B.A.S.S. photo by James Overstreet
As a child, Scott Canterbury spent Saturday mornings watching The Bassmasters television program. To him, the stars of that show—people like Bob Cobb, Ray Scott and Denny Brauer—are the true legends of professional bass fishing. Now, he has forever claimed his own spot alongside them in B.A.S.S. history.
With five bass that weighed 19 pounds, 12 ounces during the final round at the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship on Lake St. Clair, Canterbury pushed his three-day total to 59-4 and finished in 14th place for the week. More importantly, he finished at the top of the season points standings with 848 points, earning one of the most coveted titles in professional fishing and the $100,000 check that goes with it.
“My first goal coming into the season was to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic next year,” Canterbury said. “Angler of the Year is always there on the radar. It’s just way out there.
“You always set goals that you don’t think you can reach—because if they’re easy to reach, you didn’t set them high enough.”
Minnesota’s Seth Feider won the Championship event with 77-15. The AOY Championship featured a total purse of $1 million, including the $100,000 that went to the season points winner and the $25,000 that went to the angler with the heaviest three-day weight for the week.
Feider found a gigantic school of smallmouth on a flat with substantial current, and used a Rapala DT-10 crankbait in the Helsinki shad pattern to catch a three-day weight of 77-15. It was his second career Bassmaster Elite Series victory.
The tournament also decided the 42 Elite Series anglers who will fish the 2020 Bassmaster Classic, scheduled for March 6-8 on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville. The last three anglers to make the Top 42 cut were Skylar Hamilton, Brian Snowden and Jake Whitaker. The first three out were Garrett Paquette, Clark Wendlandt and Kelley Jaye.
For more information, visit www.bassmaster.com.