Fishing News
Yamaha Pro Anglers Fothergill and Jordan Win Bassmaster® Redfish Cup Championship
Posted 11/9/2026
PORT ARANSAS, Texas – Nov. 9, 2026 – Yamaha pro angler Easton Fothergill and Yamaha redfish pro Clark Jordan Jr. won the 2026 Yamaha Bassmaster® Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter®, overcoming challenging weather conditions to claim the title with a three-day total of 42 pounds in Port Aransas, Texas.
Jordan and Fothergill delivered a consistent performance throughout the three-day competition. After finishing second in the 2025 championship, the duo returned to Port Aransas and secured the win with a 4-pound, 1-ounce margin over the second-place finishers.
“Last year stung a little bit for a couple of weeks,” Jordan said. “I fish a bunch of tournaments a year and I've never been that nervous about them, but I was nervous for this tournament.”
The team opened the tournament with 15 pounds, 6 ounces on Day 1 before taking the lead with a 13-pound, 13-ounce limit on Day 2. They sealed the championship Sunday with another limit weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces, bringing their tournament total to 42 pounds. Jordan and Fothergill split the $75,000 first-place prize.
The anglers focused their efforts south of Port Aransas in Laguna Madre, returning to the general area where they found success during the previous year's championship. Their strategy centered on making long, controlled drifts across grass flats in 2 to 4 feet of water. The approach proved effective throughout the tournament, even as weather conditions shifted from dry skies during the first two days to heavy rain and strong winds on Championship Sunday.
“It was tough conditions, but we just fished our best through it, and we actually caught quite a few fish,” Fothergill said. “We caught a bunch of little ones, but we got three pretty decent bites. It was a fun day.”
The 10-team championship featured six teams of two redfish pros and four teams pairing a redfish pro with a Bassmaster Elite Series angler. The format brought together competitors from across the sport for three days of redfish competition.
Fellow Yamaha pro angler Justin Atkins and Yamaha Redfish pro Ryan Rickard placed third with a three-day total of 37 pounds, 9 ounces. The team weighed 12 pounds, 1 ounce on Day 1 and 11 pounds, 14 ounces on Day 2 before closing the championship with 13 pounds, 10 ounces, the heaviest bag of the final round.
Yamaha's U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha Marine products in the U.S. including Yamaha Outboards, Yamaha WaveRunners® Yamaha Boats, G3® Boats and Skeeter® Boats. Supporting 2,400 dealers and boat builders nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology and customer service.
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REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.
© 2026 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.
Jordan and Fothergill delivered a consistent performance throughout the three-day competition. After finishing second in the 2025 championship, the duo returned to Port Aransas and secured the win with a 4-pound, 1-ounce margin over the second-place finishers.
“Last year stung a little bit for a couple of weeks,” Jordan said. “I fish a bunch of tournaments a year and I've never been that nervous about them, but I was nervous for this tournament.”
The team opened the tournament with 15 pounds, 6 ounces on Day 1 before taking the lead with a 13-pound, 13-ounce limit on Day 2. They sealed the championship Sunday with another limit weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces, bringing their tournament total to 42 pounds. Jordan and Fothergill split the $75,000 first-place prize.
The anglers focused their efforts south of Port Aransas in Laguna Madre, returning to the general area where they found success during the previous year's championship. Their strategy centered on making long, controlled drifts across grass flats in 2 to 4 feet of water. The approach proved effective throughout the tournament, even as weather conditions shifted from dry skies during the first two days to heavy rain and strong winds on Championship Sunday.
“It was tough conditions, but we just fished our best through it, and we actually caught quite a few fish,” Fothergill said. “We caught a bunch of little ones, but we got three pretty decent bites. It was a fun day.”
The 10-team championship featured six teams of two redfish pros and four teams pairing a redfish pro with a Bassmaster Elite Series angler. The format brought together competitors from across the sport for three days of redfish competition.
Fellow Yamaha pro angler Justin Atkins and Yamaha Redfish pro Ryan Rickard placed third with a three-day total of 37 pounds, 9 ounces. The team weighed 12 pounds, 1 ounce on Day 1 and 11 pounds, 14 ounces on Day 2 before closing the championship with 13 pounds, 10 ounces, the heaviest bag of the final round.
Yamaha's U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha Marine products in the U.S. including Yamaha Outboards, Yamaha WaveRunners® Yamaha Boats, G3® Boats and Skeeter® Boats. Supporting 2,400 dealers and boat builders nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology and customer service.
###
REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear.
© 2026 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.