By Lynn Burkhead
OSG Senior Digital Editor

For defending Bassmaster Classic champion Hank Cherry, it was a case of déjà vu all over again as the third and final round of the 2021 Bassmaster Classic began today at Lake Ray Roberts.

After all, the longest Classic championship reign in history – due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lengthy time span between the 2020 and 2021 Classics – Cherry began day 3 with a rare chance to add back-to-back titles after his thrilling win in the spring of 2020 at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville.

Cherry insists that he feels little pressure. In fact, he told members of the media on Saturday evening that there was far more pressure to win Classic No. 50 – his first – than there is to repeat and join the fraternity of back-to-back winners that consists of Rick Clunn, Kevin VanDam and Jordan Lee.

"Definitely more (pressure) last year," said Cherry. "Winning it once is one thing, winning it twice is a whole other thing. Everything has to go just right."

Cherry's day 2 went mostly right. But it wasn't perfect, as his lead (4-12 to start the final day) could have been even more substantial if it weren't for the loss of a huge bass.

The key moment came as a gathering crowd of onlookers observed from the shoulder of the roadway across the Lake Ray Roberts dam. And with that crowd watching, and even more on boats in the water behind Cherry and to the side, the huge sowbelly struck.

"I'm out there on the dam today and people are stopped out there all along the dam hollering, getting out (of their vehicles), and watching me fish," said Cherry. "Of course, on day 2, in Hank Cherry fashion, I lose the biggest fish I've hooked in two days of competition. It breaks me off on a jerkbait."

When asked how big it was, Cherry kind of shrugged and grimaced slightly when giving his answer.
"I've caught thousands of them and when they bite, I know how big they are. I hit it and I didn't move (it) and I knew it was going to go right down where that rock and brush was, and it just locked up."

Cherry had no doubt that it was a giant bass, one that could have propelled him into an almost insurmountable lead in his Classic title defense.

If Cherry repeats on today, it will likely have something to do with the massive earthen dam at Ray Roberts that is more than 2 miles long, more than 141 feet high and features tons of rip-rap lining the water’s edge.

The dam played a key role for Cherry on Saturday, helping him erase a slow start after the 2-plus-hour weather delay killed the bird activity and shad spawn that many anglers had been keying on.

After struggling with only a couple of fish, Cherry headed south.
"I knew that I could catch some fish off that dam if I just dedicated some time and spit to it," he said. "They're out there and tomorrow (Sunday) could be an excellent day (there)."

With the wind forecast to come in from the north/northwest and slowly pick up as it blows into the dam, Cherry feels like his chances to win consecutive Classics could come down to the success he finds there.

"That (wind) should do nothing but help that bite," he said. "But like I've told everybody, they're fish and they do crazy things and you can't control it; you can't control what you catch. You can just put yourself into position and let the chips fall."

Cherry said that he feels that the shad-spawn bite that had been so hot for anglers in practice is starting to go away as the water clears, the flooded vegetation decays and summer arrives in North Texas. If someone like day-1 leader Steve Kennedy can figure out fish in the flooded trees up toward Pilot Point, Buck Creek and similar places, they could land enough to beat Cherry.

"A guy theoretically could stay in the timber (on Sunday) and find one of those ridges that runs through there, one of those guts, and catch 40 pounds," he said. "And you don't know (on this lake). That's the scary thing about being in Texas on a place like this with it hot. I mean, three or four bites and you could do what Justin Kerr did today and have four bites for 20-pounds. That could happen and be on two bites here, you don't know."