McKinney overcomes early nerves to take Day 1 Classic lead

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When Trey McKinney hopped onto the stage at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, the infectious beat of "Church Clap" by Christian hip-hop artist KB filled Dickies Arena.

Though conventional wisdom says don't ever change what's working, McKinney's hype song might as well be "The Kids are Alright" by The Who, because things are, indeed, quite alright for the whiz kid from Carbondale, Ill.

McKinney, who celebrated his 20^th birthday only last month, holds the Day 1 lead in the world's most-celebrated fishing tournament. His limit of five bass totaled 26-9 and gave him a 1-pound cushion over Canada's Cory Johnston, who's in second with 25-9.

Rounding out the Top 5 in the 56-angler field are, third, Minnesota's Easton Fothergill, 24-15; fourth, Wisconsin's Jay Przekurat, 23-7; and fifth, Texas pro Lee Livesay (who many pundits consider the favorite here,) with 23-0. The entire field will fish again Saturday, and the Top 25 anglers will make Sunday's cut, with the winner pocketing $300,000 cash.

McKinney's performance in B.A.S.S. events has belied his youth from the start. At 18, he finished second in the Bassmaster Opens EQ standings and became the youngest angler ever to qualify for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. He took the Elites by storm, too, winning Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and finishing second in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.

McKinney started his first Classic with a bang, too, when he hooked a 7-pounder just after 9 a.m. He admitted his nerves were getting the best of him before he hooked that big fish.

"I could hardly breathe for a while," McKinney said. "It was a disaster. I was throwing in trees, throwing in bushes, getting hung up. But you catch a 7-pounder and that makes everything alright. At that point, I knew I just needed to get four more bites. Whether we're leading it or we're close, it didn't matter. What mattered was I didn't lose it on the first day."

McKinney's next two catches (a 5-pounder and a 4-8) gave him 16 1/2 pounds and the tournament lead just after 10 a.m. He rounded out his bag with a pair of 4-12 bass caught just after noon.

McKinney's sonar electronics malfunctioned about 1 p.m. on Friday after running through some big waves on the lake, which roiled under steady 15-20 mph winds. But with 26 pounds already in the livewell, McKinney knew he'd put himself in position to make a run at the 55^th annual Bassmaster Classic title. He said he'll continue looking for "fresh ones" — bass that haven't been fished over in days and perhaps are moving toward shore to spawn.

"It's the end of March," he said. "They're coming at some point, whether it's to spawn or coming to the trees I'm fishing. Some fish are going to be moving around. I want the ones that haven't seen a bait every five minutes."

Johnston, who finished third in the 2024 AOY standings courtesy of two Elite Series wins, was right behind McKinney with a robust 25-9 limit. He said he's found a pattern rotating into different water depths and searching for specific cover. He pounded more than 20 different spots Friday on Ray Roberts and expects to do more of the same on Day 2.

"Whenever I can find the right cover, I feel like they'll bite," Johnston said. "They're all tight to cover, right on the bottom. I'm not gonna leave any fish out there tomorrow … I didn't back off today. I went looking for a lot of new water today. I pulled what I could."

Fothergill is third with 24-15 and like McKinney, is accustomed to the spotlight of early success. He finished 16th at last year's Classic on Oklahoma's Grand Lake O' the Cherokees as a 21-year-old, and he notched a pair of Bassmaster Open victories later in 2024. It was a continuation of Fothergill's memorable 2023 season when he won the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket while a student at the University of Montevallo (Ala.).

"It definitely helps, being here at the Classic last year," he said. "There's much less nerves this year … I have a lot better understanding of what to expect."

Fothergill caught two of the heaviest bass weighed Friday, including a 6-4 in the morning and a 6-8 just past noon. He said he's spotting big fish with his electronics, though he's working hard to excite bites.

"I have a pretty good pattern going, fishing four different areas in various places on the lake" he said. "I tried to practice pretty strategically, knowing the wind was going to blow all week long. I had two places out of the wind today and I only hit one of them. That was my goal, to save one of those spots for tomorrow."

Tennessee pro John Garrett, who leads the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, caught the Mercury Big Bass on Friday — an 8-12 largemouth. He's in 21st place with 16-13.

Takeoffs are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. CT from Isle du Bois at Lake Ray Roberts State Park in Pilot Point, Texas. Weigh-ins begin at 5 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

The Fort Worth Sports Commission is hosting the event.

Contact:
Chad Gay
[email protected] 

SOURCE B.A.S.S.