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Life tried to land a right-hook on Toyota Bonus Bucks pro Easton Fothergill a few years ago. Not only did he dodge it; he landed an even stronger counterpunch showcasing his elite mental fortitude. 

 

Imagine being a college-aged angler and having the world at your proverbial fingertips. You’re in your early 20s, you’ve earned a college scholarship to fish bass tournaments and you’re looking forward to graduating with your hard-earned 3.6 GPA in Marketing from The University of Montevallo. 

 

Life is good. 

 

Heck, life is better than good. The 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket is in a few weeks and you’re feeling optimistic about your chances. You’re currently practicing for an upcoming derby on famed Pickwick Lake, enjoying a beautiful day in nature. What more could someone want?

 

As you make a cast, however, your focus is quickly interrupted when you notice a twinge of pain in your head. Maybe you didn’t drink enough water, or you might have skipped breakfast, so no big deal. You’re a young buck and you can handle it. 

 

A few casts later, the pain returns. It goes away for a bit so hopefully it’s a one-off thing and you’re in the clear. But then it happens again. This time, it doesn’t go away. This time, the intense headache causes you to pass out in your boat. 

 

Toyota Bonus Bucks pro Easton Fothergill will never forget that pivotal day on the water. Just three weeks before the biggest college tournament of his life, his world was turned upside down in a matter of hours. 

 

“I was determined to fish this Pickwick tournament and somehow I got through it by taking Ibuprofen,” Fothergill said. “I felt terrible, but I was able to finish the event. Four days later, about three weeks before the 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket, I couldn’t take the pain any longer and ended up at an urgent care clinic to get checked out. A few hours later, I was having brain surgery.”

 

The doctors found a tangerine-sized mass on Fothergill’s brain. The doctors said it was an infectious mass initially caused by a small sore in his mouth from brushing his teeth. The infection got into his bloodstream and came to rest in the young man’s brain. The doctors told him this only happens to four in one million people. 

 

Thankfully, the surgery went well, and Fothergill was totally pain free from the moment the surgery was finished. After being prescribed 20 weeks of strong antibiotics, both his youth and impressive mental fortitude shined through. 

 

“I had the biggest college tournament of my life in three weeks,” he said. “They gave me a recovery time of four weeks, but I had work to do. I didn’t have any intention of missing the tournament. That was absolutely not an option.”

 

He’s a man of his word because not only did he fish the tournament while recovering from emergency brain surgery… he won it against the best college anglers in the country.

 

“I was catching them on a small finesse jig and a spinnerbait,” Fothergill said. “I’ll never forget that tournament for so many reasons. As you can imagine, it was such a wide range of emotions. I had a hot starting spot each tournament day, so I’d catch some key fish first thing but after that, it was super tough and it took a lot of discipline for me to remain confident and focused.”

 

This impressive victory gave the Minnesota native an opportunity to fish the 2024 Bassmaster Classic while driving a 2024 Toyota Tundra. His win also earned him paid entry fees into the 2024 Bassmaster Open EQs. Fothergill ended up winning two of them—one on his home lake of Leech Lake and the other on Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma. The 22-year-old also earned the 2024 Bassmaster EQ Opens Angler of the Year honors for his efforts which qualified him for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series. 

 

That’s quite the run (and mouthful), wouldn’t you say?

 

While he’s always been a talented angler from a very young age, Fothergill credits his calmness and level head for his unprecedented success. 

 

“I’ve never been the kind of person to get too up or down,” he said. “But that whole brain surgery issue put things into a unique perspective for me. I don’t take a single day on the water for granted whatsoever. There is always someone having a worse day than you so whether a fish jumps off or you have a bad tournament, it’s important to get over it quickly and accept it. Negativity doesn’t fix anything, and you can’t go back and change mishaps, so there’s no need to let it mess with your head.”

 

With plans to lean heavily on those traits, the Toyota Bonus Bucks angler is full of excitement and admittedly a few nerves as the 2025 Elite Series season approaches. A large part of his excitement comes from his new ride. He had never owned his own vehicle before, so Fothergill was able to purchase the 2023 Toyota Tundra he won the rights to use after his Bassmaster College Classic Bracket victory.

 

“I knew after about two months that I wanted to buy it,” Fothergill said. “I put about 55,000 miles on it last year and I’ve only had it in the shop for oil changes. At least I know I’m going to get to and from tournaments and to and from boat ramps towing my Skeeter/Yamaha with no problems this year. That might sound silly but having confidence in my equipment, especially my truck, boat, and outboard are huge. It lets me totally focus on my job.”

 

Both the fishing industry and fans are in for a treat as they watch this young man embark on his dream career. Whether it’s a shallow, dirty-water tournament on the Sabine River or a northern smallmouth event, everyone will quickly learn just how well-rounded his skillset is. 

 

“I’ve spent the time necessary with forward-facing sonar because I have to stay with the times,” Fothergill said. “Just like I had to learn about side imaging technology when I was a kid, I owe it to my career to stay updated on technology. But I love a good junk-fishing tournament when I don’t even have to look down at my units. I’ll fish any and everything with a smile on my face and a positive attitude. I don’t ever want to be a one-trick pony.”

 

At the junction of youth and humility, you’ll find very few young men who have what it takes to make it in this game full of trials, difficult decisions and heartbreak. But whether it’s shrugging off emergency brain surgery, fishing old school or staying up to date with the new, Easton Fothergill has what it takes to become a household name in the fishing world.