being released at the ramp.”

DeLauder said he only has 10 transmitters, as they are very costly.

“We’re using the less expensive ones and they still cost $375 each,” he noted. “There are better ones that provide water depth in which the fish are swimming and water temperature, but they cost $1,000 each.”

Anglers will know if fish they catch are carrying a transmitter because a small, orange-colored tag will be protruding from the belly. DeLauder encourages anglers to not remove the tag unless they plan to keep the fish. If so, he’d like to get the transmitter returned so biologists can use it again. It’s the size of an AA battery and lasts for up to 600 days.

“I realize this (10 tagged fish) is a small sample size but we think it will give us answers to our questions about fish movement on that lake,” DeLauder said. “Years ago, we did a similar project on Wawasee, but today’s technology is better. Ultimately, we’d like to do a smaller lake and get tags for bluegill and other fish to track their seasonal movements.”

The biologist said that he would be interested in talking to an angler or group representative who would like to buy additional tags for the project.

You can contact him at the North East Regional Office, (260) 244-7049.