GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — As expected, the 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk was extremely exciting start-to-finish with North Carolina pro Hank Cherry claiming the most coveted bass-fishing title on the planet.
Cherry was also the highest scoring angler in the Fantasy Fishing competition. He earned his loyal Fantasy players 355 points for his first-place finish. Cherry posted a three-day total catch of 65 pounds, 5 ounces to claim the wire-to-wire title, which exceeded second place by more than 6 pounds.
While no Angler of the Year points were on the line at this event for the anglers, Fantasy Fishing players were awarded points for their choices and earned points to their season total. The competition again resumes with the rescheduled Chickamauga Elite, March 19-22.
If you missed the first Elite event and/or the Classic, don’t let that stop you from signing up and playing Fantasy Fishing. This year, B.A.S.S. has teamed up with Rapala to increase Fantasy payouts with lots of cool prizes paying out to 20th place at each event. That means you can win some cool gear, even if you just signed up or even forgot to fill out a previous roster or two.
The Fantasy champion for the Bassmater Classic was “Rufus11” who picked a near-perfect team:
Overall Rank: No. 175, total points 2,471
Bucket A: Hank Cherry, 355 points
Bucket B: Stetson Blaylock, 290
Bucket C: Micah Frazier, 280
Bucket D: Todd Auten, 335
Bucket E: Grae Buck, 235
Total: 1,495
The perfect team was not selected, but here are the anglers that would have paid out the most points:
Bucket A: Hank Cherry, 355 points
Bucket B: Stetson Blaylock, 290
Bucket C: Micah Frazier, 280
Bucket D: Todd Auten, 335
Bucket E: Caleb Kuphall, 237
Total: 1,497
BUCKET A: CHERRY
Cherry surprised Bucket A with an impressive showing on Guntersville. He earned his 1.3% ownership 355 points. He earned 300 points for first place, and also earned 40-bonus points for weighing the heaviest bag of the event on the first day, which weighed 29-3. And he earned five bonus points per day of derby leadership for a total of 15 points going wire-to-wire.
Second best selection: Minnesota’s Seth Feider was the second-best choice in Bucket A having earned his 7.7% ownership 285 points for a solid fourth-place finish.
Lowest scoring angler: Surprisingly, Cory Johnston was the lowest scoring angler in Bucket A having earned his 2.3% ownership only 181 points after a tough 47th-place finish.
BUCKET B: BLAYLOCK
Stetson Blaylock enjoyed a fantastic showing at the Classic, and earned his 16.9% ownership 290 points after finishing in third place.
Second best selection: Elite Series Veteran John Crews finished in sixth place having earned his loyal 18.4% ownership 276 points.
Lowest scoring angler: It was shocking to see Paul Mueller as the lowest scoring angler in this bucket. He endured a tough event and managed only 171 points for his 20.3% ownership after a 52nd-place finish.
BUCKET C: FRAZIER
Georgia angler Micah Frazier enjoyed a fantastic event that wrapped up with a strong fifth-place finish, which earned his loyal 12.2% ownership 280 points.
Second best selection: Texas pro Lee Livesay was the second-best selection in Bucket C having produced 268 points for his 7.4% ownership after a solid eighth-place finish.
Lowest scoring angler: Chad Pipkens was the lowest-scoring angler in this group earning his 4.8% ownership only 179 after a tough 48th-place finish.
BUCKET D: AUTEN
Todd Auten made a strong run at the title each day of the event, and managed a very respectable second-place finish. Auten earned his 9.2% ownership 335 points for his work at Guntersville. He produced 295 points for second place, and 40-bonus points for weighing the event’s big bass that weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces.
Second best selection: Skylar Hamilton was the second-best selection in this bucket having earned his 7.1% ownership 254 points after a strong 12th-place showing.
Lowest scoring angler: Mike Huff was the lowest-scoring angler in this bucket. He earned his 1.3% ownership 177 points for a difficult 49th-place finish.
BUCKET E: KUPHALL
Caleb Kuphall was consistent at the Classic where he earned his 5.9% ownership 237 points after a solid 19th-place finish.
Second best selection: Grae Buck was the second-best selection in this bucket. He produced 235 points for his 5.9% ownership after a strong 20th-place finish.
Lowest scoring angler: Cam Sterritt was the lowest-scoring angler at the Classic producing 0 points for his 0.7% ownership after a disappointing 53rd-place finish.
