Classic Q & A with Cox
John Cox is always fun to chat with, even amid the most pressure-packed week in bass fishing. We caught up with him Tuesday under the 266-feet tall Sunsphere in Knoxville, home to this week’s 56th Bassmaster Classic.
Q: You’ve done well here before. Including a 5th place finish at the 2023 Bassmaster Classic. What is it about Fort Loudon Lake and you that kind of click?
Cox: I love it because it truly fishes like a river, which means most of the bass live shallow, and that puts them right where I love to fish in about 4-feet of water or less.
Q: So, what will be the biggest challenge of this event?
Cox: For this Florida boy it’ll be the 35-degree temps on Friday morning on Day 1 of the derby and trying to catch one of those 5-pound or bigger “difference maker” kind of largemouth.
Q: What kind of drinks and snacks do you have riding in your insulated fiberglass Vexus® cooler?
Cox: So, this is crazy, but that Vexus cooler holds ice so long that I’ve already packed it with ice and drinks for the tournament. I’ve got water, Cokes, and Celsius energy drinks, but no food. You gotta fish ‘hungry’.
Q: There will be a lot of crankbaits thrown in this event. What is the ultimate John Cox cranking system for the week ahead?
Cox: A Berkley Frittside tied to 15-pound 100% Trilene fluorocarbon on a 6.8:1 Abu Zenon reel, and a 7’ 1” Fenwick HMG medium extra fast rod.
Q: You’ve won a lot of big tournaments including championships, what would it mean to win the Bassmaster Classic?
Cox: Oh gosh! It’s hard to describe what it’d be like to win the event I’ve been dreaming about winning since I was a kid in the 1990s watching guys like Denny Brauer, Davy Hite and Woo Daves win it when I was fishing club tournaments on Lake Talmadge in jon boat tournaments.
