HANK Cherry has won the 50th US Bassmaster Classic, relying on Berkley PowerBait to get otherwise sluggish bass to hang on.
Cherry brought 19 pounds, 8 ounces to the scales on the third and final day of the 50th Bassmaster Classic, completing a wire-to-wire win with a total of 65 pounds, 5 ounces. With the win, his first Bassmaster Classic championship in five appearances, Cherry took home the $300,000 first-place purse and a career-defining victory for an angler with a lengthy list of accomplishments already to his credit.
Landing his biggest fish of the tournament on day one, Cherry slipped and injured his right (casting arm) elbow, resulting in significant pain and swelling. With nearly an 8-pound lead after the first day of competition and battling through the injury on day two, Cherry brought 16 pounds, 10 ounces to the weigh-in stage on Saturday and remained in the lead. Sunday’s third and final day of the Bassmaster Classic saw Cherry’s patterns continue to produce, helping him stave off potential challengers to win the tournament by 6 pounds, 1 ounces over second-place finisher Todd Auten.
“If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up,” Cherry said. “I was close (to winning a Bassmaster Classic) before but it just wasn’t my time. This time it was.”
With Cherry’s championship finish, Berkley becomes the all-time winningest line brand in Bassmaster Classic history with 16 wins, including five since 2000.
Cherry, the 2013 B.A.S.S. Rookie of the Year, finished third in his first Bassmaster Classic in 2013. With the 50th Bassmaster Classic championship, Cherry eclipsed the $1 million mark in combined career earnings from B.A.S.S. and FLW events.
“We’re extremely excited for Hank, to see his dreams realised by capturing the most iconic title in the sport of fishing. He’s a tremendous pro, a great ambassador for Berkley and he earned this victory,” said Berkley Vice President of Marketing Jon Schlosser.
