14 Pros Bring Different Skills, Experience to the Premiere B.A.S.S. ® Fishing Tournament
The 2021 Bassmaster Classic will take place June 11-13 on Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas. This year, 14 of the pro anglers competing in the Classic will have Yamaha V MAX SHO® power on the back of their boats. The anglers bring a wide range of expertise and experience to the table as they compete on the biggest bass fishing stage in the world. Here’s a quick snapshot of the 2021 Yamaha Bassmaster Classic qualifiers.Clark Wendlandt – Leander, Texas
Clark Wendlandt, 2020 Bassmaster® Elite Series Angler of the Year, qualified for the Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series. Wendlandt recorded three Top 10 Elite finishes during the 2020 season. This is his fifth Classic appearance.
Patrick Walters – Summerville, S.C.
Patrick Walters qualified for the Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series. Now in his third year as an Elite angler, Walters took home the event win on Lake Fork in Nov. 2020. This is his second Classic appearance.
Scott Canterbury – Odenville, Ala.
Scott Canterbury, 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year, has six Elite Top 10s in two seasons. Also in his third season as an Elite angler, Canterbury joined the Elites after a solid career on the FLW Tour® where he tallied two wins in the Forrest Wood Cup®. He qualified for the Classic, his second, through the 2020 Elite tournament series.
Brandon Palaniuk – Rathdrum, Idaho
Brandon Palaniuk, 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year, qualified for the Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series during which he earned two first place finishes: one on Lake Champlain and one on the Santee Cooper. This is the tenth Classic appearance for the 2010 B.A.S.S. Nation Champion.
Drew Cook - Midway, Fla.
Drew Cook, 2019 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year, is now in his third season as a Bassmaster Elite angler. He qualified for the Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series and finished seventh and eighteenth in the Angler of the Year race in his first two years on the tour. This is his second Classic appearance.
Chris Zaldain – Fort Worth, Texas
Chris Zaldain is an accomplished Bassmaster Elite angler with two first place and 22 Top Ten finishes. He qualified for the Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series. This will be the sixth Classic appearance for the angler – and he gets to compete on hometown water.
Taku Ito – Chiba, Japan
A second-year Bassmaster Elite angler, Taku Ito qualified for the 2021 Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series. A new Yamaha Pro for the 2021 season, this is Ito’s first Classic appearance.
Clent Davis – Montevallo, Ala.
Now in his sixth year as a Bassmaster Elite angler, Clent Davis qualified for the 2021 Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series. This is his second Classic appearance.
Matt Herren – Ashville, Ala.
2021 marks the ninth Classic appearance for veteran Yamaha Pro Matt Herren. During the course of his career, Herren has fished more than 135 tournaments with 18 Top Ten finishes. He qualified for the 2021 Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series.
Bill Lowen – Brookville, Ind.
Yamaha Pro Bill Lowen, a 16-year Bassmaster Elite angler, will fish his eleventh Bassmaster® Classic in 2021. Lowen has 20 Top Ten finishes under his belt and took home his first Elite series trophy on Pickwick Lake in March of 2021. He qualified for the 2021 Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series.
Shane LeHew – Catawba, N.C.
New to the Yamaha Pro team in 2021, Shane LeHew became an Elite angler in 2019. He qualified for the 2021 Classic through the 2020 Elite tournament series. This is his second Bassmaster Classic appearance.
Pat Schlapper – Eleva, Wis.
Pro Angler Pat Schlapper will make his first Bassmaster Classic appearance in 2021. The Wisconsin native qualified for the 2021 Classic through his performance at the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship tournament on Pickwick Lake in 2020.
Blake Sylvester – Plaquemine, La.
Pro Angler Blake Sylvester also makes his Bassmaster Classic debut in 2021.The angler from Louisiana qualified for the 2021 Classic through his performance at the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship tournament on Pickwick Lake in 2020.
Cody Bird – Granbury, Texas
Pro Angler Cody Bird has fished 62 B.A.S.S. events since 2000. His Bassmaster Central Open win on Neely Henry Lake in 2020 qualified Bird for his first Classic appearance in 2021.
©2021 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. This document contains many of Yamaha's valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only and are not intended to be an endorsement. Bassmaster, Bassmaster Classic and B.A.S.S.are registered trademarks of B.A.S.S. LLC.
Remember to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG‐approved personal flotation device and protective gear.
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