Inside the Victory: Seth Feider Sits Down with Bassmaster Classic Champion Easton Fothergill on Lake Ray Roberts Win

Two Minnesota Greats Discuss a Historic Classic Win

When Minnesota's Easton Fothergill claimed the 2025 Bassmaster Classic championship on Lake Ray Roberts, fellow northern pro Seth Feider was one of the first to congratulate him. In an exclusive sit-down conversation at Omni-Fishing headquarters, these two Minnesota bass fishing stars dissected the victory that made Fothergill the first Minnesota angler to hoist the Classic trophy.

"We got a little treat because we got rewarded with a Minnesota Bassmaster Classic champion at home," Feider proudly noted at the beginning of their conversation, setting the tone for a candid discussion between two anglers who represent the growing influence of northern pros on the sport's biggest stage.

The interview, filled with tactical insights and tournament strategy, offers fishing fans a rare glimpse into the mind of a Bassmaster Classic champion fresh off his victory. As Fothergill put it when describing the experience: "Texas is a cool state as far as bass fishing goes with heritage and history... great place to fish."

Northern Anglers Rising: Breaking Down Stereotypes

One of the most compelling parts of the conversation came when Feider addressed the long-standing stereotype that northern anglers struggle in southern waters.

"In the past, there's always been this stereotype that northern anglers struggle down south," Feider observed. "To me, I've seen, I feel like the tide has changed over the last decade, maybe."

Fothergill agreed, noting how his Minnesota background actually gave him advantages. "I'm super grateful to grow up where I'd been [in] Grand Rapids in my area. We have everything under the sun, basically other than tidal fisheries," he explained. "I'd much rather start in the north and learn south than have to start the south and learn north."

Feider added that Minnesota's high-bite-rate fisheries create rapid learning opportunities: "You can go to almost any lake and go get 20, 40, 50 bites on something you've never done before and get some confidence in it... You can learn a lot quicker up north."

Pre-Tournament Preparation: The Questions Pros Ask Each Other

As the conversation shifted to tournament specifics, Feider's questions revealed what professional anglers really want to know about a championship performance.

"Obviously, that was probably your first time ever at Ray Roberts. Did you know much about that lake going into the Classic?" Feider asked, allowing Fothergill to walk through his detailed pre-tournament approach.

Fothergill described spending nearly a week in December on early scouting: "I pre-practiced for roughly a week... I basically just drove around and made sure I knew how to navigate the timber." This methodical preparation became the foundation for his tournament plan.

When Feider pressed for more details on his practice strategy, Fothergill revealed his systematic approach: "I spent the first two days, I didn't even fish. I just rode around... got lanes in every pocket basically on the lake." He then spent one day scanning with electronics before finally fishing on the fourth day.

The Neko Rig Breakdown: Pro-to-Pro Technical Details

The conversation got particularly technical when Feider asked directly about Fothergill's Neko rig setup, showing how pros dig into the specific details that casual observers might miss.

"Easton, what are your Neko rig secrets specifically? How do you determine what size weights you're using given the situation?" Feider inquired, prompting a detailed breakdown from the champion.

Fothergill explained his day-by-day weight adjustments: "For me, it was all about changing the weights throughout the week. The fish, they would shift every day... Day two is a glass calm, so I went to a 1/30 second, super lightweight, almost basically weightless. And then the other two days, it was a 3/32 second."

His complete setup included:

• 7-foot medium Lew's Elite rod
• Custom light 300-size reel
• 8-pound braid to 17-pound Seaguar Gold Label fluorocarbon leader
• Ryugi Talisman heavy guard hook

The hook choice proved particularly crucial, as Fothergill explained: "This was actually the first week I've ever used the heavy guard... I could throw it in the middle of the tree and it would be all up in the stuff. And if I made a bad cast, you just feather it out."

Tournament Execution: Day-by-Day Insights

Throughout the interview, Feider's questions guided Fothergill through a detailed recounting of each tournament day, creating a comprehensive breakdown of his Classic victory.

Day One: Battling Wind and Finding Fish

"Can you run us through day one in the tournament?" Feider asked. "Did you start in that creek you really loved, from pre-practice on day one?"

Fothergill described how high winds actually played to his advantage: "It was blowing like 40 out of the southwest, and that was the only one I could fish efficiently... I caught like a three-pounder and a six and a half right away."

He explained how the challenging conditions became a blessing: "It was a blessing, I think, that wind blew so hard, 'cause it made me stay in that area and really grind it out, and that allowed me to save my other areas for the rest of the tournament."

Day Two: Adapting to Changing Fish Positioning

When Feider asked about day two's conditions, Fothergill detailed how dramatically the fish positioning changed: "Day two, they were literally like six inches onto the surface, they were basically sunning, like on these trees."

This observation led to a crucial adjustment to a lighter 1/30-ounce weight, resulting in his impressive 30-pound bag that extended his tournament lead.

Day Three: The Dramatic Final Fish

The conversation became particularly animated when discussing the tournament-clinching eight-pounder Fothergill caught in the final moments of day three.

"I wanna talk about that last fish for a second," Feider said. "You're sitting there on day three, you had the lead. You're sitting there with four fish. What's going through your head?"

Fothergill recounted the mental challenge after losing a seven-pounder earlier in the day: "It was really hard to block out that seven-pounder that I lost... When I'm struggling, when I feel like I'm missing the boat on something, it just drives me to work harder."

His description of the final fish capture drew Feider's full attention: "She got like 20 feet away from my bait, swimming away, and all of a sudden she just glows... and she started turning and she just ignited."

With genuine admiration, Feider responded: "I'm a firm believer in what's meant to be will be and the winners are predetermined before we get there. So I think you had a caught a big one either where you went."

The Emotional Weight of Victory

Some of the most compelling moments in the conversation came when the two anglers discussed the emotional impact of winning bass fishing's biggest event.

Feider asked about the moment Fothergill put his final fish in the livewell: "I think the coolest moment of the classic obviously is when you put that eight-pounder in the livewell and you just sat there for a moment. I wanna know what was going through your head."

Fothergill's response revealed the personal significance of the achievement: "There's that picture of me with my hands on my head on the live wall and then I walked up on the front deck and just had my hands on my knees for a while. It was just so many memories flying through my head at a million miles an hour... The last two years of my life just flying through my head and everything I took to get to the Elite Series and the Classic."

Looking Forward: Champions Stay Grounded

The conversation concluded with Feider asking about Fothergill's plans after winning the $300,000 first-place prize.

"Now that you're $300,000 richer. Have you had any time to make a significant purchase?" Feider asked with a grin.

Fothergill's humble response: "I'm saving up for my first house."

This exchange highlighted the grounded approach that has helped both anglers succeed at the highest levels of the sport. As Feider noted in his closing remarks: "This is not the last you're gonna see of Easton Fothergill. This is just the beginning. I see a bunch of good stuff coming from this kid in the future and excited to watch it go down."

For bass fishing fans, this conversation between two of Minnesota's best offers not just insights into a championship performance, but a glimpse at the changing landscape of professional bass fishing, where northern anglers are increasingly making their mark on the sport's biggest stage.