As of today, 42 of the 52 spots in the 2017 Bassmaster Classic have been officially claimed. With the Elite Series season coming to a close at the Mille Lacs Lake Angler of the Year Championship, the bulk of the Classic field was solidified via the Elite Series points standings.
With three double-qualifiers – Edwin Evers, Greg Hackney and Kevin VanDam – all finishing among the top 35 in points, three additional anglers qualified for the Classic based on their points finish. A fourth berth was shifted back to the points standings because David Mullins, who won the Douglas Lake Southern Open, did not fish all three Opens in that division and forfeited the automatic Classic berth.
There are still five tournaments left that will impact the remaining spots in the Classic field, starting with the Lake Champlain Northern Open, which starts Thursday. The final two Central Opens along with the B.A.S.S. Nation championship and the Bassmaster Team championship will take place in November.
Here’s a rundown of who’s heading to Lake Conroe and Houston, Texas next March (* denotes did not meet automatic Classic berth criteria; ^ denotes anglers who need to compete in remaining events in their divisions to officially claim automatic berth):
2016 Bassmaster Classic Champion
> Edwin Evers (AOY points: 12th)
2016 BASSFest Champion
> Greg Hackney (AOY points: 5th)
2016 Elite Series Classic Bracket Champion
> Kevin VanDam (AOY points: 30th)
2016 Elite Series Points Qualifiers (top 35)
> Gerald Swindle
> Keith Combs
> Randall Tharp
> Jacob Powroznik
> Jordan Lee
> Chris Zaldain
> Justin Lucas
> Ott DeFoe
> Jason Christie
> Drew Benton
> Hank Cherry
> Steve Kennedy
> Alton Jones
> Takahiro Omori
> Brandon Palaniuk
> Mike Iaconelli
> Bobby Lane
> Dean Rojas
> Matt Herren
> Aaron Martens
> James Elam
> Brett Hite
> Bill Lowen
> Jared Lintner
> Skeet Reese
> Todd Faircloth
> Jason Williamson
> Dave Lefebre
> Bradley Roy
> Casey Ashley
> Brent Ehrler
> Shaw Grigsby
> Clifford Pirch
> Boyd Duckett
> Randy Howell
> Andy Montgomery
2016 Bassmaster Open Champions
> Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (Southern): Wesley Strader
> Smith Lake (Southern): Jesse Wiggins
> Douglas Lake (Southern): David Mullins*
> Arkansas River (Central): Skylar Hamilton^
> Oneida Lake (Northern): Wil Hardy^
> James River (Northern): Charlie Hartley^
> Lake Champlain (Northern): Sept. 22-24
> Red River (Central): Sept. 29-Oct. 1
> Atchafalaya Basin (Central): Oct. 27-29
2016 Bassmaster College Series Champion
> John Garrett
2016 B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifiers
> Nov. 17-19 (Lake Conroe)
> Three qualifiers
2016 Bassmaster Team Champion
> Nov. 30-Dec. 3 (Kentucky Lake)
> One qualifier
