Bassmaster Classic 2015: Results and Analysis from Annual Event
You've heard of home-field advantage. You've heard of home-court advantage. Have you heard of home-lake advantage?
That is exactly what Casey Ashley experienced during his 2015 Bassmaster Classic victory Sunday when he hauled in a final day's catch of 20 pounds, three ounces to bring his winning total to 50 pounds, one ounce over the course of three days. It was enough to beat out Bobby Lane by just more than three pounds.
The Bassmaster Classic took place on Lake Hartwell in Ashley's home state of South Carolina.
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Here is a look at the entire top 10 on the leaderboard.
| 1 | Casey Ashley | 15 | 50-1 |
| 2 | Bobby Lane | 14 | 46-15 |
| 3 | Takahiro Omori | 15 | 44-3 |
| 4 | Dean Rojas | 15 | 43-13 |
| 5 | Jacob Powroznik | 14 | 43-1 |
| 6 | Michael Iaconelli | 14 | 42-6 |
| 7 | Brett Hite | 14 | 41-11 |
| 8 | Mike McClelland | 14 | 41-7 |
| 9 | Justin Lucas | 13 | 40-2 |
| 10 | Chris Lane | 14 | 38-11 |
While Ashley will likely be the first one to say that he is more pleased with the championship than the prize, he's probably not going to complain about the $300,000 and spot in next year's classic that awaits the winner.
Bart Boatwright of The Greenville News captured the winning moment while Sefton Ipock of the Independent Mail passed along a picture of the victory lap:
While a Bassmaster Classic victory is enough to make headlines on its own, the fact that the event took place on Ashley's home lake is the real story.
Brent Frazee of The Kansas City Star noted that Ashley's father actually gave the fisherman some homemade lures and bait called a Blade Runner, which helped him haul in an incredible final-day tally. He was sitting back in fifth place before Sunday's competition began, and his jump certainly turned some heads.
Ashley commented on what it meant to capture the crown, via Frazee: "To win the Bassmaster Classic in my home state, in my home town and on my home lake, that's just a dream come true."
Ashley actually took somewhat of a different strategy than most of his competitors, which paid off in style. Instead of staying in shallow water near the docks like many of the other fishermen did Sunday, Ashley went into very deep water.
Turns out, it was the right call.
Lane, who finished in second place, was one of the fishermen who caught plenty of fish close to a dock, including the largest fish caught on Sunday. That was a six-pound, six-ounce lunker that helped him etch his name near the top of the leaderboard.
However, the day belonged to Ashley, which was only fitting considering the location.
The next question is how he will parlay his fourth career B.A.S.S. tournament victory into momentum moving forward. It was his first win since 2011 but also arguably his most important given the location and the magnitude of the Bassmaster Classic.
If nothing else, it will give him plenty of confidence in his next event. Still, Sunday was all about celebrating the moment, and that is exactly what he will do for the foreseeable future.
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