Dylan Nutt became the 2026 Bassmaster Classic® Champion on Sunday, March 15, on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tenn. Running a 250-horsepower Yamaha V MAX SHO®, Nutt is the second angler in B.A.S.S. history to win the biggest title in bass fishing as a B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier for the Classic. The 22-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., earned his invite to the 2026 Bassmaster Classic by finishing third at the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on the Upper Mississippi River. He is the ninth angler to win the Classic in a first appearance, and the third-youngest Classic champ. 2026 also marks the third consecutive Bassmaster Classic® win for a Yamaha angler.
It [the Classic] has always been the pinnacle of bass fishing to us, and I mean, heck, the last Classic that I went to was the one here [in Knoxville], back in 2023. I never would've thought next time I went to a Classic I'd be in it and holding the trophy at the end of it," he said.
Nutt gave credit to his Yamaha outboard for getting him to the right spots during the tournament. "I've had my Yamaha since last June and put around 180 hours on it. It's never had a problem, and it always takes me wherever I want to go," Nutt said. "I turn the key, and it starts every time."
Yamaha anglers took seven of the top 10 positions in the 2026 Classic. Yamaha-powered angler Yui Aoki placed third place with a three-day total of 57 pounds, 3 ounces; 2025 Bassmaster Classic Champion Easton Fothergill finished in fourth place with 56 pounds, 2 ounces; Justin Atkins placed sixth with 55 pounds; Drew Cook placed seventh with 54 pounds, 4 ounces; Jordan Lee placed eight with 52 pounds, 12 ounces; and Wesley Gore took tenth with 48 pounds, 11 ounces.
After catching 19 pounds, 5 ounces on day 1 and a tournament-best 26 pounds, 11 ounces on day 2, Nutt led the Top 25 anglers out onto the Tennessee River from Volunteer Landing on the final morning, firmly ahead of second-place Yamaha pro Drew Cook by nearly 4 pounds. The University of North Alabama (UNA) senior wasted little time extending his margin. Fishing in Fort Loudoun Reservoir, he caught a keeper on his second cast, boxed a limit by 9 a.m. and culled to roughly 19 pounds just after 10 a.m.
In the end, no one could keep up with Nutt's pace. He caught a day 3 limit of 20 pounds, 13 ounces for a three-day total of 66 pounds, 13 ounces. For his win, Nutt earned the $300,000 top prize.
Time on the water made the difference for Nutt. His pre-tournament preparation began as soon as he qualified last fall, but he ramped things up dramatically during the pre-practice period before Loudoun-Tellico went off limits.
"I spent a month up here fishing every day just trying to get as much of an advantage as I could," he said. "And it paid off. I feel like I know this place better than my home lake, and it showed this week. I put my time in out here, and I worked really hard at it and was able to pull it off."
Some of the areas he found in Fort Loudoun during pre-practice still held fish during the official practice earlier this week, and he was able to pick up where he left off once the tournament began. He said he chose to focus on Loudoun because it fishes more like a river, with current positioning his fish on key spots.
For weighing in a limit worth 26-11 on Day 2 — the heaviest limit of the tournament — Dylan Nutt earned the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag and its $7,000 prize. As the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program and the Classic winner, Nutt also took home an additional $10,000, while Easton Fothergill received $5,000 for being the second highest-finishing entrant. Nutt also won the $20,000 Yamaha Power Pay award for being the highest-finishing eligible angler.
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