We attended the 2024 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma with the weigh-in and exhibition held in Tulsa.

The opening day blast off was a bit cool and damp on Friday March 22nd, but the large crowd was in great spirits as the anglers paraded by us on their way out of the great facilities at Wolf Creek Park.

While it was cool and damp, it was no where near as cold as it was at the 2016 Classic blast off at Wolf Creek.

The Winner

Justin Hamner, from Alabama, took home the coveted 2024 Bassmaster Classic Trophy with 58 pounds and 4 ounces over 3 days.

The image below is from Bassmaster’s coverage of the tournament.

Justin Hamner on stage at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic

Bassmaster also published some great images of his family, including his young daughter during the award of the trophy and the confetti that followed.

We took some nice photos of Hamner when he came in after day 2 on Grand Lake. The three images below are ours.

His Falcon Bass Boat was powered by a Yamaha Vmax SHO 250 horsepower outboard motor.

Justin Hamner rounding the corner on day 2 of the 2024 Bassmaster Classic preparing to trailer his boat.

Justin Hamner preparing to load his boat on day 2 of the 2024 Bassmaster Classic.

Justin Hamner’s boat coming out of Grand Lake on day 2 of the 2024 Bassmaster Classic.

A Test Ride

Mercury and Yamaha were both present on site with their support team for their anglers, as well as large, on-water support vessels representing their firms.

2024 Bassmaster Classic Mercury & Yamaha Angler Support Teams

Both firms also provided test rides.

We took Yamaha up on one. They took us out on a Skeeter FXR21 powered by a Yamaha Vmax SHO 250 horsepower outboard. Thanks to Yamaha, got to see some of the fishing up close on the water.

Our Yamaha ride at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic

Yamaha had a very solid presence at the 2024 Classic, including the winner, Justin Hamner.

The Exhibit Hall

The exhibit hall was setup in the Cox Business Center in Tulsa. The nearby BOC Center held the weigh-in and hosted many activities for children and youth. It took a while to find a place to park, but we made it.

The Outboard Motor Exhibits

Mercury and Yamaha both had huge exhibits drawing considerable traffic. I thought both exhibits were a bit sprawling and unfocused. It did not seem like they were really focusing on a couple products or features. They seemed more like booths for an old worlds fair type event.

For example, Mercury had a large casting area complete with a shallow pool, a large area displaying of clothing and apparel, as well as several outboard motors on display with little relevance to bass anglers.

Suzuki was also present with a smaller booth and little traffic when we passed by.

Phoenix Boat’s Exhibit

I thought Phoenix had the best exhibit among the huge players. Their exhibit was easy to navigate. They had a large display, but it was not so large you became lost or confused in it. A huge round rotating sign made it easy to find them. The corner location worked out nice for them. Their boats were in nice rows. You could walk up a ramp and walk alongside one of their boats. Posters of their anglers were high up on the back wall.

Phoenix seemed to know what their customers and potential customers were interested in and put in on display. They were even one of few exhibits to have a little greenery in their booth. Congratulations to Phoenix!

2024 Bassmaster Classic Phoenix Boats exhibit

Thanks to Bass Pro

Thanks BassPro for being the major sponsor of the tournament and passing out free 5 gallon pails at the exhibition. Many anglers were carrying their bucket full of fishing lures and accessories on their way out.

Thanks to Bassmaster

A big thanks to Bassmaster for putting on this great event that brought many dollars to our great state of Oklahoma.

Thanks for allowing BASS members into the exhibits an hour early on Friday. That allowed us to get around to several displays before the exhibit hall became more crowded. It also allowed us to get back to Grove earlier for Saturday’s events.