Bassmaster Classic 2023: Winner, Final Weigh-In Results and Leaderboard
The 2023 Bassmaster Classic wrapped up Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and there's a new king of the river, as Jeff Gustafson wrapped up a wire-to-wire win for his first title in the competition.
Gustafson was the best angler on the Tennessee River by a wide margin over the last three days, and he finished with a total weight of 42 pounds, seven ounces, which left him with a nearly two-pound advantage over the rest of the field.
Sunday was the slowest day of the competition, with none of the top 25 competitors finishing with a weigh in higher than 12 pounds, seven ounces, which was reeled in by Brandon Cobb.
Defending champion Jason Christie's run ended in disappointment as he finished the competition in 14th place and missed out on the opportunity of going back-to-back.
Here is the final top 10 for 2023.
Final 2023 Bassmaster Classic Leaderboard
1. Jeff Gustafson (42 pounds, 7 ounces)
2. Bryan Schmitt (40 pounds, 14 ounces)
3. Scott Canterbury (40 pounds, 1 ounce)
4. Drew Benton (38 pounds, 3 ounces)
5. John Cox (36 pounds, 13 ounces)
6. Brandon Lester (35 pounds, 10 ounces)
7. Jay Przekurat (34 pounds, 9 ounces)
8. Brandon Cobb (34 pounds, 0 ounces)
9. Jacob Powroznik (31 pounds, 12 ounces)
10. Greg Hackney (30 pounds, 14 ounces)
Full leaderboard via Bassmaster.com.
Sunday was Gustafson's worst day on the river, weighing in just two fishes for six pounds, 12 ounces. But he put such a gap between himself and everyone else over the first two days that he managed to hold on to the No. 1 spot by a fairly comfortable margin.
The 40-year-old angler had four classic appearances, but this is his first win. He gets the $300,000 cash prize. He's no stranger to good performances on the Tennessee River, however, as he won the 2021 Bassmaster Elite.
Matt Robertson finished with the biggest catch of the tournament, reeling in a bass that weighed in at five pounds, six ounces.