Jordan Lee – 2017 Bassmaster Classic Champion – Sparks Flying After Win.

New to the event? Start with our guide to what the Bassmaster Classic is, then use the year-by-year table below to follow every champion.

Bassmaster Classic records and milestones

Most Classic championships: Rick Clunn and Kevin VanDam are tied with four wins each. Bassmaster’s historical analysis documents their title runs.

Back-to-back champions: Rick Clunn (1976–77), Kevin VanDam (2010–11), Jordan Lee (2017–18), and Hank Cherry (2020–21). B.A.S.S. confirmed Cherry’s milestone in 2021.

Record winning weight: Easton Fothergill’s 76 pounds, 15 ounces in 2025 was the highest winning total in Classic history at the time, according to Bassmaster. 2026 milestone: Dylan Nutt became only the second champion to qualify through B.A.S.S. Nation, joining Bryan Kerchal (1994). Read the official account.

Next championship: The 2027 Bassmaster Classic is scheduled for Lake Hartwell in Greenville, South Carolina; the next champion will be added after the event.

Explore the champions: The table now includes verified angler profiles, selected photos already in the Bass Fishing Facts media library, and social pages where a reliable account could be identified. “—” means no account was confirmed for that entry. For more historical winner photos, see Bassmaster’s official winners photo archive. Scroll the table sideways on smaller screens.

Bassmaster Classic champions, winning weights, boats, tournament locations, angler profiles and social links, 1971 to 2026.

Year	Classic champion	Winning weight (lb–oz)	Boat brand	Tournament water	Photo / profile	Social media
1971	Bobby Murray	43-11	N/A	Lake Mead, NV	—	—
1972	Don Butler	38-11	N/A	Percy Priest Reservoir, TN	—	—
1973	Rayo Breckenridge	52-8	N/A	Clarks Hill Lake, SC	—	—
1974	Tommy Martin	33-7	N/A	Wheeler Lake, AL	—	—
1975	Jack Hains	45-4	N/A	Currituck Sound, NC	—	—
1976	Rick Clunn	59-15	Ranger	Lake Guntersville, AL	—Profile ↗	—
1977	Rick Clunn	27-7	Glastron	Kissimmee Chain, FL	—Profile ↗	—
1978	Bobby Murray	37-9	N/A	Ross Barnett Reservoir, MS	—	—
1979	Hank Parker	31	N/A	Lake Texoma, TX	—	—
1980	Bo Dowden	54-10	N/A	St. Lawrence River, NY	—	—
1981	Stanley Mitchell	35-2	Ranger	Alabama River, AL	—	—
1982	Paul Elias	32-8	Ranger	Alabama River, AL	—	—
1983	Larry Nixon	18-1	Ranger	Ohio River, OH	—	—
1984	Rick Clunn	75-9	N/A	Arkansas River, AR	—Profile ↗	—
1985	Jack Chancellor	45	Ranger	Arkansas River, AR	—	—
1986	Charlie Reed	23-9	Ranger	Tennessee River, TN	—	—
1987	George Cochran	15-5	Ranger	Ohio River, OH	—	—
1988	Guido Hibdon	28-8	Ranger	James River, VA	—	—
1989	Hank Parker	31-6	Ranger	James River, VA	—	—
1990	Rick Clunn	34-5	Tracker	James River, VA	—Profile ↗	—
1991	Ken Cook	33-2	Javelin	Chesapeake Bay, MD	—	—
1992	Robert Hamilton, Jr	59-6	Ranger	Lake Logan Martin, AL	—	—
1993	David Fritts	48-6	Ranger	Lake Logan Martin, AL	—	—
1994	Bryan Kerchal	36-7	Ranger	High Rock Lake, NC	—	—
1995	Mark Davis	47-14	Basscat	High Rock Lake, NC	—	—
1996	George Cochran	31-14	Ranger	Lay Lake, AL	—	—
1997	Dion Hibdon	34-13	Ranger	Lake Logan Martin, AL	—	—
1998	Denny Brauer	46-3	Ranger	High Rock Lake, NC	—	—
1999	Davy Hite	55-10	Stratos	Louisiana Delta, LA	—	—
2000	Woo Daves	27-13	Nitro	Lake Michigan, IL	—	—
2001	Kevin VanDam	32-5	Nitro	Louisiana Delta, LA	Profile ↗	IG @kevinvandamfishing · Facebook
2002	Jay Yelas	45-13	Skeeter	Lay Lake, AL	—	—
2003	Michael Iaconelli	37-14	Ranger	Louisiana Delta, LA	Profile ↗	IG @mikeiaconelli · Facebook
2004	Takahiro Omori	39-2	Ranger	Lake Wylie, NC	—	—
2005	Kevin VanDam	12-15	Nitro	Three Rivers, PA	Profile ↗	IG @kevinvandamfishing · Facebook
2006	Luke Clausen	56-2	Ranger	Kissimmee Chain, FL	—	—
2007	Boyd Duckett	48-10	Triton	Lay Lake, AL	—	—
2008	Alton Jones	48-7	Skeeter	Lake Hartwell, SC	—	—
2009	Skeet Reese	54-13	Champion	Red River, LA	—	—
2010	Kevin VanDam	51-6	Nitro	Lay Lake, AL	Profile ↗	IG @kevinvandamfishing · Facebook
2011	Kevin VanDam	69-11	Nitro	Louisiana Delta, LA	Profile ↗	IG @kevinvandamfishing · Facebook
2012	Chris Lane	51-6	Legend	Red River, LA	—	—
2013	Cliff Pace	54-12	Skeeter	Grand Lake, OK	—	—
2014	Randy Howell	67-8	Triton	Lake Guntersville, AL	—	—
2015	Casey Ashley	50-1	Triton	Lake Hartwell, SC	—	—
2016	Edwin Evers	60-7	Nitro	Grand Lake, OK	—	—
2017	Jordan Lee	56-10	Legend	Lake Conroe, TX	Profile ↗	IG @jleefishing
2018	Jordan Lee	47-1	Ranger	Lake Hartwell, SC	Profile ↗	IG @jleefishing
2019	Ott Defoe	49-3	Nitro	Tennessee River, TN	Profile ↗	—
2020	Hank Cherry	65-5	BassCat	Lake Guntersville, AL	—Profile ↗	IG @hankcherryfishing
2021	Hank Cherry	50-15	BassCat	Ray Roberts, TX	—Profile ↗	IG @hankcherryfishing
2022	Jason Christie	54-00	Xpress	Lake Hartwell, SC	—Profile ↗	IG @christiefishing
2023	Jeff Gustafson	42-7	Lund	Tennessee River, TN	—Profile ↗	IG @gussyoutdoors · Facebook
2024	Justin Hamner	58-3	Falcon	Grand Lake O the Cherokees, Tulsa, OK	—Profile ↗	IG @justinhamnerfishing
2025	Easton Fothergill	76-15	Skeeter	Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth, TX	—Profile ↗	IG @eastonfothergillfish
2026	Dylan Nutt	66-13	Caymas	Tennessee River, Knoxville, TN	—Profile ↗	IG @dylan.nutt

The post List of Bassmaster Classic Champions first appeared on Bass Fishing Facts.