We can’t find anywhere you can (legally) bet on who will win the 52nd Bassmaster Classic slated for March 4-6 at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell, but if you wanted to place a few side bets, it might make this always-fun event even more interesting.
Of course, in saltwater fishing big-money betting has been around a long time, with the “Calcutta” side bets sometimes exceeding six figures. That sort of sporting interest has yet to become evident in freshwater angling, as far as we know.
But BASS, the founding entity of big-time bass tournaments, has posted an interesting look at the odds of the various anglers winning the competition, straight up, on their website at www.bassmaster.com.
Top slot as selected by the long time observers at BASS goes to Brandon Cobb at 3-2. Cobb lives just an hour from Hartwell so it’s basically home-field advantage for him—though he’s never won a classic before.
But if I were putting down money, I think I’d go with a guy who lives just an hour further from the lake, Hank Cherry of Lincolnton, NC. Cherry has been on an incredible roll the past two years, winning back to back Classics, a feat accomplished by only three other anglers in the history of B.A.S.S., Rick Clunn, KVD and Jordan Lee.
Of course the fact that Clunn, Van Dam and Lee did not win a 3rd event successively tells you something about how unlikely it is to 3-peat. But things could shake down nicely for Cherry given his love of jerkbaits and the spring weather setup this year, with things staying chilly until tournament time, then a warm-up into the 70’s that’s likely to have lots of fish moving into the areas Cherry is so good at fishing. (FYI, B.A.S.S. estimates Cherry’s odds of winning at 6:1.)
Another good bet—and one favored by the B.A.S.S. odds-makers, is Jacob Powroznik, who has two 5th-place finishes in past Classics on Lake Hartwell. Powroznik likes the big show and is comfortable competing for big money—he’s been in five Classics total. And he knows where the fish are on Hartwell—B.A.S.S. has him at 3:1 odds.
Patrick Walters will be fishing in his home state, and has a recent win at Hartwell—the 2020 Bassmaster Eastern Open. However, that was a September tournament—the fish will be in very different places in early March. In any case, B.A.S.S. puts him at 3:1 as well.
Seth Feider, reigning Bassmaster Angler of the Year is fishing his fifth career Classic — and he’s coming having finished in the Top 30 of 11 straight tournaments to finish 2021. In two trips to Hartwell, Feider finished a respectable 18th at the 2018 Classic and 24th at the 2019 Bassmaster Elite. B.A.S.S. puts him at 4:1 alongside Jason Christie.
The folks of Greenville have welcomed the Classic in a spectacular way in past events, and the arena there is ideal for big-time weigh-ins—if you’ve never attended a Classic, this will be a great one to start with.
The Classic Outdoors Expo is also well worth attending, not only so that you can see the latest and greatest in fishing gear from some 200 vendors, but also so that you can meet-and-greet some of the giants in bass fishing, with everyone from KVD to Jimmy Houston to Bill Dance walking the aisles or appearing on stage.
See the full parsing of the field and a roundup of the events at this year’s Classic at www.Bassmaster.com.