SCOTTSBORO, Ala., Feb. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hank Cherry, turned 52 today, so it’s fitting that the pro from Lincolnton, N.C., employed a straight-up old-school technique to win the FXR Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville with 88 pounds, 11 ounces.
Cherry caught the majority of his fish on a 3-inch hand-poured chartreuse curly tail grub rigged on a 1/8-ounce ball-head jig. Dedicating his win to his father Harold, Sr., Cherry said he was thrilled to claim the victory with a bait from his childhood.
“I felt like I was 10-years-old again; it was incredible fishing,” Cherry said with a quaking voice. “I was throwing a bait that’s older than (much) of the field. I’ve been waiting my whole life to be able to fish a major tournament and do that.
“My dad has been feeling under the weather, but he’s the one that taught me how to fish and he started this thing.”
Cherry’s slower start amplified his win. A frigid Day 1 impeded his signature jerkbait efforts and left Cherry in 64th place with 16 pounds, 3 ounces. The following day, Cherry sacked up 22-11 and rocketed into 18th.
On Semifinal Saturday, Cherry continued his climb with a limit of 22-2, which moved him into sixth place and secured his Championship Sunday berth. In the final round, Cherry added 27-11 — the event’s heaviest bag — to claim the blue trophy.
Edging Stetson Blaylock of Benton, Ark., by 1-13, Cherry won the $100,000 top prize.
“I love this game, I was born to do this game and I thank God that he gave me the ability to do what I do,” Cherry said. “This is incredible. This is just another check mark on a lifelong dream that I’ve been living.”
Cherry devoted his tournament to the Alred Creek area, where the abundance of baitfish and the scarcity of boats presented a promising scenario. He caught his fish by casting and slowly swimming the grub along the grass edge.
“Once you learn how to move the bait, it’s very easy,” Cherry said. “The bite’s simple. You don’t lose a lot, except when they straighten out your hook.
“I just paid attention to one grassline and anytime I went over a group of bait or a group of fish with my DownScan, I would mark it and come back through. I knew today was my day when I looked up in the grass 30 yards away, and (the fish) were just boiling.”
When Cherry left his main area, he was unsure of his overall standing. Fortunately, a late-day decision sealed the deal.
“I was second guessing leaving, but the afternoon has been so bad,” Cherry said. “I came up here (near the tournament site at Goose Pond) with 10 minutes to go and fished a Bassmooch HC 115 jerkbait on a bluff and caught my last one, which was right at 5 pounds.
“I said, ‘If I get beat, I just get beat.'”
This win marks Cherry’s fifth Bassmaster victory. Most recently, he won back-to-back Bassmaster Classic titles at the 2021 event at Lake Ray Roberts and the 2020 Classic on Lake Guntersville.
Cherry also won the 2013 Elite Series All-Star Week and Championship at Muskegon Lake and White Lake. A year prior, he topped the Southern Open at Smith Lake.
Only three other anglers have claimed consecutive Classic titles: Rick Clunn (1976-77), Kevin VanDam (2010-2011) and Jordan Lee (2017-2018). On the theme of repetition, Cherry said his underlying sense of familiarity helped deliver a second Guntersville title.
“Anytime I’m on this lake, I feel like I have a chance to win,” Cherry said. “I knew that with that bait and these conditions, this would be the one time I was really gonna have a chance.
“I just feel comfortable here. I don’t know why; I just have a peace when I come here.”
Improving from third on Day 3, Blaylock finished second with 86-14. His daily weights were 18-12, 22-14, 22-11 and 22-9.
Working in the back of Alred Creek, Blaylock fished a ditch running through the grass. Targeting prespawn bass, he threw a 5-inch YUM Money Minnow rigged on a 3/8-ounce Scottsboro Tackle swimbait head.
“One mistake I made was I did not fish the area I caught them in the last three days on the first day,” Blaylock said. “If I would have done that, it would have been a little different outcome.”
On Day 4, Blaylock also worked a Booyah One Knocker and an unnamed jig head minnow into his rotation.
Matt Robertson of Kuttawa, Ky., finished third with 85-13. He caught limits of 23-11, 16-5, 23-9 and 22-4.
“On Day 3, I was throwing a Berkley Cull Shad and I caught a couple, then I missed two,” Robertson said. “I put my Power-Poles down and picked up a Berkley Stunna jerkbait. The grass was so shallow, I just made a short pitch out there and kept my rod tip up, twitched it three or four times and I caught a few.
“I thought, ‘If they’re not gonna miss the jerkbait, I’ll just keep throwing it.'”
Cooper Gallant of Bowmanville Ontario won the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with his 8-4.
Cherry won the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag with his 27-11.
Cherry won the $4,000 Toyota Bonus Bucks contingency award for the highest-placing eligible angler.
Wes Logan of Springville, Ala., won the $4,000 Yamaha Power Pay contingency award for the highest-placing eligible angler.
Jacob Powroznik of North Prince George, Va., the BassTrakk Contingency prize for the angler whose BassTrakk estimates are closest to their official weight.
This event was hosted by Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce.
Media Contact: Mandy Pascal, Communications Manager, 334-414-8677, mpascal@bassmaster.com
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